Pronunciation of Names

This section which show you how to say the Japanese names of the senshi.

Tsukino Usagi :: Sue-KEY-no Ooh-SAH-gee

Mizuno Ami:: Mee-ZOO-no AH-mee

Hino Rei :: HEE-no Ray

Kino Makoto :: KEY-no Mah-KO-toe

Aino Minako:: EYE-no MEE-nah-ko

Tenou Haruka :: Ten-OH HAH-rue-kah

Kaiou Michiru :: Kah-EYE-oh ME-cheer-rue

Meiou Setsuna :: MAY-oh Set-SUE-nah

Tomoe Hotaru :: Toe-MOE-ay Hoe-TAR-rue

Information from Bunny's Tour

From Ian Miller

"Here's a very rough guide to pronouncing Japanese vowels and consonants:
Vowels come in two flavors. They can be short or long. Their pronunciations are the same, but they seem to differ a little bit to English speakers. Syllables should be pronounced with equal force unless a syllable's vowel is long.

The "A" sounds like the "a" in "father" when it's long, but when it's short and it ends up sounding more like the "u" in "cut."
The "E" sounds like the "e" in "get" when it's short, but when it's long, it ends up sounding something more like the "ay" in "day."
The "I" sounds like the "i" in "machine" when it's long, but when it's short, it ends up sounding more like the "i" in "nit." Sometimes speakers don't even fully pronounce a long "i" sound. My Japanese instructor, Aoki-sensei, often pronounced her name like "Aok."
The "O" sounds like the "o" in "goat" but a lot shorter. When that vowel is long, it ends up sounding more like the English word.
The "U" sounds like the "u" in "lune" but a lot shorter. When that vowel is long, it ends up sounding more like the English word.
The "R" is a liquid that has no equivalent in English. It's not a true English "R" or a true English "L." Its technical name is the alveolar tap and it sounds to me like the "l" in the English word "lap."
The "CHI" isn't really like the "chee" in the English "cheese" and it's not really like the English word "tea." It's something in between.
The "SHI" isn't really like the English "she" or the English "see." It's something in between.

With that guide, you'll be able to accurately pronounce the girls' names. Here they are written in the Eastern style.

Tsukino Usagi: The "tsu" in "tsuki" is a tough sound for English speakers to pull off sometimes. When a Japanese person pronounces the surname, it often sounds like "ski-no" to English ears.
Mizuno Ami: The names "Ami" and "Amy" aren't pronounced the same.
Hino Rei:The name "Rei" sounds something like the English word "ray," but not exactly like it.
Chibi-Usa : That's "usa" and not the letters "U.S.A."
Ten'ô Haruka: That final "o" in her surname is long. The "ô" and the "n" are separate syllables.
Kaiô Michiru: That final "o" in her surname is long.
Meiô Setsuna: That final "o" in her surname is long.
Tomoe Hotaru: The "e" at the end of "Tomoe" is pronounced like the "e" in "get."

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