Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

otsu

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.91 in modern English

Syllables: ot-su
IPA

4

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

In Old Japanese, one of two sets of vowels of uncertain pronunciation which fell together in modern Japanese.

name

The capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Example Sentences

"Later—during the ninth century—the kō and otsu groups did come to be used interchangeably."
"He rejects the claim of Matsumoto (1984) that the kô and otsu -o- vowels are in complementary distribution, and therefore these two vowels are allophones of a single vowel."

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 乙 (“second”).

Inflected Forms

Ōtsu (alternative)

Phrases

otsu-rui kô-otsu kō-otsu

Frequently Paired Words

otsu-rui kô/kō kô-otsu kō-otsu

Questions

What does otsu mean?: In Old Japanese, one of two sets of vowels of uncertain pronunciation which fell together in modern Japanese.
Where does otsu come from?: Borrowed from Japanese 乙 (“second”).

How to pronounce otsu

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “otsu”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “otsu”.
Repeat and practice — Say “otsu” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.