Mora 拍 / モーラ

haku / mōra · from Latin

What is a mora?

A mora is a unit of sound timing; in Japanese each kana, long vowel, moraic n (ん) and doubled consonant (っ) counts as one beat.

Japanese rhythm is mora-timed: 日本 Nihon has three morae (ni-ho-n) even though English hears two syllables. Haiku counts morae (5-7-5), not syllables. Getting mora length right matters, because shortening a long vowel or dropping a small っ changes the word.

Examples

日本 Nihon = ni-ho-n (3 morae); 東京 Tōkyō = to-o-kyo-o (4 morae); おばさん obasan (aunt) vs おばあさん obāsan (grandmother)

Kungfucius says: Japanese counts beats like a drummer, and it will notice if you skip one.