Ayumi Shares Valuable Advice with Sakura from LE SSERAFIM About Pronunciation Struggles

In a recent episode of JTBC's 'Knowing Foreigners' on March 4th KST, Ayumi from Japan along with Nichkhun from Thailand, Julian from Belgium, and Fabien from France made guest appearances.

Reflecting on her 2006 solo promotions with 'Cutie Honey', Ayumi mentioned, "It's an anime OST for which I wrote the lyrics myself. Trying to match the Japanese lyrics, I ended up with 'a girl like me with small and pretty hips.' However, I faced challenges in pronouncing 'hips' correctly. Sakura, I'm sure you can relate to this struggle."

She went on to explain, "The Japanese pronunciation lacks sounds like 'ㅓ' or final consonants like 'ㅇ', so my pronunciation came out as 'ondoni.' Despite this, because people found it cute, I felt pressured to continue this mispronunciation. Even as my pronunciation improved from weekly music show performances, the audience expected me to maintain the original mispronunciation, leaving me no choice."

Seeking advice on improving her final consonant pronunciation, Sakura admitted, "I often mix up 'ㅇ,' 'ㄴ,' and 'ㅁ.' For instance, the word 'transformed,' if pronounced with 'ㅇ,' alters its meaning, so I need to be cautious."

Ayumi recommended practicing each syllable separately, advising, "I face this challenge as well. Try saying '엉. 덩. 이.' one syllable at a time."

While Nichkhun reassured Sakura that imperfect pronunciation can also be endearing, Ayumi emphasized, "Don't rush to fix it," and Boom encouraged her by saying, "That uniqueness is part of your charm."

Ayumi also shared a personal anecdote about the exaggerated "short-tongued" greeting she became known for. Recalling the imitation of her brief greeting style, she mentioned, "Initially, I would greet with 'Hello, I'm Ayumi,' but people started imitating me with an even shorter version. Although it was never my natural way of speaking, now every encounter prompts requests for that style. Even after moving back to Korea in 2019, the same request persists. I'm 40 now!"

Despite her initial annoyance, when Jonathan requested a brief greeting, Ayumi good-naturedly complied, mimicking the familiar impersonation. She then offered a valuable piece of advice for newcomers in the industry, stating, "If the audience expects a particular persona from you, it's important to maintain it. This consistency is key to longevity in the industry."