How many phonemes are there in the Japanese language?

The Japanese language consists of five vowels (a, i, u, e, and o) and a set of distinct consonant phonemes. When combined with various syllabic structures, these phonemes form the syllabary of the Japanese language. Below is a breakdown of the consonant phonemes in Japanese:

bilabial: p, b, m

labiodental: f

alveolar: t, d, n, s, z, r, l

alveopalatal: ch(chi), j(ji)

palatal: y

velar: k, g, ng

glottal: h

Additionally, there is a group of "voiced semi-consonant" sounds in Japanese that are sometimes treated as separate phonemes. These sounds are produced by placing the vocal cords very close together so that they vibrate, but there is no complete closure of the vocal tract. These semi-consonant phonemes are commonly represented as "w" (for the voiced counterpart of the consonant h), "y" (the voiced form of the consonant y), and the voiced forms of the consonants "m," "n," and "r."

Therefore, the Japanese language has a total of 5 vowel phonemes and 20 consonant phonemes, excluding the "voiced semi-consonant" sounds, making up the inventory of its distinctive phonemic sounds.