(When using "romaji" (roman letters representing Japanese sounds), some vowels should have a long mark over them. However, this is not possible when typing on a computer. On this page, I follow the convention of typing the vowel twice when there is supposed to be a long mark over it. A doubled vowel means hold it for longer, not to change the sound. So prounounce both "o" and "oo" as in "row", not as in "food"! Also, pronounce "i" as in "bee", "e" as in "bed", "u" as in "due", "a" as in "ah", "ei" as in "hey" and "ai" as in "hi".)