How to Fix Misread Kanji and Pacing in Japanese TTS

When a Japanese voice misreads a kanji, rewrite that one word in hiragana or katakana and generate the line again. The voice follows your kana spelling exactly, so you decide the reading. For pacing, use 、 for a short pause and 。 for a longer one, and split long sentences. Everyday vocabulary on the Japanese text to speech page reads correctly almost always, so the work is mostly in names, words with several readings, and numbers. This guide shows where misreadings come from, how to fix each kind, and how to make a script breathe.

Why kanji get misread

Most kanji have more than one reading, and the right one depends on the word and the meaning. A voice picks the reading from context, which works for common words and fails in a few predictable places.

Written	Possible readings	Which one you usually want
市場	いちば / しじょう	いちば for a fish market, しじょう for the stock market
人気	にんき / ひとけ	ひとけ in 人気のない道 (a deserted road)
今日	きょう / こんにち	こんにち in formal phrases like 今日の日本
一日	ついたち / いちにち	ついたち for the first of the month
上手	じょうず / うわて / かみて	かみて for stage left in theatre

The same problem is much worse for names. 角田 can be かくた, かどた or つのだ. 中島 can be なかじま or なかしま. Some place names change reading by region: 日本橋 is にほんばし in Tokyo and にっぽんばし in Osaka, and 三田 is みた in Tokyo but さんだ in Hyogo. No amount of context tells the voice which person or town you mean.

Fixing a misread word with kana

Change only the word that is wrong

Rewrite the problem word in kana and leave the rest of the sentence in kanji. The surrounding kanji still help the voice read everything else correctly, and the script stays easy for you to check.

Misread: 角田さんから連絡がありました。 (read as かくた)
Fixed: つのださんから連絡がありました。

Writing a whole sentence in hiragana removes the visual cues that mark word boundaries, so a voice may group the sounds oddly. Keep the kana to the words that need it.

Hiragana or katakana?

Both give the same sounds, so choose whichever is easier to read in your script. Katakana makes a name stand out from the hiragana around it, which can help when the name sits next to particles: ツノダさんが is easier to scan than つのださんが. Generate both versions once and listen if you are not sure which reads more smoothly.

Do not add readings in brackets

Writing 角田（つのだ） the way a printed text shows furigana may lead the voice to read both the kanji and the bracket. Replace the kanji instead of annotating it.

Words whose reading depends on meaning

For words like 市場 or 人気, the voice usually gets the common reading right. When your sentence needs the less common one, spell it out: ひとけのない道, 株式しじょう. If you would rather keep the kanji, try rewording the sentence so the meaning is clearer, then test again.

Numbers, dates and counters

Numbers cause more surprises than kanji, because Japanese numbers change sound with the counter and the context. Write them the way they should be spoken whenever the reading matters.

Times: write 午後三時 instead of 15:00 so the voice says ごごさんじ rather than guessing how to read the digits.
Dates: 1日 can be ついたち or いちにち, and 20日 is usually はつか as a date. Write ついたち or はつか when it must be the date.
Ages: 20歳 is often read はたち. If you want にじゅっさい, write it that way.
Counters: sound changes like 一本 (いっぽん), 三本 (さんぼん) and 六本 (ろっぽん) are worth a quick listen.
Hours: 四時 is よじ and 九時 is くじ. 七時 can be しちじ or ななじ, so spell the one you prefer.

Large numbers, phone numbers and product codes are worth checking too. A short test line with just the number tells you quickly how it will sound.

English words and brand names

Loanwords already written in katakana read naturally. For English words in Latin letters, rewriting them in katakana gives you more control. Brand names are the common case: decide how you want the name pronounced, and spell that. SaaS can be サース, AI can be エーアイ, and a product name can be spelled out in katakana however your company says it.

When kana will not fix it: pitch accent

Some Japanese words share the same kana and differ only in pitch. In Tokyo Japanese, 箸 (chopsticks) and 橋 (bridge) are both はし, and 雨 (rain) and 飴 (candy) are both あめ. Writing these in kana removes the information the voice needs, so keep the kanji. If a word still sounds wrong, regenerate the line or reword the sentence and listen again.

Controlling pacing with punctuation

Punctuation matters more than any other setting for Japanese pacing. A long sentence with no commas sounds rushed. A few well-placed 、 make it sound like a person who is breathing.

Before:

本日は新しい展示室の公開に合わせて館内の一部の通路が混雑する可能性がありますのでご来館の際はスタッフの案内に従ってお進みください。

After:

本日は、新しい展示室の公開に合わせて、館内の一部の通路が混雑する可能性があります。ご来館の際は、スタッフの案内に従ってお進みください。

The second version adds three 、 and breaks one sentence into two. Some practical rules:

Put 、 after the topic (本日は、) and between long clauses.
End a sentence with 。 where a speaker would stop to breathe, even if the written version runs on.
For announcements, keep sentences short and similar in length.
If the delivery is still too fast, add a short style prompt such as "slower, warmer" and test a short sample before you commit to a long script.

For symbols like ・, line breaks and ellipses, the effect varies, so generate a short test and listen before relying on them.

A quick test-and-fix routine

Generate a sentence or two and listen before running the full script.
Note every misread name, place and number.
Rewrite only those words in kana, or reword where pitch is the problem.
Add 、 and split sentences anywhere the delivery feels rushed.
Regenerate the changed lines and listen to the whole output, not just the first line.

Frequently asked questions

Will the voice follow my kana spelling?

It should. Kana leaves no reading to guess, so writing the word in hiragana or katakana puts the reading in your hands. Pitch accent is the one thing still worth a listen.

Should I write my whole script in hiragana to be safe?

No. Write it in normal mixed kanji and kana, and switch only the words that come out wrong. Everyday vocabulary reads correctly almost always.

How do I make a pause longer?

Use 、 for a short pause and 。 for a longer one. Splitting a long sentence into two usually helps more than adding commas.

How do I get the right reading for a date like 1日?

Write it as it should be spoken: ついたち for the first of the month, いちにち for "one day".

Try your own script with the voices on the Japanese text to speech page.