22 PRONUNCIATION AND LETTER-CHANGES.
kaza-kami, "windward;" from kaze, "wind," and kami, " above."
saka-te, " a tip " (" drink-money ") ; from sake, " rice- beer," and te, " hand."
tamotsu, "to keep;" from te, "hand," and motsu, "to hold."
itwa-gi, " an over-coat ;" from tie, " top," and kiru " to put on," " to wear."
As an irregular member of the same class may be mentioned shim for shiro, the stem of the adjective shi- roi, "white," in such compounds as
shita-giku, "a white chrysanthemum;" from shiroi, "white," and kiku, "a chrysanthemum."
skira-ga, "white hair ; " from shiroi, "white," and ke, "hair" (a for e at the end of a compound word, as in this instance, is quite anomalous).
IT 34. All the Japanese consonants do not admit of being sounded before all the five Japanese vowels. F only occurs before the vowel u, the other four vowels taking // instead. 5 is replaced by sh, and z byj, before the vowel i. T is replaced by ch t and d by j, before the vowel i ; t is replaced by ts, and d by z, before the vowel u. W occurs only before the vowel a ; y only before the vowels a, o and u.
N. B. Exceptions are presented by the particles wo and yc. To the practical student this peculiarity is interesting only in so far as it affects the conjugation of verbs. He is therefore referred to Chapter VIII, 1T 236 and 239. It may, however, be worth while to note in passing what strange havoc is played with borrowed European words by this inability of the Japanese to pronounce certain
