A Tongue Twister Challenge Participated By 40+ Countries (With Audios)

Doing Tongue Twister is always fun. If you donโ€™t know what Tongue Twister is, it is basically a phrase that is designed to be difficult to enunciate properly, and can be used as a type of spoken word game. Many tongue-twisters use a combination of alliteration and rhyme. They have two or more sequences of sounds that require repositioning the tongue between syllables, then the same sounds are repeated in a different sequence.

These kinds of phrases come in different languages, too. Thatโ€™s why I created a challenge of tongue twister for participating countries to showcase their own. See challenge below:

CHALLENGE OF THE DAY

Letโ€™s get your tongue twisted today! Yep โ€“ itโ€™s a tongue twister challenge! The cool thing is you have to pick your own tongue twister BUT it should be a โ€œknown tongue twisterโ€ from your country and should be in your native language. In addition, try not to pick an easy one! ๐Ÿ™‚

Here are the steps to follow:

๐Ÿ“ฑSend the written version of your chosen tongue twister. Romanized version is preferred.
(Please also include English translation.)

๐ŸŽ™Record an audio with the following:
1. State your name, country, and native language.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Start the tongue twister. If your tongue twister is too short, try repeating it over and over. 30-45 overall time is preferred.

A Kiwi man after his tongue twister challenge

With 40+ nationalities participating in this challenge, here is how each one perform their tongue twister in their own language. So get your earphones ready!

And let us know in the comment section below if they did a good job!

  • Angola ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ด
  • Native Language: Portuguese

O tempo perguntou ao tempo quanto tempo o tempo tem, o tempo respondeu ao tempo que o tempo tem o tempo que o tempo tem.

(The time asked to the time how many time the time has, the time answered the time that the time has the time that the time has.)

  • Argentina ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท
  • Native Language: Spanish

Tres tristes tigres tragan trigo en un trigal.

(Three sad tigers swallow wheat in a wheat field.)

  • Australia ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ
  • Native Language: English

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
Iโ€™m sure she sells seashore shells.

  • Brazil ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท
  • Native Language: Portuguese

Um ninho de mafagafos
Tinha sete mafagafinhos
Quem desmafagafar o ninho de mafagafos
Bom desmafagafador serรก.

(A nest of mafagafos
I had seven mafagafos
Who unhook the nest of mafagafos
Good desmafagafador will be)

  • Burundi ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฎ
  • Native Language: Kirundi / Kinyamulenge

Isazi ishotse icitse ishara.

(The fly drinks water with a broken garlic)

  • Chile ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑ
  • Native Language: Spanish

Mรญrame sin mirar, Myriam,
mรญrame mientras me muevo;
no me mires Myriam mรญa,
no me mires que me muero.

(Look at me without looking, Myriam,
look at me while I move;
donโ€™t look at me, my Myriam,
Donโ€™t look at me because I die.)

  • China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ
  • Native Language: Chinese

dวŽ nรกn biฤn lรกi le gรจ yวŽ bษ‘, yฤo lว biรฉ le gรจ lวŽ bษ‘๏ผ›
dวŽ bฤ›i biฤn lรกi le gรจ lวŽ mษ‘, shว’u lว tรญ le gรจ tวŽ mษ‘.
tรญ zhe tวŽ mษ‘ de lวŽ mษ‘ yร o nรก tวŽ mษ‘ huร n biรฉ zhe lวŽ bษ‘ de yวŽ bษ‘ de lวŽ bษ‘๏ผ›
biรฉ zhe lวŽ bษ‘ de yวŽ bษ‘ bรน yuร n nรก lวŽ bษ‘ huร n tรญ zhe tวŽ mษ‘ de lวŽ mษ‘ de tวŽ mษ‘.

(From the north comes a mute, carrying a trumpet at his waist.
From the south comes a monk, holding a fish in his hand.
The monk who is holding a fish wants to trade his fish for a trumpet with the mute who is carrying a trumpet.
The mute who is carrying a trumpet doesnโ€™t want to trade his trumpet with the monk who is holding the fish.)

  • Czech Republic ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ
  • Native Language: Czech

Tล™istatล™icettล™i stล™รญbrnรฝch stล™รญkaฤek stล™รญkalo pล™es tล™istatล™icettล™i stล™รญbrnรฝch stล™ech.

(Three hundred thirty three of silver syringes sprayed over three hundred and thirty-three silver roofs.)

  • Denmark ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ
  • Native Language: Danish

Rรธd grรธd med flรธde.

(Red porrige with cream.)

  • Dominican Republic ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ด
  • Native Language: Spanish

Yo tengo una gata etica peletica pelin plampletica pelada peluda pelin plampluda que tiene gatitos eticos peleticos pelados peludos pelin plampludos si la gata no fuera etica peletica pelada peluda pelin plampluda los gatitos no fueran eticos peletico pelados peludos pelin plamludos.

  • England ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
  • Native Language:English

I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit;
and on the slitted sheet I sit.

  • France ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท
  • Native Language: French

Later.

  • Germany ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช
  • Native Language: German

Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid.

(Red cabbage stays red cabbage and a wedding dress stays a wedding dress)

  • Greece ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท
  • Native Language: Greek

O papas o paches efage pachea fake, geate papa pache efages pachea fake?

(The thick priest ate thick lentils, why did you thick priest eat thick lendils?)

  • Hungary ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ
  • Native Language: Hungarian

Nem minden szarka farka tarka, csak a tarka farkรบ szarka farka tarka.

(Not every magpieโ€™s tail is gaudy, just the gaudy tailed magpieโ€™s tail is gaudy.)

  • India ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ
  • Native Language: Hindi

Later.

  • Indonesia ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ
  • Native Language: Indonesian

Kuku kaki kakak kakak ku kayak kuku kaki kakek kakek ku.

(My brotherโ€™s toenails are like my grandfatherโ€™s toenails.)

  • Iran ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท
  • Native Language: Farsi

Afsare Arshade Arteshe Otrish.

(Austrian Army Chief Officer.)

  • Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น
  • Native Language: Italian

Sopra la campa la capra campa, sotto la campa la capra crepa.

(Over the bench the goat is alive, under the bench the goat dies.)

  • Japan ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต
  • Native Language: Japanese

Niwa no niwa ni wa, niwa no niwatori wa niwaka ni wani o tabeta.

(In (Mr) Niwaโ€™s garden, two chickens suddenly ate a crocodile.)

  • Kazakhstan ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ
  • Native Language: Kazakh

Aq tas aqpa, qara tas aqpa aq tas aqpa, qara tas aqpa aq tas aqpa, qara tas aqpa.

(white white stone or black whiteย  stone, white white stone or black whiteย  stone.)

  • Mexico ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ
  • Native Language: Spanish

El volcรกn de parangaricutirimicuaro se quiere desparangaricutirimicuarizar: el que lo desparangaricutirimicuarice un buen desparangaricutirimicuarizador serรก.

(The parangaricutirimicuaro volcano wants to be unarangaricutirimicazed: the one who unparangaricutirmique will be a great unarangaricutirimicazer.)

  • Netherlands ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ
  • Native Language: Dutch

Bram de brave broer van breiende brauwende Brielse Brechtje, bracht in zijn bronsbruin broekje een bril en een brandbrief en een gebroken brokje bros bruin brood over de brede brug naar Breukelen.

(Bram the good brother of knitting braving Brielse Brechtje, brought in his bronze-brown pants glasses and a fire letter and a broken lump of brittle brown bread over the wide bridge to Breukelen.)

  • Peru ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช
  • Native Language: Spanish / Quechua

Me han dicho un dicho que han dicho que he dicho yo.
Ese dicho estรก mal dicho; si lo hubiera dicho yo,
estarรญa mejor dicho que el dicho que han dicho que he dicho yo.

(Iโ€™ve heard a quote which they say I said.
That quote is misquoted; if I had said it,
it would be better said than the quote which they say I said.)

  • Philippines ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ
  • Native Language: Filipino

โ€œMinekaniko nang mekaniko ni Monico ang makina nang Minica ni Monica.โ€

(Monicoโ€™s mechanic mechanically fixed the Minica of Monica.)

  • Poland ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ
  • Native Language: Polish

W Szczebrzeszynie chrzฤ…szcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego sล‚ynie.

(In [the town of] Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed, for which Szczebrzeszyn is famous.)

  • Russia ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ
  • Native Language: Russian

Karl u Klary ukral korally, a Klara u Karla ukrala klarinet.

(Carl stole corals from Clara, and Clara stole a clarinet from Carl.)

  • South Africa ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ
  • Native Language: Afrikaans

Later.

  • South Korea ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท
  • Native Language: Korean

Ne-ga geu-rin gi-rin geu-ri-meun mot geu-rin gi-rin geu-ri-mi-go nae-ga geu-rin gi-rin geu-ri-meun jal geu-rin gi-rin geu-ri-mi-da.

(The drawing of a giraffe that you drew is a poorly drawn drawing of a giraffe, and the drawing of a giraffe that I drew is a well-drawn drawing of a giraffe.)

  • Tanzania ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฟ
  • Native Language: Swahili

Katibu Kata wa Kata ya Mkata amekataa katakata kukata miti katika kata ya Mkata.

(The chief of Mkata district has forbidden the cutting of trees in the Mkapa district.)

  • Thailand ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ
  • Native Language: Thai

Chao fad pud fug yen gin fug pud yay gin lum yai nam lai yai lai yoi.

(Eat Pud Fug (thai food) in the morning, and eat Fug Pud in the afternoon also, and Grandma is eating Lumyai (a thai fruit) and she is drooling.)

  • Turkey ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท
  • Native Language: Turkish

Bir berber bir berbere gel beraber bir berber dรผkkanฤฑ aรงalฤฑm demiลŸ.

(It was said, one barber called another barber to open up new hairdresser.)

  • United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ
  • Native Language: English

She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.
The shells she sells are sea-shells, Iโ€™m sure.
For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore
Then Iโ€™m sure she sells sea-shore shells.

  • Vietnamย ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ
  • Native Language: Vietnamese

Luแป™c hแป™t vแป‹t lแป™n, luแป™c lแป™n hแป™t vแป‹t lแบกc, ฤƒn lแป™n hแป™t vแป‹t lแบกc, luแป™c lแบกi hแป™t vแป‹t lแป™n, lแบกi lแป™n hแป™t vแป‹t lแบกc.

(Boiling the balut (a duck egg), boiled the wrong eggs, ate the wrong eggs, boiling the balut one more time, boil the wrong eggs again.)

So there you have it!

Did you learn something today? If you havenโ€™t join us yet, feel free to register to ConnectPalsย for free and be part of our growing Language Exchange community.

Anyhow, what Language Exchange Challenge do you want us to do next? Feel free to leave a reply in the comment section below!

UPDATE: Comments are disabled at this moment but do contact @connectpals if you have something to say. =)

Contributed by Dan

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Ksenia

    Thanks. It a funny and easy way to improve the own pronunciation.๐Ÿ˜Š
    Will be great to collect some examples of proverbs and common saying in different languages ( saying break a leg we wishe someone a good luck)

  2. ConnectPals

    Glad you liked it!
    Weโ€™ll definitely consider your suggestions:)

Comments are closed.