At 10:12 PM 2/24/2000 -0000, you wrote:
>Something I've never known - how is "Zuiko" pronounced? (Apart from in
>hushed
>and respectful tones, of course)
>
>I've never learnt Japanese, so can't get clues from there. I usually rhyme
>it with "psycho", but with a soft z, and people seem to understand. But
>trying to work it out is impossible.
>
>The "-ko" bit is fairly straightforward, then the fun starts. The "ui" is
>often "wee", but not always (how about "suit") and I think in
John,
I'm not an expert on this. My wife is 3rd generation Japanese and corrects
me to where I at least pronounce things correctly according to local
standards in Hawaii where she's from. The "U-I" is not a diphthong per se,
like the examples you give, but two separate vowels that happen to be next
to each other. The "U" is pronounced like the "U" in "haiku" (ooooo), and
the "I" is the standard "eeee" as in the "I" at the end of "Maitani." So
"zoo-EEE-ko" is how we pronounce around our house.
Joel Wilcox
Iowa City, Iowa USA
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