Toyota = Abundance of rice

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by yarisugi

Why westerners pronounce "karaoke" as ka-ree-O-kee baffles me.

There aren't many Japanese words that westerners know well. One of them is "Hara-Kiri", which is pronounced "Hairy Carry" by many Americans. Unfortunately Americans came to know that term because our Veterans from the Pacific theater got to witness this act being carried out, when motivated members of the Imperial Japanese Army exercised their perversion of Budo and killed themselves rather than go home and help lead Japan's recovery.

Could also be that Americans first heard the word "Karaoke" being spoken by drunk folks and the mispronunciation "stuck".

I think this goes both ways.... I've heard some Japanese pronounce "McDonald's", it comes out sounding like "Mac Don-Al-Da". A little patience and respect for the speaker's dignity goes a long way in communicating.

Gene