Bokeh pronunciation?

<p>Did a google search and found multiple answers. Bo-kay (Bouquet as in flowers), or bo-ka (as in Boca Raton, Coca Cola, etc.). </p>

<p>Boca. I've never heard bouquet. But I talk to a lot o photographers and we always pronounce it 'boca'. Sounds like you know the definitely already -- that's the one I had trouble with! ;-)</p>

<p>'Bow' (like a bow-tie, not a bow-wow from a dog), and 'keh' (rhymes with the "eh!" you say when you shrug your shoulders, not "ay" as in bouquet). But many people here think you should pronounce it "the aesthetic quality of the out of focus blur rendering" because if you use the B-word they become appoplecticeh.</p>

<p>As a photographer that started back in the late 1960s, my pronunciation is <strong>"out of focus."</strong></p>

<p>Apoplecticeh! :-) made my day.<br>

But I will dissent from your pronunciation guide Matt. While instructive for our American friends, to a Canadian the sound made while shrugging your shoulders would be "enh?" and the pronunciation of "eh?" is definitely a Long-A "ayy". Which would cause a Canadian following your advise to say "bow-kay". Which we've already established should be pronounced "bow-kuh".<br>

I love words!</p>

<p>You're right, David. I was of course referring to the "eh" used in certain mid-Atlantic and Appalachian regions. Obviously, this does not apply in New York, where they say "meh!" or in regions of the west coast, where they say, "what-<em>ever</em>!"<br /><br />Kerry's pronounciation is an obscure regional colloquialism that refers to something else entirely.</p>

<p>It is supposed to be a loan word from the Japanese verb ぼける (暈ける) <em>bokeru</em> -- "to blur". The <em>boke</em> part in this case is also the noun -- "[the] blur". In Japanese the vowels are pronounced as in Latin/Italian (and the consonants as in English).</p>

<p>So Matt's suggestion is correct -- <em>bo</em> as in "bow-tie" and <em>ke</em> as in "eh".</p>

<p>Matt has right "bow-keh"</p>

<p>Also often known felicitously as "broke-eh" in posts here and across the net.</p>

<p>I always say it like Boca Raton being from South Florida. I have been trying to say it properly as Bow-keh for a while but people give me weird looks when I do. </p>

<p>Japanese verb ぼける (暈ける) <em>bokeru ... </em><strong>Japanese cowpoke ... bokeru ?</strong><br>

<strong>Yippee kiyeah.</strong></p>

<p>Hey David, if you love words, this should make your day!<br>

The old 'Nikon' story: Is is nigh-kon, knee-con or nick-on?<br>

The American home page audio is 'nick-on'. Here in Canada we say nigh-kon.<br>

Had a Japanese girl-friend who said in Japanese it is 'knee-kon'.<br>

My name is Clay Lawton, which she pronounced as 'Cray Rotten'<br>

"Cray, you is Rotten', ha! Loved it and her.<br>

Best regards,<br>

/Clay</p>

<p>I have always used the pronunciation as given by Mike Johnston in the May/Jun 1997 issue of Photo Techniques magazine. It was this issue that popularized the term for many English speaking photographers.</p><div></div>

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<p>Bo-kay (Bouquet as in flowers)</p>

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<p>No, that's more Boo-kay.</p>

<p>I usually pronounce it 'ho-kum' (rhymes with 'so-dumb'). But sometimes I say 'blur' (rhymes with 'cur').</p>

<p>Les, that's because you never have anything nice to say about anyone or anything, ever.</p>

<p>The Yooper in me is completely confused by the discussion of "eh". Cause, yaknow, dat is just how we say it, eh.</p>

<p><strong>Joseph: </strong>I have lots of nice things to say. Check out my comments on images some time--I practically gush now and then. I have not, however, referred to Macs as 'fruit-flavored computer substitutes'.</p>

 

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<p>Japanese verb ぼける (暈ける) <em>bokeru ... </em><strong>Japanese cowpoke ... bokeru ?</strong><br /><strong>Yippee kiyeah.</strong></p>

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<p>The 'u' in Japanese is pronounced like the 'u' in the English words 'run' or 'rug', not like the 'oo' in 'kangaroo'.</p>

<p><em>Bokeru</em> is pronounced: BOW-keh-ruh. The pacing and emphasis of syllables is similar to 'bakery'. No buckaroos here! ;-)</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>The 'u' in Japanese is pronounced like the 'u' in the English words 'run' or 'rug', not like the 'oo' in 'kangaroo'.</p>

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<p>Not true. But an "u" at the end of a word is usually almost not pronounced at all, unless it is a "uu"/"ū".</p>

Butch, it is indeed a very soft sound. The Japanese link a vowel sound to every consonant. They can't imagine a k by

itself. It's either ka or ko or ku, etc. Ku at the end of a word would be close to the sound of just a k by itself, but there is

still a small, breathy sound that the u adds.

 

 

Of course they have words like juu (the number ten) that have a very strong 'oo' sound, like the English boo or chew.

<p>The "h" in "bokeh" is added to aid romanization of a Japanese phoneme. This is mostly to prevent English speakers from pronouncing the two syllables "bo" and "ke" like "broke" without the "r". The correct pronunciation is more like "broken" without the "r" and "n". The Japanese do devoice their vowels somewhat, but in a way that clearly identifies the vowel. Attempts by English speakers to devoice the vowels sound like insincere attempts at familiarity to the Japanese, and they generally expect non-native speakers to conform a little more closely to formal Japanese and to voice the vowels more clearly.</p>

<p>BTW -- "nikon" is a three syllable word. ni-ko-n. The "n" is not quite like the English "n" however; it's a nasalization, and the tongue does /not/ touch the top of the palate.</p>

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<p>Kerry's pronounciation is an obscure regional colloquialism that refers to something else entirely.</p>

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<p>And Matt's word <em>pronounciation</em> doesn't exist!</p>

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<p>And Matt's word <em>pronounciation</em> doesn't exist!</p>

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<p>Pronounciation: to use pronouns in place of proper nouns. "I have trouble remembering names, so I frequently resort to pronounciation."</p>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh">Bokeh</a><br />Let me go ask my Japanese friend and get back to you. I learned it as, and I've always used "bo-kay" as pronunciation. It's what I've always heard, it's what the net says... Never really thought to ask before. The only times I've heard "bo-ku" was by people who were unfamiliar with the word and it's origin.</p>

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<p>it's what the net says</p>

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<p>Where does "the net" say that? I've seen hundreds of references to bo-keh, and on rare occasions where someone says bo-kay, they're promptly corrected.</p>