How do you pronounce NIKON?

[steve_levine]

<p>Yes but how does one pronounce Nikkormat? Nick-or-matt or Nike-or-matt? I used the former since high school c 1970.<br>

On USA TV commercials, Ny-con refers to their fabulous "knee-cor" lenses. I've always called them Ni-Cor lenses. You say pot ta toe, I say po tat to.</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>So how do you pronounce Nikkor?</p>

[nakarin_pagsilerd1]

<p>Number 2, only American use number 1 (British use number 2)</p>

[porter]

<p>*North Americans pronounce it as number 1, not just Americans. Canadians may be part of the commonwealth, but we certainly don't say it like the others.</p>

[kris-bochenek]

<p>When I took my Nikomat for CLA to a local repair shop the lady who was Asian pronounced KNEE KON" and then turned to her husband and started talking in their language. In Poland they pronounce KNEE KON as well.</p>

[andrew_fedon]

<p><a href="00Rwrt">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Rwrt</a></p>

[jackaldridge]

<p>Interesting thread....<br>

I've always pronounced it Caaaaa...Nunnnn....<br>

But thanks for the info... :-)</p>

[oofoto]

<p>Up until the time I got into photography it was Nighkon, now I say Nickon. Wish i hadn't of changed but i did.<br>

But yes I'm Canon.</p>

[hakon_soreide]

<p>In Norway we say the correct no. 2 for Nikon - might be just dumb luck. Interestingly, as Japanese words get longer, people tend to mess them up, though. Lots of Norwegians say Mitsu-bitchy instead of Mitsubishi for the car. And I suppose only Japanese people pronounce Tokyo correctly. I know how to do it, but I just get funny looks if I do it in general conversation.</p>

<p>Canon we pronounce as in English, Leica, we pronounce Lay-ca rather than the correct Lie-ca - perhaps it's to avoid confusion with the first dog in space.</p>

<p>Interestingly, many Japanese people would struggle with pronouncing "Olympus". Konnichi wa Orimpusu-san.</p>

[sven_felsby]

<p>In Denmark: "nickon" with two short wovels</p>

[BrianS1664879711]

<p>Yes, indeed... it was a full-moon last night!</p>

[sasvata__shash__chatterjee]

<blockquote><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2129602">Daniel Lee Taylor</a> , Sep 24, 2010; 12:25 a.m.

<p>That's so funny because I've always pronounced it CAN-NON ;-)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Wait, I have always thought that was "CANNOT" ?</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>When I bought my used Nikon F in 1962; they used 1) Nigh con</p>

<p>I have heard in pronounced many different ways.</p>

<p>I have folks who where born after 1962 "correct me" if I use 1) Nigh con; thus folks with an agenda or new to photography can attempt to change history. It just you as a newbie or dunce if you think that only 1,2, 3 or 4 etc is the only why. It just means your world is narrow.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>For what it's worth, everyone I've heard in the UK (I'm English) uses 3, although I'm vaguely aware that 1 is popular in the US. I'll gladly use 2 (and presumably knee-core) if that's more official, though. Linux stopped worrying about it (although it *used* to care). I'll still slap anyone who pronounces "GIF" with a hard "G". Frankly, it's not worth worrying about when there are issues between English dialects about bumming a fag, what a fanny pack is, wearing pants for a walk along the pavement, and whether a pedophile is a foot-fetishist.<br>

<br>

Speaking of pronunciation, if I may lower the tone: My subconscious is clearly getting so worried about accent corruption from all the US TV shows I watch that I recently described a Nikkor to my other half as meaning "I won't be able to bath in arse's milk". I believe she went off to the urban dictionary when she eventually stopped laughing.</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>Tuh-may-toe...er...toe-mah-toe. Since it's a portmanteau of <strong>Ni</strong>ppon <strong>Kō</strong>gaku, <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Nikon.ogg">#2</a> is correct, but that gets 'corrected' to <em>Nigh</em>-kahn here in the States. In the South I also get '<em>nah</em>-kown'. When in Philistia... :)</p>

<p>Thank goodness they rebranded Kwanon to Canon or we might try to put one in gin. At least most of us say <em>Lye</em>-kah <em> </em> (<strong>Lei</strong>tz <strong>ka</strong>mera) right.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Lots of Norwegians say Mitsu-bitchy instead of Mitsubishi for the car.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Same for detractors and disgruntled owners here.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>My subconscious is clearly getting so worried about accent corruption from all the US TV shows I watch..</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I can imagine Hugh Laurie having nightmares about it.</p>

[emiliogtz]

<p>Nikon</p>

[clgriffin]

<p>Those crazy folk at Nippon Kogaku don't care how you say it as long as you buy one. But for the record all my attempts to get fellow Americans to say Knee-con have failed. We truly are the most stubborn people.</p>

<p>Just try suggesting that Detroit should start making small, efficient diesel engines for our cars, too. That'll get you no where fast.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p><i>Since it's a portmanteau of Nippon Kōgaku, #2 is correct</i><br>

<br>

Huh. I've always assumed that the "i" was short in Nippon (i.e. #3), as in - at the risk of lowering the tone again - nipples. At least, that's how I've heard it pronounced. I'm sure I'd have registered if it was pronounced "neap-on".<br>

<br>

<i>At least most of us say Lye-kah (Leitz kamera) right.</i><br>

<br>

Oops. I tend to say Ley-car, since I apparently have friends with bad pronunciation. Given the pronunciation of Leitz, I'm guessing I should start confusing cameras with cosmonaut dogs.</p>

[philipward]

Noht Kannan

[Rick Waller]

<p>"But for the record all my attempts to get fellow Americans to say Knee-con have failed. We truly are the most stubborn people."</p>

<p>Perhaps you have the dreaded Don Quixote Disease?</p>

<p>Incidentally, if the correct pronunciation in America is Nee-Kon, why when one calls the Nikon US telephone lines, do they say "Welcome to Nigh-Kon?"</p>

[plasma181]

<p>Nowadays, they pronounce it "Made in China." </p>

[andrew_fedon]

<p>Just today, I was watching the second of the Jurassic Park trilogy, "The Lost World" , where the Jeff Goldblum and Vince Vaughn characters first find Jullianne Moore on the dinosaur island as she is taking photos of the dinosaurs. Jullianne looks at the camera hanging around Vince Vaughns' neck and says: "is that a NIGH...CON ?" , before taking the camera and proceeding to take photos. 'Nigh-kon' must have paid a small fortune for advertisment they got out of this movie. Here is a still with Julliane Moore holding her 'Nigh-con', an F5 or F6 ?<br>

<img src="http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr327/eurocypria/PDVD_021.jpg" alt="" /> </p>

[clgriffin]

<p>Eric, as I said they don't care that Americans say Nigh-kon, the US distribution usage has been the same for as long as I can remember, they just want you to buy the product. But if you spend any time in Japan, people do look at you funny when you don't say Knee-con.<br>

Let's not forget that the Canon company has long dropped Kwanon.</p>

[KenPapai]

<p>Since 1974 when I saw my first Nikon SLR I have said "nigh-kon".</p>

<p>I've heard Brits say "Nik-kon".</p>

[paul_wheeler1]

<p>My son who does Karate, and is used to pronouncing Japanese words, says ni is pronounced knee, and in Japanese there is only one way to pronounce an i and it's ee. As a koi keeper, and thinking about it, I now realise what he says is probably true. Koi is short for Nishikigoi, pronounced as kneesh-kee-goy. I'm English and have always said Kneekon, but the American English version is creeping into our language.</p>