How to pronounce "karoshi" in English
kəˈɹəʊʃi
kə·ROH·shee
Primary stress: ROH
Hear native speakers say karoshi in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “karoshi”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
kə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
ROH
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
shee
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("ROH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "karoshi" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“While garosa in South Korea and karoshi in Japan literally means death by”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“karoshi optics best i've got and should be about right under the circumstances so cool he's gonna upgrade the eyes”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Karoshi a decade's old law essentially prevents them from being paid for overtime his widow a former teacher herself”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“It's called "karoshi." And I include in "Mind Over Medicine" all of the data showing how much work stress”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“from overwork Karoshi on one side of the equation hundreds of”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“good to know this should do the trick talks to karoshi tech too”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “karoshi”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
While garosa in South Korea and karoshi in Japan literally means death by
Hear it in context: “karoshi”
20 clipsThe English word “karoshi” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as kəˈɹəʊʃi (phonetic respelling: kə-ROH-shee). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (kə · ROH · shee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (ROH). Grammatically, “karoshi” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 20 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “karoshi” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @5:03
“6 days a week. While garosa in South Korea and karoshi in Japan literally means death by in Japan literally means death by”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @51:32
“wonder if that's the bugs that we're talking about karoshi optics best i've got and should be about right under the circumstances so cool he's gonna upgrade the eyes under the circumstances so cool he's gonna upgrade the eyes”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @1:02
“and could last until nearly midnight teachers are particularly vulnerable to Karoshi a decade's old law essentially prevents them from being paid for overtime his widow a former teacher herself overtime his widow a former teacher herself”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @30:29
“In Japan, they even have a word for death by overwork. It's called "karoshi." And I include in "Mind Over Medicine" all of the data showing how much work stress Medicine" all of the data showing how much work stress”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @1:19
“we're working harder than ever the Japanese even have a word for death from overwork Karoshi on one side of the equation hundreds of millions toil long hours just to make ends meet”
Definition & Meaning: “karoshi”
- Death, such as from heart attack or stroke, brought on by overwork or job-related stress.
Example Sentences (3)
- “For a while he began to speak Japanese, rather slangy, never having seemed to learn it — karoshi for death from overwork, yakitaori-ya for eatery, and gaijin for clumsy foreigner.”
- “While garosa in South Korea and karoshi in Japan literally means death by”
- “karoshi optics best i've got and should be about right under the circumstances so cool he's gonna upgrade the eyes”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “karoshi”
- Pronunciation:
- kə-ROH-shee
- Syllables:
- kə · ROH · shee
- Written Hyphenation:
- ka · ro · shi
- Primary stress:
- ROH
- IPA:
- kəˈɹəʊʃi
- Hear it in context
- karoshi
Words that Rhyme with “karoshi”
-oʊʃiWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"karoshi" (⁄kəˈɹəʊʃi⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "karoshi" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about karoshi
How do you pronounce “karoshi”?
“karoshi” is pronounced ⁄kəˈɹəʊʃi⁄ (kə-ROH-shee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “karoshi”?
“karoshi” has 3 syllables: kə · ROH · shee.
Where is the stress in “karoshi”?
The primary stress in “karoshi” is on “ROH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “karoshi” mean?
Death, such as from heart attack or stroke, brought on by overwork or job-related stress.
How can I hear “karoshi” used in real sentences?
This page has 20 real-world video examples of “karoshi” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “karoshi”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).