How to pronounce "meraki" in English
mɛˈrɑː.ki
me·RAH·kee
Primary stress: RAH
Hear native speakers say meraki in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “meraki”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
me
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
RAH
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
kee
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("RAH"). 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 "meraki" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“It is from Greek, meraki.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“Meraki route, which is like manufacture as you go along and use like the last order to pay for the new ones.”— StanfordWatch clip
“I have been running for the past year, have been running a venture studio in India called Meraki Labs.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“I worked with a concept development company for a little while called Meraki and Modus.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“It's called Meraki. It's a society deli on Post between Larkin And Hyde”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Meraki headquarters riders choose from classic Nintendo and other superhero”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “meraki”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
It is from Greek, meraki.
Hear it in context: “meraki”
14 clipsThe English word “meraki” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as mɛˈrɑː.ki (phonetic respelling: me-RAH-kee). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (me · RAH · kee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (RAH). Grammatically, “meraki” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 14 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “meraki” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, Stanford.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @12:31
“to see it clearly? Now, let me teach you one of them. It is from Greek, meraki. from Greek, meraki.”
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #2 · @60:59
“million bucks cuz you got to do all of this manufacturing. It's like take the Meraki route, which is like manufacture as you go along and use like the last order to pay for the new ones. Like, we always try to encourage them to live order to pay for the new ones. Like, we always try to encourage them to live”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @4:54
“Pivoted to venture investing post the GSB. I have been running for the past year, have been running a venture studio in India called Meraki Labs. the past year ,have been running a venture studio in India called Meraki Labs.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @21:43
“And that was just my big gamble. I came here. I worked with a concept development company for a little while called Meraki and Modus. I worked with a concept development company”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @27:22
“I don't know if you've been to it. It's called Meraki. It's a society deli on Post between Larkin And Hyde It's a society deli on Post between Larkin And Hyde”
Definition & Meaning: “meraki”
- To do something with soul, creativity, or love, leaving a piece of oneself in one's work.
Example Sentences (3)
- “She cooked the meal with pure meraki, pouring her heart into every single dish.”
- “Now, let me teach you one of them. It is from Greek, meraki.”
- “Meraki route, which is like manufacture as you go along and use like the last order to pay for the new ones. Like, we always try to encourage them to live”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “meraki”
- Pronunciation:
- me-RAH-kee
- Syllables:
- me · RAH · kee
- Written Hyphenation:
- me · ra · ki
- Primary stress:
- RAH
- IPA:
- mɛˈrɑː.ki
- Hear it in context
- meraki
Words that Rhyme with “meraki”
-ɑkiWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"meraki" (⁄mɛˈrɑː.ki⁄) 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, "meraki" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about meraki
How do you pronounce “meraki”?
“meraki” is pronounced ⁄mɛˈrɑː.ki⁄ (me-RAH-kee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “meraki”?
“meraki” has 3 syllables: me · RAH · kee.
Where is the stress in “meraki”?
The primary stress in “meraki” is on “RAH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “meraki” mean?
To do something with soul, creativity, or love, leaving a piece of oneself in one's work.
How can I hear “meraki” used in real sentences?
This page has 14 real-world video examples of “meraki” 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 “meraki”?
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⁄).