How to pronounce "namida" in English
nɑːˈmiː.də
nah·MEE·də
Primary stress: MEE
Hear native speakers say namida in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “namida”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
nah
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
MEE
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
də
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("MEE"). 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 "namida" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Ua Namida. That's a poem by Basho, one of Japan's”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
Practice Speaking “namida”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Ua Namida. That's a poem by Basho, one of Japan's
Hear it in context: “namida”
1 clipThe English word “namida” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as nɑːˈmiː.də (phonetic respelling: nah-MEE-də). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (nah · MEE · də), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (MEE). Grammatically, “namida” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 1 authentic English video clip demonstrating how native speakers articulate “namida” in natural connected speech across American (US: 1 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Harvard University.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (1 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #1 · @20:10
“Yuku Haruya Torinaki Ua Namida. That's a poem by Basho, one of Japan's great haiku masters.”
Definition & Meaning: “namida”
- The Japanese word for tears.
Example Sentences (2)
- “A single namida fell from her eye as she watched the sunset.”
- “Ua Namida. That's a poem by Basho, one of Japan's”
Pronounce: “namida”
- Pronunciation:
- nah-MEE-də
- Syllables:
- nah · MEE · də
- Written Hyphenation:
- na · mi · da
- Primary stress:
- MEE
- IPA:
- nɑːˈmiː.də
- Hear it in context
- namida
Words that Rhyme with “namida”
-idəWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"namida" (⁄nɑːˈmiː.də⁄) 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, "namida" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about namida
How do you pronounce “namida”?
“namida” is pronounced ⁄nɑːˈmiː.də⁄ (nah-MEE-də). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “namida”?
“namida” has 3 syllables: nah · MEE · də.
Where is the stress in “namida”?
The primary stress in “namida” is on “MEE”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “namida” mean?
The Japanese word for tears.
How can I hear “namida” used in real sentences?
This page has 1 real-world video example of “namida” 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 “namida”?
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⁄).