Pronouncing "Kiev"

[Anonymous]

I've always heard Kiev pronounced "Key-Yev." Suddenly everyone is pronouncing it as if it rhymes with "heave." Anyone know if that's really the way to pronounce it?

[Anonymous]

Key-ev is how I say it.

[Anonymous]

It's Ki-ev in Russia and Keev in Ukraine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's Ki-ev in Russia and Keev in Ukraine.

Interesting. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Wait, How Do You Pronounce Kiev?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/us/politics/kiev-pronunciation.html

Yuri Shevchuk, a lecturer in Ukrainian at Columbia University, said that native Ukrainians stress the first vowel, and pronounce it like the “i” in the word “kid” or “lid.” The second vowel is pronounced as a separate syllable, and sounds like the “ee” sound in “keel.” The v is also pronounced a bit differently, like the end of the word “low.” It’s a bit hard to describe.

But spoken in Russian, Kiev, Ukraine’s capital and home to about three million people, sounds more like “Key-EV.” Americans tend to be more accustomed to hearing it the Russian way. (The official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's Ki-ev in Russia and Keev in Ukraine.

Ohhhhh, this makes sense! I studied Russian in college and knew it was pronounced KEE-ev in Russian but I was confused by the "Keev" and thought maybe I was wrong about the pronunciation. But of course, it's Ukrainian, not Russian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's Ki-ev in Russia and Keev in Ukraine.

Yup. I hear Mara Liason explain this last week on NPR. The US staff at the Embassy in Ukraine is very aware of respecting Ukrainian language (since it is, after all, their city!) and pronouncing it like the Ukrainians rather than like the Russians.

[Anonymous]

KEE-yuhv, with the yuhv way back in the throat like you are trying to swallow it.

Some listeners find it hard to hear the yuhv part, so mostly hear one syllable KEEVE, while others can't pronounce the gutteral "yuhv" so either swallow it entirely and say KEEVE, or over enunciate the second syllable, and it comes out too strong, and they also misplace the accent onto the second syllable, so it sounds like kee-YEV.

https://forvo.com/languages/uk/

But I'm no expert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:KEE-yuhv, with the yuhv way back in the throat like you are trying to swallow it.

Some listeners find it hard to hear the yuhv part, so mostly hear one syllable KEEVE, while others can't pronounce the gutteral "yuhv" so either swallow it entirely and say KEEVE, or over enunciate the second syllable, and it comes out too strong, and they also misplace the accent onto the second syllable, so it sounds like kee-YEV.

https://forvo.com/languages/uk/

But I'm no expert.

^^ unless you are Russian in which case, never mind.

[Anonymous]

It’s Kyiv, not Kiev.

How to pronounce:
(https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/us/politics/kiev-pronunciation.amp.html)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, How Do You Pronounce Kiev?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/us/politics/kiev-pronunciation.html

Yuri Shevchuk, a lecturer in Ukrainian at Columbia University, said that native Ukrainians stress the first vowel, and pronounce it like the “i” in the word “kid” or “lid.” The second vowel is pronounced as a separate syllable, and sounds like the “ee” sound in “keel.” The v is also pronounced a bit differently, like the end of the word “low.” It’s a bit hard to describe.

But spoken in Russian, Kiev, Ukraine’s capital and home to about three million people, sounds more like “Key-EV.” Americans tend to be more accustomed to hearing it the Russian way. (The official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian.)

Lol, I can't follow this guy's description at all. Ki-eew?

[Anonymous]

Ukrainian-born person here. PP is right, please write Kyiv. The best way I can think to explain pronunciation is "Kee-yiw".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ukrainian-born person here. PP is right, please write Kyiv. The best way I can think to explain pronunciation is "Kee-yiw".

A Russian would say "Kee-ehv". A Ukrainian would make a "yi" sound at the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, How Do You Pronounce Kiev?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/us/politics/kiev-pronunciation.html

Yuri Shevchuk, a lecturer in Ukrainian at Columbia University, said that native Ukrainians stress the first vowel, and pronounce it like the “i” in the word “kid” or “lid.” The second vowel is pronounced as a separate syllable, and sounds like the “ee” sound in “keel.” The v is also pronounced a bit differently, like the end of the word “low.” It’s a bit hard to describe.

But spoken in Russian, Kiev, Ukraine’s capital and home to about three million people, sounds more like “Key-EV.” Americans tend to be more accustomed to hearing it the Russian way. (The official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian.)

Lol, I can't follow this guy's description at all. Ki-eew?

That's what I came up with, too.

[Anonymous]

Kyiv. Keev with a slight eliding "i" sound immediately after the K.

I've traveled there extensively.