Pronunciation: The Ultimate Guide

All right, so all this is is guide to the actual pronunciation of some of the more exotic names in the series. I once found a website with an official pronunciation guide a couple years ago and still remember most, but it turns out it was wrong. Anyone who is willing to check the katakana for officiality should post and I will update the guide. I don't really know japanese so... Anyway, I will have some questions at the bottom for ones I do not know. Here we go!

Hyrule = High - rule
Termina = Term - in - uh
Kokiri = Koe (rhymes with 'oh') - kee - ree
Deku = Deck - oo
Farore = Fuh (rhymes with 'uh') - roar
Nayru = Nay - roo
Darunia = Dah - roo - nee - uh
Kakariko = Kack - air - ee - koh (rhymes with 'oh')
Gerudo = Jer (like in 'jerk') - oo - doh (like Homer Simpson)
Kotake = Koh (like in 'cold') - tah (like the exclamation 'ah') - kay
Koume = Koe (rhymes with 'toe') may
Ikana = I - con (like in ComiCon) - uh
Daphnes = Daf (like in 'daft') - ness (rhymes with HESS)
Ordon = Or - din
Ordona = Or - done (rhymes with own) - uh
Faron = Fair -  un
Anouki = Uh - no - kee
Linebeck = Lin (rhymes with 'bin') - uh - beck
Kaepora (Gaebora) = Kay
- e (like in 'next') - pore - uh  (same thing with Gaebora, and the 'g' like in 'great')
Ganondorf = Gan ('g' is like in 'great,' rhymes with 'ran') - in - dorf (said like 'dork,' lol incredibly bad and old joke!)
Darmani = Dar (like in 'darn') - mon (the 'o' is like in 'soft') - ee
Mikau = My - koo
Lon (Lon Ranch) = say it like 'lawn'
Romani = Roe (rhymes with 'low') - mon (same as in Darmani) - ee
Kafei = Kah - fay - ee (In all the japanese I have heard, 'ay' and 'ee' are usually blended into a single syllable that is more 'ay' than 'ee.' Still waiting for Ing-X to verify this pronunciation though)
(Mayor) Dotour = Doe (like the female deer) - tore
Kamaro = like the car
(Mt.) Crenel = Cre (like in 'credits') - null
Minish = Min (like in 'mini,' lol) - ish
Picori = Pick - oh - ree
Goron = Gore (as in the phrase 'Blood and Gore') - on
NOTE: This is the same in Big/Medi (btw, Med (like in 'medicine') - ee) goron. I heard it pronounced 'Bigeron' with the emphasis on 'Big' instead of 'gor' which was also changed to 'her' without the 'h.' Just wanted to make that clear. END NOTE
Barnes = Barns
Renado = Ren (rhymes with 'ten') ah - doh (like Homer Simpson)
Ilia = Ill - ee - uh
Talo (Malo) = Tay (rhymes with 'hey') - low (rhymes with 'oh)
Lokomos = all the 'o's are pronounced like 'oh'
Malladus = Mal (rhymes with 'pal') - uh - dus (the 'us' is like in 'justice')
Hylia = High - lee - uh
Komali = Koh (rhymes with 'oh') - mal - (rhymes with 'pal') - ee
Medli = Med (like in 'medicine') - lee
Rauru = Rah (rhymes with 'ma,' as in mother) - roo
NOTE: It is actually supposed to be 'Raul,' but people have been saying Rauru for more than a decade, so... END NOTE
Holodrum = Hall - uh - drum
Labrynna = Lab (like in 'laboratory') - ree - nuh (rhymes with 'uh')
Dodongo = Doh (like Homer Simpson) - dong (as in 'ding-dong' and I am talking about DOORBELLS not... what most people think ding-dong means these days in this perverted country of 50 states) - go
Saria = Suh (rhymes with 'uh') - ree - uh
Ghirahim - Gear - ah - heem
So, that is all the people/place/race names I have heard mispronounced. I will touch on one more thing, the suffix, 'fos,' and the prefix 'stal.' In 'fos' enemies, the 's' in 'fos' is always soft, like the 's' in 'soft,' and the 'o' is pronounced 'oh'. It is applied to sword wielding enemies. Also, Lizalfos is Liz (as in 'lizard') - al (rhymes with 'pal') - fos. The prefix 'stal,' used in Stalkid (translated from Japanese as 'Skull Kid' for some reason), Stalchild, and Stalfos. 'Stal' rhymes with 'pal' and seems to be given to creatures who are skeletal or dead looking (Stalkid kinda looks like a shrunken corpse, and by shrunken I mean like a shrunken head).

Those are all the big ones. I do not know if Demise is just Demise or if there is a  special pronunciation.

Most of the pronunciations come from ZeldaUniverse. I know they suck as players, but they have valid information on pronunciation. It turns out that they are mostly wrong, so I urge people who know japanese to check the katakana and post. It is my hope to have the most official guide.

I will get around to organizing them by game at some point, when I'm less lazy.

when i read your note for dodongo, i didnt think of it that way until i finished reading it
(Dopenisgo lol)
But all in all, this is very nice. Doubt many people will change how they pronounce them (like stubborn me) but is still nice to know.
i thought Ghirahim was pronounced Jeer-ah-ham, just my thoughts on that.

I seriously hope this is just another one of keeta's troll accounts.

Pheenoh wrote

I seriously hope this is just another one of keeta's troll accounts.

No, Pheeno. I started this topic because there was an argument over how to say 'deku' in Jiano's MM any% commentary, so I sed Wtf I'll just let the world know how to pronounce the shit. I admit, it's pretty stupid and the reason for it is too, but I hope that it helps save people from embarrassment in commentary. I sincerely apologize for the word 'deku' Pheeno. That is what started this. 'Deku.' (Deck - oo)

I don't care I'm going to pronounce it in my swedish way anyways because that's what it have always been for me.

Haters gonna hate...

heh in spanish they're easy. they sound exactly how they're written.

A lot of these pronunciations are incorrect. I'm not quite sure what kind of crack ZU was on, but a ton of these are clearly Japanese words (like "gerudo", "koume", "kotake", etc) and should follow Japanese pronunciation rules.

ING-X wrote

A lot of these pronunciations are incorrect. I'm not quite sure what kind of crack ZU was on, but a ton of these are clearly Japanese words (like "gerudo", "koume", "kotake", etc) and should follow Japanese pronunciation rules.

ZU rules are law. You don't argue with ZU.
/sarcasm

Oh garwsh I missed that the source was ZU  :-X. Obviously Kotake and Koume is pronounced like cow-take and comb what was I even thinking??

Derp.

FUN GAME: GUESS THE ZELDA-REFERENCE:
[Icon uhh]
[Year oh DOH!]
[High Lee uh]
[Sue Ree uh]
::)

Kotake is pronounced "koh tah kay" and koume is pronounced "koh may". They are both Japanese words, and can be seen in the Japanese version text written in katakana.

Wow, I will never trust ZU again. I'll change Kotake and Koume. I'll try to find some time to find out what else is wrong. However, certain things I know are right like Termina and Goron. I do not know if I have too much time seeing as I'm juggling two practice runs and school, so if Ing or anyone else wants to help, it would be appreciated.

SamusXLink wrote

All right, so all this is is guide to the actual pronunciation of some of the more exotic names in the series. All of the ones in this first post I am 100% sure about (I once found a website with an official pronunciation guide a couple years ago and still remember most). Finally, I will have some questions at the bottom for ones I do not know. Here we go!

Hyrule = High - rule
Termina = Term - in - uh
Kokiri = Koe (rhymes with 'oh') - kee - ree
Deku = Deck - oo
Farore = Fuh (rhymes with 'uh') - roar
Nayru = Nay - roo
Darunia = Dah - roo - nee - uh
Kakariko = Kah - kah - ree - koh (rhymes with 'oh')
Gerudo = Geh - roo - doh (like Homer Simpson)
Kotake = Koh (like in 'cold') - tah (like the exclamation 'ah') - kay
Koume = Koe (rhymes with 'toe') may
Ikana = Ee - con (like in ComiCon) - uh
Daphnes = Daf (like in 'daft') - ness (rhymes with HESS)
Ordon = Or - din
Ordona = Or - done (rhymes with own) - uh
Faron = Fair -  un
Anouki = Uh - no - kee
Linebeck = Lin (rhymes with 'bin') - uh - beck
Kaepora (Gaebora) = Kay
- e (like in 'next') - pore - uh  (same thing with Gaebora, and the 'g' like in 'great')
Ganondorf = Gan ('g' is like in 'great,' rhymes with 'ran') - in - dorf (said like 'dork,' lol incredibly bad and old joke!)
Darmani = Dar (like in 'darn') - mon (the 'o' is like in 'soft') - ee
Mikau = My - koo
Lon (Lon Ranch) = say it like 'lawn'
Romani = Roe (rhymes with 'low') - mon (same as in Darmani) - ee
Kafei = Kah - fay - ee
(Mayor) Dotour = Doe (like the female deer) - tore
Kamaro = like the car
(Mt.) Crenel = Cre (like in 'credits') - null
Minish = Min (like in 'mini,' lol) - ish
Picori = Pick - oh - ree
Goron = Gore (as in the phrase 'Blood and Gore') - on
NOTE: This is the same in Big/Medi (btw, Med (like in 'medicine') - ee) goron. I heard it pronounced 'Bigeron' with the emphasis on 'Big' instead of 'gor' which was also changed to 'her' without the 'h.' Just wanted to make that clear. END NOTE
Barnes = Barns
Renado = Ren (rhymes with 'ten') ah - doh (like Homer Simpson)
Ilia = Ill - ee - uh
Talo (Malo) = Tay (rhymes with 'hey') - low (rhymes with 'oh)
Lokomos = all the 'o's are pronounced like 'oh'
Malladus = Mal (rhymes with 'pal') - uh - dus (the 'us' is like in 'justice')
Hylia = High - lee - uh
Komali = Koh (rhymes with 'oh') - mal - (rhymes with 'pal') - ee
Medli = Med (like in 'medicine') - lee
Rauru = Rah (rhymes with 'ma,' as in mother) - roo
NOTE: It is actually supposed to be 'Raul,' but people have been saying Rauru for more than a decade, so... END NOTE
Holodrum = Hall - uh - drum
Labrynna = Lab (like in 'laboratory') - ree - nuh (rhymes with 'uh')
Dodongo = Doh (like Homer Simpson) - dong (as in 'ding-dong' and I am talking about DOORBELLS not... what most people think ding-dong means these days in this perverted country of 50 states) - go
Saria = Suh (rhymes with 'uh') - ree - uh

Fixed all the ones I'm sure of. Also, it is "gee (g pronounced like in "gold") rah heem" (I just verified by looking at the katakana).

To be honest I don't think anyone actually cares as long as your pronunciation isn't nonsensical.

gaybora

Saria is normally pronounced "Saw-ree-uh".

I don't know how you got "Suh-ree-uh" mixed in.

The 'uh' in 'Suh' is pronounced like 'uh.' At least as far as I know. I'm thinking you thought I meant it as 'Soo,' which would make NO sense as there is no 'u' in Saria.
Speaking of things with no 'u' in them, how do people get 'Dooku' out of 'Deku?' This is LoZ, not Star Wars!

As a german I pronounce Hylia Hülia. Hyrule Hirule and Ganondorf as Gänondorf (Dorf like the german word for village)