FWIW - Neekon and Bokay

[laydros]

Obviously someone has done this already, and there still isn't a consensus, but at dinner the other night, I asked a friend of mine about the pronunciation of what seem to be the two most questioned words in photography. He is japanese, has only been in the states for about 3 years, and was very into photography when he was in high school and college back in Japan. According to him, Nikon and bokeh are Nee-con and bo-kay. Not Nie-con and bo-ka. He said in Japan they actually call it bokehdo, but I guess we have shortened it to bokeh here.

Any other input/thoughts on this?

[Visual Reality]

Anyone remember our thread on this in the Nikon forum?

[Beowulff]

According to Wiki...

The name Nikon, which dates from 1946, is a merging of Nippon Kōgaku ("Japan Optical") and an imitation of Zeiss Ikon. Nikon is pronounced differently around the world. The Japanese pronunciation of the name is /nikoɴ/, but in the United States people also use /ˈnaɪkɒn/ and /ˈnɪkɒn/.

Mike Johnston, former editor of Photo Techniques magazine, claims to have coined the bokeh spelling to suggest the correct pronunciation to English speakers, replacing the previous spelling boke that derived directly from the Japanese word for "fuzzy" and had been in use at least since 1996. It can be pronounced boke-aay or boke-uh.

— I'm now none the wiser LOL.


Cheers :)

[devin]

I work for a japanese company and we buy optical gratings from Nikon. All the japanese pronounce it "Nee-Cone". So yes, I agree with you laydros. However, if you do go into a camera shop in most places in America and pronounce it that way, they will probably look at you like you are some kind of douche who thinks he's japanese. I know how the Japanese say it, and I still say "Nie-con". F it.

[Paradox]

Nick-on for me. Always how I've heard it said around here. Seems to vary a lot from place to place...

[Visual Reality]

Nick-on for me. Always how I've heard it said around here. Seems to vary a lot from place to place...
Yes, in Europe. In the US it is Nigh-con.

[Beowulff]

Downunder it's Nick-on.

:)

[cdifoto]

Until recently, it was pronounced "noisy" all the world over. Now it's pronounced "eat shit, Canon"

[faisal]

Until recently, it was pronounced "noisy" all the world over. Now it's pronounced "eat shit, Canon"

hahahha...ROFL!!!!! :D

+1 to that!!! :eek:

[erichlund]

Okay, you owe me a keyboard... ;)

Of course, one never knows what the pronunciation will be next week.

[FLiPMaRC]

Lmfao!!@cdi