Lur.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

Just a simple question that has been plaguing me FOR AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN ALIVE!! Probably even before that.

[Poll #565511]

And you know what? If I got the pronunciations wrong, just ignore that and pretend as though I didn't. I think my descriptions were good enough that you should be able to understand it anyway.

I don't know about YOU guys...but I speak English so I pronounce it like a native English speaker does. So when I hear people complaining about how the dubber pronounce it, I get HEAPUM BIG MAD because I pronounce it that way and I'm offended. (Just kidding. I'm not really offended.)

So this poll is basically just to find out how many people are with me on this.

Comments

[mintytrina.livejournal.com]

i pronounce it the english way, which is lots better than the way i first would pronounce it... "nah-rah-two" - I don't know why that stuck with me to begin with but it did.

after being made fun of numerous times, i now pronounce it the correct english way.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

I think as long as you're pronouncing it ROUGHLY how it's spelled...you're good.

[nursetwiggy.livejournal.com]

Native Finnish speaker here, so even if I really didn't try to pronounce it 'the original way' it'd still sound a lot closer to the Japanese way of pronouncing it.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

I think the "original way" is the Japanese way. I think the "English way" is just for lazy people who feel like knaves speaking with a Japanese accent. So power to you!

[pezlady84.livejournal.com]

I say Naruto the japanese way but I use american pronuciations for other characters.. wierd, huh? >3 Most times I just try to say the names as close to how I hear them in the anime as possible. ^_^'

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I say "Sasuke" and "Sakura" the Japanese way but every other character the American way. I didn't mean to come off in any sort of hostile way against people who pronounce it different ways, I was totally just curious!

[ex-duelist.livejournal.com]

When speaking English, I pronounce it with an English R because it's just awkward to switch between the English R and the Japanese one, but I put emphasis on the first syllable which sounds more like the Japanese pronunciation. I think it's a fair compromise.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

I'd say it's muchos fair.

[kotszok.livejournal.com]

I'm Polish, so our pronounciation is almost identical to the Japanese pronounciation, with the one difference that while the "u" in Japanese has a slight "y" or "uh" tang to it, Polish is a bit different (sorta like "oooooo", but even that's not right. I can't compare it to any existing English sound because there is none similar enough. lol)

[kotszok.livejournal.com]

I meant the "Dee Dee from Dexter type "ooo"... like "oooo, what does this button do?" lol

[lunaneko.livejournal.com]

Hey, I pronounce it in English with heavy Russian accent. I win!

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

SHOT SCORE!!!!!!!!!!

[billypilgrim.livejournal.com]

I'm a three or so year japanese speaker, so the awkward "r" sound isn't a problem for me.

The one names that's pernounced wrong so many times, and annoys me for then "Nuh-ru-toh." is when people say "Shik-a-maru." It's Shi-Kah-Mah-ru, and you know it.!

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

Well you ARE Naruto so you have an excuse.

Ahh...just kidding.

I've been taking Japanese for two years. I have to admit, however, that were to be speaking about Naruto in Japanese, I would pronounce it the the Japanese way. However, if I am speaking English, I say it like an English speaking person.

However, I pronounce Shikamaru's name wrong just to spite you. Even though I don't know you.

[i-own-boysluts.livejournal.com]

NUH-ROO-TOE.

I'M TEH ENGLISH :D

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

OMG WTF?! YOU SPELLED "THE" WRONG!!!

[jasiri.livejournal.com]

Like someone else, I'm a japanese student, so saying it the actual way is not a problem for me, even including the way the R is a mix between r/l. But even when I am talking to someone who isn't familiar with Japanese I say NAH-roo-toe, not some horrible mismatch or something that puts the wrong emphasis on the wrong syllable.

Anyway, about you point of you being a native english speaker and saying it like a native english speaker, i find that fallacy. It's the same as if you went to a foreign country and they made something up for your name because your name isn't normally in their language lexicon. These names aren't hard to pronounce, so why not say them like they're meant to be said?

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

I used to teach ESL (English as a Second Language) so hearing my name pronounced wrong was NOT uncommon. (My name is Stephanie so while it's not a HARD name to pronounce, it's not EASY.) Basically, I took what I got.

I take Japanese as well. And like I said to the person above, when in the context of speaking Japanese, I pronounce it the Japanese way. But it's awkward, to me, to go from one accent to another.

[samuraiblues.livejournal.com]

I actually pronounce Naruto as in "Na-doo-to". I don't necessarily pronounce it with a "hard-d" but more like a light 'd' sound. Japanese is pretty easy for me to adapt because I'm Hmong, which our language is pretty similar to Japanese, or Asian for that matter.

and I don't get piss off when people say Naruto in the English way. I'm just not comfortable hearing Naruto said in English.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! Okay, I'll give you that last sentence! I've just had people tell me right out that I'm pronouncing it wrong and should remedy that. What I have to say about that is STFU! But your last sentence made total sense!

[bmg.livejournal.com]

Lots of people have different accents, so I normally don't care how they pronounce it. I probably say it funny too!

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

YAY!! Power to that opinion!! That's how I feel too!

[aurenfaie.livejournal.com]

After watching as many episodes of Naruto that there are (almost... the current filler has all but bored me, so I stopped watching at 144/145), it's pretty much engrained into my brain the "Japanese" way.

[aurenfaie.livejournal.com]

Anf of course, I'm not perfect, so I'm sure I have my own errors here and there. Tayuya is a little hard for me to pronounce. XD

[profsparky.livejournal.com]

MOO HA HA, I'm a crazy person who swaps back and forth at random. Sometimes in the same conversation. XD

...But it's always "Sauce-gay". Always. XD

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

HAHAHA! That's how I used to be! Not gonna lie. (And that's how I STILL am with SOME names.)

[origami-paper.livejournal.com]

I try not to pronouce it at all. I'm used to hearing it the Japanese way from all the fansubs, but I can't pronounce it correctly, yet, I don't want to say it Americanized because, it secretly annoys me (I'll have to get used to hearing it though...) so I just call them whatever.

Like Lee, would be "The guy with rectangles as eyebrows" or the "Fuzzy Brows" or something along the lines. Naruto would be the "blond dumbass who flunked three times" in my mind, even if I do respect him... sorta.

I do say Shino sometimes because he's my favorite character, but I totally rush on his name. SHI-no would becomes Sh-o.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

"Blond dumbass who flunked three times" is kinda long, wouldn't you say?

Though, I used to do that when I watched Ronin Warriors back in the day. (Like...five years ago.) I gave them ALL nicknames and like...forgot what their real names were.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

*sob* I think all the languages of the world are conspiring with Japanese against English!

[sxylilwitch.livejournal.com]

I pronounce everything the way they do on the show, I haven't heard it any other way! Until Saturday I guess haha

[domlandbubbles.livejournal.com]

While I don't have much Japanese, I grew up around the language and pronounce the names the way they sound on the subs.

Although "Jiraiya" comes out weird sometimes. And because of the Naruto Ondo, "Shikamaru" comes out "SHI-kamarukagemane."

Then again, I called him Legolas Logarithm for about a week before I got around to looking up his proper name.

[domlandbubbles.livejournal.com]

I mean I called Legolas "Logarithm." Not "Legolas Logarithm"...oh, whatever.

[myloveshine.livejournal.com]

I actually pronounce it like "Nah-ru-two," I think. I don't know. His name is the hardest to pronounce out of everyone in Naruto for me. What are the odds of that, jeez, haha.

[wickedbathory.livejournal.com]

I say "Nah-ruh-to"

[ghostdrive.livejournal.com]

I pronounce it this way as well. ^_^ Phew, I beginning to think no one else pronounced "Naruto" the way I do.

[http://users.livejournal.com/reminisce__/]

Nah-rah-toh for me. And I don't stop at every. single. syllable. either. I just speak it really fast.

I don't really have much in the ways of good Japanese pronunciation, but hey, better than Nevana's version of Sah-kur-ah.

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

In my opinion, as long as you can read the word and get whatever you get from the letters on the page...you're good.

[misterbubbles87.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* Can there be a choice for both? Like, alternating?

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

Of course! You get TWO points!!

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to pretend I'm Japanese. Nor am I going to sound like a total hick when I talk about the show. So I tend to use hybrids of the choices. Depending on my mood, it might go "Nah-roo-to," "Nar-to," or "Nah-rlu-to."

[rokoroshon.livejournal.com]

Naduto?

ANYWAY, I pronounce it the Japanese way, only because I have a stick up my ass when it comes to those things. It annoys me a lot more than it should ^^;.
How about Nay-ROO-toh?

[domlandbubbles.livejournal.com]

If you're talking about True Naruto Style, then the only way to be is sex free go is "nay ROO doh."

[memoriez-lost.livejournal.com]

I always try to pronouce it the Japanese way, but most of the time my tongue defies me and it becomes "Nah-roo-toh" But I don't put emphasis on the "roo" though.

[memoriez-lost.livejournal.com]

Now that I think about it, it's more of a "ruh" than a "roo" :P

[rasenth.livejournal.com]

I pronounce it the Japanese way. XD; But sometimes I get lazy and pronounce the r the English way, but as long as you say it quickly enough, (and put most emphasis on the NAH in NAH-ru-toe) it sounds about the same.

But I do find it annoying how these elitists just hound on these poor voice actors on the slightest of mistakes. >_>;;... Give them some slack!

[linkandluigi.livejournal.com]

YEAH!! HEAR HEAR!!!