A question for chuunin community

[rainy-mushroom.livejournal.com]

How exactly do you pronounce Gaara's name? I just met him in the manga not very long ago [I'm on the 5th volume] and I saw a great icon with 'Gaara the sand alchemist', and I'm curious as to how it's pronounced. I couldn't find anything on Narutofan.com about name pronounciation, so here we go. The rules didn't say anything about asking questions like this being forbidden, so please don't delete my post, mods, at least not until I get my answer.

Comments

[i-will.livejournal.com]

Gah-rah, as far as I know. Or at least that's how I remember him saying it in the anime.

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

Yeah, with that funny little sound on the "r". Or something.

[i-will.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he like rolls the R, I think.

The juxtaposition of our icons makes me LOL.

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

*does it again* You know, I had the same exact thought. I was like, "Whoa. It's like a kaleidoscope. Or something. xD

[i-will.livejournal.com]

Gaara's gonna get dizzy.

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

You know, I forgot my end quote. So randomly... "

There! Maybe he's an acrobat doing cartwheels? O.o

[i-will.livejournal.com]

I kind of want to tilt it 45 degrees or something now.

He is multi-talented. Ninja by day, Cirque du Soleil (sp?) performer by night.

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

Spelling's fine. xD Yeah...the rings around his eyes aren't really from insomnia or part of his deset getup. It's really the kohl eyeliner from last night's performance that just won't wash off.

Kankuro and Temari have a travelling sib act, too. :P

[i-will.livejournal.com]

Gaara leads a secret double life where he makes balloon animals for children... and then kills them. The balloon animals, not the children.

Gaara hogs the spotlight, tho.

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

Yes, because he is the show. At least, he's what I'd go to see. Ooh, skimpy leotard, maybe?

[i-will.livejournal.com]

Definitely.

[just-defy-me.livejournal.com]

*nosebleeds*

[snm-queen.livejournal.com]

Gah * Raa

The Gah rhymes with Ahh and the Raa...is more difficult to explain. Japanese Ra is like a mix of la and ra. The example I used when tutoring others was to think of the pronunciation of ladder. Your tongue quickly hits the roof of your mouth at the "der" part; the same should happen when you pronounce the "ra" part of Gaara's name.

[jbmcdragon.livejournal.com]

...That might be the best description of la vs ra I've ever heard. ...I just sat here for the last thirty seconds doing 'ladder' and then 'Gaara'. *wry smile* So I look like a complete geek, but hey, now I totally get how 'Zoro' keeps sounds liks 'Zolo' in One Piece.

*grins*
JB

[snm-queen.livejournal.com]

Thanks~ XD; That's always been the hardest part for non-native Japanese speakers so I tried my best to relate it to English. Yeah, that's why a lot of fanartists call him Zolo or Reno from FFVII Leno; it's a pretty big gray area and I don't think it's covered all too well in school which leads to misperceptions everywhere.

[ryo0oki.livejournal.com]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vo9ss3UGCm4&search=naruto%2021

you hear it in the first 10 seconds

[ultrasushi.livejournal.com]

I pronounce it: Ga-ah-ra. You really have to separate it in three.

[napkins.livejournal.com]

Sushi's right. Since it's G-A-A-R-A, there are three syllables. Hold the ah sound on the ga, longer than normal, and the flip the r in the ra. I guess i've been speaking Japanese too long to be able to describe how to "flip" an r as opposed to "rolling" an r (which I can't do to save my life), or just speaking a normal r as you would in english, but i think it's kinda a cross between an l and an r. more on the r though. but i think i'm rambling, so i'll stop.

[dana-fields.livejournal.com]

Hum... would be 'Gah-ah-rah', with the 'r' sounding a bit like and 'l'.

Straight from the demon's mouth

[mistresskat.livejournal.com]

http://www.perverxity.net/sabakunogaara.wav

Yup. :9 *loves his voice*