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Hi! I'm not sure if this is the right place to go for this, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to pronounce Micheal? It's Irish and has accent marks above the 'i' and the 'a'. Thank you very much!
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Replies
Mícheál is pronounced as mee-haul.
My Papa's name is Mícheál. I believe it was originally spelled with the accents, but he usually drops them to avoid confusion. People just stare at them and have even less of a clue how to pronounce it, if they don't first make the mistake of pronouncing it as Michael. He usually goes by Mike anyway, but is called Mika (mike-a) by family.
My Papa's name is Mícheál. I believe it was originally spelled with the accents, but he usually drops them to avoid confusion. People just stare at them and have even less of a clue how to pronounce it, if they don't first make the mistake of pronouncing it as Michael. He usually goes by Mike anyway, but is called Mika (mike-a) by family.
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Well, I'm not too sure. We just call him Mika (Micah) as a family thing, but I'm My nn was supposed to me Mika (mike-a) after him but I couldn't pronounce it when I was little and kept saying 'mee-a' and 'mee-ka' so it kind of changed to Mika (meek-a).
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Hi Mika!!!
Thanks for the post (and thank you to everyone else who responded)! I was wondering, is Mika an Irish nn for Micheal, or is it just what he's called? Because although I love the name Micheal, I really don't like Mike but like Micha (like Micah) instead. It would be nice if it were an Irish nn for Micheal. Micha and Michi are actually nicknames for the German Michael and that's where I got the "idea"... I lived in Austria for a year and speak German and would most likely call him Micha or Michi sometimes (except pronounced MEE-cha.. the ch in cha almost sounds like an h) just because the German language and Austrian culture are pretty well embedded in me LOL. I wouldn't expect most other people to pronounce Micha that way though, so the Micah pronunciation is fine, too. I hope this post wasn't confusing... Wouldn't it be funny if my son had an Irish name with the German nickname? Talk about celebrating my heritage...
Thanks for the post (and thank you to everyone else who responded)! I was wondering, is Mika an Irish nn for Micheal, or is it just what he's called? Because although I love the name Micheal, I really don't like Mike but like Micha (like Micah) instead. It would be nice if it were an Irish nn for Micheal. Micha and Michi are actually nicknames for the German Michael and that's where I got the "idea"... I lived in Austria for a year and speak German and would most likely call him Micha or Michi sometimes (except pronounced MEE-cha.. the ch in cha almost sounds like an h) just because the German language and Austrian culture are pretty well embedded in me LOL. I wouldn't expect most other people to pronounce Micha that way though, so the Micah pronunciation is fine, too. I hope this post wasn't confusing... Wouldn't it be funny if my son had an Irish name with the German nickname? Talk about celebrating my heritage...
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I know a Jewish guy in the States whose named Michael but is called Micah - I think it might be a family nickname or his Jewish name, not sure which really.
And an Israeli co-worker of my Dh changed her name last year from Aziza to Mika (she says MEE-ka)...no idea why but Mica/Mika seems to be relatively popular there.
I think Micha and Michi are both cute - reminds me of a friend named Michon (no idea where her folks got that one)...perhaps Michel nn Micha/Michi? That's one of the the Czech spellings and I think it would get you a pronunciation a bit like Mitchell without the harshness which would lead nicely into Micha/Michi. Any Czech ancestry? LOL
I'm not a fan of Mike either but like Mick...all the Mick's I know have great senses of humour and the dirtiest laughs ;o) The problem with Micheal, even without the fadas, is that the aspirated C of Irish is something that you'll (and later he'll) always be explaining. It's just not done in English. You can go around fighting that ('Okay, try to say c the regular way -kayl, now say it without letting your tongue touch the roof of your mouth, -hyayl, Mee-hyayl' - would get tiring very shortly wouldn't it) or you can do what Irish guys living abroad the world over have found easier - try for the correct vowel sound while accepting the English C or go by a nn. In a more unusual name you have half a chance at imprinting a pronunciation but with a classic like Michael, it's just going to be an uphill battle all the way which is why I don't even go there.
We give all of ours ethnic family names...in the middle. It's too bloody irritating to go through where it's from, how it's said, how it's spelt, etc. all the time. There are 7 of them and 2 of us, time is at a premium, I have no patience, especially with nosey fools. So there's Sandor (SHAN-dor), Iosefo (yo-SAYF-o), Mariska (ma-RISH-ka), Elisapeta (eh-lees-a-PET-a), Zoltan, Aladar (say what you see with those) and Kai (KIGH like high) but you have to be in the inner sanctum to even know about them - Nic, George, Sam, Isaac, Liv, Jake and Phoebe are much easier to live with in our little Sussex world.
But Micha/Michi is sweet and straightforward really and I might consider honouring both grandfather's name and the German heritage in the English/German form of Michael with the German nn Micha/Michi.
Devon
And an Israeli co-worker of my Dh changed her name last year from Aziza to Mika (she says MEE-ka)...no idea why but Mica/Mika seems to be relatively popular there.
I think Micha and Michi are both cute - reminds me of a friend named Michon (no idea where her folks got that one)...perhaps Michel nn Micha/Michi? That's one of the the Czech spellings and I think it would get you a pronunciation a bit like Mitchell without the harshness which would lead nicely into Micha/Michi. Any Czech ancestry? LOL
I'm not a fan of Mike either but like Mick...all the Mick's I know have great senses of humour and the dirtiest laughs ;o) The problem with Micheal, even without the fadas, is that the aspirated C of Irish is something that you'll (and later he'll) always be explaining. It's just not done in English. You can go around fighting that ('Okay, try to say c the regular way -kayl, now say it without letting your tongue touch the roof of your mouth, -hyayl, Mee-hyayl' - would get tiring very shortly wouldn't it) or you can do what Irish guys living abroad the world over have found easier - try for the correct vowel sound while accepting the English C or go by a nn. In a more unusual name you have half a chance at imprinting a pronunciation but with a classic like Michael, it's just going to be an uphill battle all the way which is why I don't even go there.
We give all of ours ethnic family names...in the middle. It's too bloody irritating to go through where it's from, how it's said, how it's spelt, etc. all the time. There are 7 of them and 2 of us, time is at a premium, I have no patience, especially with nosey fools. So there's Sandor (SHAN-dor), Iosefo (yo-SAYF-o), Mariska (ma-RISH-ka), Elisapeta (eh-lees-a-PET-a), Zoltan, Aladar (say what you see with those) and Kai (KIGH like high) but you have to be in the inner sanctum to even know about them - Nic, George, Sam, Isaac, Liv, Jake and Phoebe are much easier to live with in our little Sussex world.
But Micha/Michi is sweet and straightforward really and I might consider honouring both grandfather's name and the German heritage in the English/German form of Michael with the German nn Micha/Michi.
Devon
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Hi Devon! Thanks for writing back! I've never been to Ireland and am not personally familiar with the pronunciation of words there. Is the ch sound in Micheal like the ch sound in German? In German, there are two -ch sounds... The one following the letter -i is a bit softer than following -a, which is a bit harsher and the sound is made more in the back of your throat then. But the ch in Michael is more like an h sound like what you were describing. Are you familiar with German pronunciation? I speak German pretty much fluently and have good pronunciation, so if the ch in Micheal is like the ch in Michael, I've got it down! LOL and like you said, I wouldn't expect people to get it right... A lot of times people want me to teach them how to say something in German, and I can rarely get them to pronounce it right!
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Sorry to interject here, I've been following along.
Regarding the earlier subject Michael/Micha, both are from Hebrew meaning "who is like God." Michael uses the generic 'el' form of God and Micha uses the specific 'Yahweh' form of God (here shortened to just an 'a' sound).
The name in question, Mícheál, is the far and wide the most popular form of Michael in Irish-Gaelic. There is also the hypercorrected form Míheál along with a few spellings exclusive to the Old Testament of the Gaelic-Bible.
The Biblical name Micah is translated Míceá in Irish. This reduces the whole 'ch' difficulty into a hard 'k' sound, which may aid for use as a nickname. I believe it to be pronounced [MEE-kyaw].
With regards to that 'ch' discussion: I've read that the Gaelic 'ch' is roughly equivical to the German 'ch' as in Bach, though I've always personally understood it to be more akin to the Hebrew 'chaim.'
Regarding the earlier subject Michael/Micha, both are from Hebrew meaning "who is like God." Michael uses the generic 'el' form of God and Micha uses the specific 'Yahweh' form of God (here shortened to just an 'a' sound).
The name in question, Mícheál, is the far and wide the most popular form of Michael in Irish-Gaelic. There is also the hypercorrected form Míheál along with a few spellings exclusive to the Old Testament of the Gaelic-Bible.
The Biblical name Micah is translated Míceá in Irish. This reduces the whole 'ch' difficulty into a hard 'k' sound, which may aid for use as a nickname. I believe it to be pronounced [MEE-kyaw].
With regards to that 'ch' discussion: I've read that the Gaelic 'ch' is roughly equivical to the German 'ch' as in Bach, though I've always personally understood it to be more akin to the Hebrew 'chaim.'
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Hubby speaks enough German to get by (it seems all Hungarians do) but I'm cr*p at it! From what I know of it, (okay, I'm sitting here saying 'ich' to myself over and over ROFL) the sound in Irish is even softer - the tongue is floppier - you really get more of a hy- sound which in parts of Ireland is more -h- breathing without even the definition of -hy-. It's one of those things that you hear (first time best as I did, in a pub, in Dublin, half drunk) and think 'oh that's lovely!' but then become obsessed with listening for. After much analysis (most of it done over Bailey's with my friend Fiona...we invented Bailey's milkshakes during our 'research') I decided that it was best left to the Irish (and that Fiona had lived out of Ireland too long to do it justice anymore LOL)
Do you do Yiddish/Hebrew at all? They have that -hy- sound too, though a bit sharper version. But if you've heard a rabbi say 'Chaim' then you've heard something rather closer then what I'm getting from 'ich'.
And now I'm thirsty..... ;o)
Devon
Do you do Yiddish/Hebrew at all? They have that -hy- sound too, though a bit sharper version. But if you've heard a rabbi say 'Chaim' then you've heard something rather closer then what I'm getting from 'ich'.
And now I'm thirsty..... ;o)
Devon
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In Irish-Gaelic, "Mícheál" and the varient "Míheál" are generally pronounced [MEE-haul]. Another varient "Micheál," (note the lack of 'i' accent) is roughly pronounced [MEH-haul].
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In hs I had a classmate named Micheal who moved from Dublin, Ireland. He pronounced it mee-haul. Hope this helps.
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Mícheál would be Me-kawl in Gaelic but said without a brogue it sounds rather silly so I'd stick to Michael's English pronunciation (Mike-ul) unless a move to Eire is in the works.
I know a Mícheál (born in Zimbabwe to Irish parents) who works in London and like most men with that name outside of Ireland, uses a nn; Mick in his case but Mike is just as popular and Mickey occurs.
Devon
I know a Mícheál (born in Zimbabwe to Irish parents) who works in London and like most men with that name outside of Ireland, uses a nn; Mick in his case but Mike is just as popular and Mickey occurs.
Devon
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