How to pronounce my name?

I thought as a first post and because I'm a bit narcissistic, I would write about my name, João.

João

The other day, I was talking with a parent of one of my children's school friends and she asked me what my name was. I promptly said it and she replied: "Oh god!", in a funny way, and we both laughed.

I have to say that I don't blame her at all, it's a hard name to pronounce, and after living in the UK for a few years, I got used to people calling me "Joan", "Jow" or "Joel".

There are two main reasons why João is hard to pronounce for non-Portuguese speakers:

1. J sound: In Portuguese, the J sound is similar to the French J sound, like in "Jean". It's a sound that doesn't exist in English.
2. ão sound: The ão sound is also hard to pronounce for non-Portuguese speakers. It's a nasal sound that doesn't exist in English.

A curious fact is that it's still one of the most chosen names in Portugal these days, being the 5th most common name chosen for babies last year IRN, 2024.

Anyway, after a few good years living outside Portugal, I really appreciate when someone makes an effort to pronounce my name correctly. It's a small gesture that shows respect for the other person's culture and identity, and it's always nice to see that.

Dale Carnegie said in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People", "A person's name is to that person, the sweetest sound in any language."

BTW, here is a funny video of a guy trying to pronounce João, it's quite funny.

With love,

João or Joan, Jow, Joel, whatever you prefer 😄