Neeekon or Niiiikon

Redrocket

well...... how do YOU pronounce Nikon?

City-Exile

It's Nick-on!

shepthedog

Haha I often wondered this. Everyone has a different way...

Some say Nick-on whilst some say Niiiii-kon....

The eternal debate! Save the hassle and get a Canon

joolsveer

It's easier to say Canon!

mathias

Its correctly pronounced Nigh-Kon , I spent a lot of time in Japan , and also they have FSE's where I work.

They make Steppers for the Semiconductor industry also. Japanese business etiquette being what it is , they will correct you very quickly if you pronounce the company name wrong.

Knee-kon is an Americanism , like nook-you-lar or loom-in-um.
Who wants to sound as Dumb as George W bush?

Alun

I say Nick-on as well, always have done.

Stephen

I say Neekon. Over here (US) they seem to say Ny-kon.

Ruu_Old

Nye-kon, only way I have ever heard it even before moving to USA.

Alanstrainor

City-Exile wrote: »

It's Nick-on!

+1;)

Pigwidgeon

i say nick-on

City-Exile

Just for the record, when I worked in Tokyo, I was discussing cameras with the locals in the office & they pronounced it Nick-on, so perhaps the Japanese have yet to agree on the correct way.

It reminds me of the Nokia debate.
When I worked for them, I was assured that it's Knock-e-ah, rather than No-key-ah, as many people say.

l pearse

l think it depends on what part of the world ur from..
Japanese would possible say....nee-kong.
Americans nik-kooon! :cool:
Me l go for.....emmmmm, nick-on.:)
You say potato.....l say pittatow!!!!

My brain hurts. :mad:

Danbo!

I went into 2 shops when looking to buy my camera.

First shop -
ME: "hi, do you sell nick-on?"
Shop worker: "yeah, and its neekon"
ME: "oh ok then"

Next shop
ME: "Hi, do you sell neekon?"
Shop Worker: "Yeah, haha, its actually nigh-kon"
ME: "Jaysus"

ThOnda

pen-tax - sounds good :-)

Stephen

I read something a while back about the origin of the name. Apparently in the early days, they renamed the company Nikon because they were trying to imitate the Zeiss-Ikon name. Hence people pronouncing ny-kon. Apparently (says wikipedia) they were originally called Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō.

wikipedia wrote:

The name Nikon, which dates from 1946, is a merging of Nippon Kōgaku (日本光学: "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/.[1]

I've no idea how to read/pronounce all that IPA sh1te above.

AnCatDubh

lol @ ThOnda

The good song says "I got a N-eye-con camera, I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away" (Kodachrome, Paul Simon)

So if Nikon was anything other than "N-eye-con" just imagine what Kodachrome would be???

CabanSail

So it depends if you speak English or American.

I have always heard educated & civilised people pronounce it Nick On, including Japanese people. Then I have heard Americans pronounce it Knee Kon.

Though it's sometimes safer to agree with the Yanks.

5uspect

I don't know any more!!!
I think I clicked the wrong option
I always say Nii Kon, but I thought it should be Nick-on.

Even youtube confused me

Here they say Nick-On

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vG8dZYDXp4

and here its Niii-Kon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPB2P51DApA

Is this why Nikon suck?

Phototoxin

Nie-kon ftw !!

nikkon is teh ghey!

liah

It's Nye-kon. No argument.

labbad

Alanstrainor wrote: »

+1;)

+1

wyk

No one I know in America says it "knee kon". It is pronounced "Nigh-Kon" there as well. You are confusing it for the popular saying in America for Nissan(日産自動車株式会社), which is "Knee San" there. Since Nissan ('NiSan') is an abreviation for Nippon Sangyo(Industries Japan), it would correctly be pronounced "knee san". Though the Japanese pronunciation of their "Ni" character is often softer than the American and English pronounciations.

Just like with Nissan, Nikon is an abbreviation for 'Nippon Kogaku Kogyo' (日本光学工業株式会社) and 'Zeiss Ikon' - thus NiKon. In Japanese, it is usually pronounced something more along the lines of "knee Kohn" AND "Nai Kohn". However, as I stated previously, the Japanese "Ni" sound is softer than what we usually use in our versions of English(when combined with most characters it tends to lead), and thus it can sound a bit different depending on whom is listening. However, the use of 'Ni'(に in Kanji) in 'Nippon' and 'Nihongo'(both words for Japan and Japanese) is most definitely closest to a 'knee' sound in English.

Thus - 'Knee Kon' and 'Knee San' would best closest describe the words 'Nikon' and 'Nissan'. Even so, bear in mind since Nikon is a merging of two different languages, there's likely a great amount of flexibility in it's pronunciation.


Cheers,

Wesley 'Yoshi' Keller

mathias wrote: »

Its correctly pronounced Nigh-Kon , I spent a lot of time in Japan , and also they have FSE's where I work.

They make Steppers for the Semiconductor industry also. Japanese business etiquette being what it is , they will correct you very quickly if you pronounce the company name wrong.

Knee-kon is an Americanism , like nook-you-lar or loom-in-um.
Who wants to sound as Dumb as George W bush?

njburke

I'm with the Knights who say Nih on this.
Its Nih-Kon.
I demand a shrubbery.

My Kiwi mate tried to correct my pronunciation once to the americanised Knee-con, so it may be that knee-con is more globalised that we might think.

If a yank tries to correct my pronunciation, I'll need to see him point out Japan on a map before I give it consideration. I've been there, I even had the distancing and shaming thing they do (when you end up eating lunch in a 400 seat canteen on your own, you're know you're in trouble)

Mathias, have you seen those the lens on those steppers, I think ken rockwell has one on the d40?

nj

magicbastarder

nigh-kon.

i'm considering adulterating the name on the front of my camera from OLYMPUS to ORLYMPUS?

bren2002

Yup, nick-on

lafors

Stephen wrote: »

I read something a while back about the origin of the name. Apparently in the early days, they renamed the company Nikon because they were trying to imitate the Zeiss-Ikon name. Hence people pronouncing ny-kon. Apparently (says wikipedia) they were originally called Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō.



I've no idea how to read/pronounce all that IPA sh1te above.

I work for them, most the Jap engineers say knee-kon, most the American engineers say Nigh-kon, BUT there are a few who do say the opposite.

The company is Japanese therefore knee-kon is the right way.
I on the other hand have been known to say either, which everybody seems to pull me up on

Anyway who gives a rats, they make good cameras, thats all that matters

Alun

lafors wrote: »

I on the other hand have been known to say either, which everybody seems to pull me up on

... but do you pronounce it eye-ther or eee-ther

smelltheglove

Does it matter?

Fajitas!

smelltheglove wrote: »

Does it matter?

Undoubtably

Borderfox

Noink!!

positron

I would have said 'Nick-one', but all my lenses are canon fit, so I wouldn't.

Masada

I pronounce it "nick-on" but ive heard people say it like "nike-on" and "neee-kon"

Morrisseeee

I pronounce it : Oooh-limb-pus

spav

I pronounce it 'nick-on', but then I accept that it's probably 'ny-kon'. I'll stubbornly stick with my original pronunciation though, as I do with Nike. Ny-key? Not in this lifetime, pal.

Fionn

perhaps they should reverse the letters and call it Nokin or jumble them up and have Ikonn, Konin, Onkin Innok or Kinno!!!

and they might have greater sales

does it matter? well three pages of comments says it must

challengemaster

What do I call it...Where's the "pile of crap" option for all the Canon users choice

Only joking

sunny2004

joolsveer wrote: »

It's easier to say Canon!

maybe, but it would embarrass me !

Canon is the tool of Satan..

I say Ni - kon !

dazftw

I say nee kon! But I have a feeling its pronounced nigh kon


Canon... nee kon... there all the same! nee kon have nicer bodies i think.. the once ive held anyway!

Kazzo

Hi

I am Japanese.

If I have to show you how to pronounce "Nikon" in English I would say "Nick-on".
"Knee" is too long for "に". (に is Hiragana, not kanji)
I don't say "Knee-sun".　"Nis-sun" would be the closest. Again, "Knee is too long.

Nikon's TV ad from Japan
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Acsm7HF2I

Calina

I worry about Nikon users sometimes. They get het up over the littlest things.

sunny2004

Kazzo wrote: »

Hi

I am Japanese.

If I have to show you how to pronounce "Nikon" in English I would say "Nick-on".
"Knee" is too long for "に". (に is Hiragana, not kanji)
I don't say "Knee-sun".　"Nis-sun" would be the closest. Again, "Knee is too long.

Nikon's TV ad from Japan
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Acsm7HF2I

It sounds like kneeee kon ??

sunny2004

Calina wrote: »

I worry about Nikon users sometimes. They get het up over the littlest things.

LOL
Its just that Nikon has everything sorted regarding cameras and lenses and all we have left is the pronunciation of the name