LIFESTYLE
'Ee-Kia'? 'Ai-Kay-Uh'? ‘Ai-Kee-Ya’? IKEA SG Finally Reveals The Correct Way To Pronounce The Brand's Name
Here's something strange: we Malaysians love hanging out at IKEA, we love eating their meatballs and we love taking pictures at their warehouse, but yet, we can't seem to get the pronunciation of the name correct.
We've heard plenty; from 'ee-kia' to 'ai-kee-ya' to 'ee-kee-ya'. So, which is the correct one?
Well, the Swedish furniture brand has recently come out to set the record straight.
Not a tongue twister
On Monday (18 October), the offcial Instagram page of IKEA Singapore posted several fun facts about the brand in conjunction with IKEA Tampines’ 15th birthday.One of the fun facts was the correct pronunciation of IKEA, and it turns out that the correct pronunciation is 'ee-kay-uh'.
Yep, we might have been pronouncing the name of the brand wrong all this while.
Image credit: Instagram/ikeasingaporeOrigins of the name
Don't worry, it's not just you as there are plenty of people out there who seemed to not know how to pronounce IKEA as well.Back in 2018, a company spokesperson told QUARTZ that the name 'IKEA' is an acronym made up of the founder's name (Ingvar Kamprad), the name of Kamprad's family farm (Elmtaryd) and the location of the farm (Agunnaryd, in Småland, Sweden).
So, when Kamprad founded the company in 1943, he naturally pronounced it with a typical Swedish accent: 'Ee-kay-uh'.
Image credit: InsiderHowever, the spokesperson added that the brand has qualms about people pronouncing the name in their local accent.
“It’s only natural that people pronounce ‘IKEA’ and the Swedish names of its products with a local accent. That’s absolutely OK!,” he told QUARTZ.
In fact, even Kamprad himself was reportedly "at peace" with the different pronunciations of IKEA all around the world.
So, there you have it! For all of you who have been mispronouncing ‘IKEA’ all this while, hope you get it correct the next time you use it!
Must-Watch Video