How do you pronounce 'Nguyen' ?

[InFeXiOn]

I was thought it was pronounced "Win." That's just what I hear the commentators on the World Poker Tour say when they introduce or talk about Scotty.

 

[evident]

i think vietnamese people have the best names to bastardize for western people

examples of some vietnamese names:

dung, hung, long, khac, phuoc, bich put any two of these together and you'll have a middle school snickerfest

 

[Adn4n]

Either one of these are acceptable:

Dude
Guy
Buddy
BOB

 

[amicold]

Originally posted by: dbk
knew-en?

AFAIK

My friend's last name is Nguyen and he pronounces it this way.

 

[0roo0roo]

why didn't they just spell it newen?

 

[Lord Zado]

I had a guy in high school with this name. He pronounced it "New - Yen".

 

[roguerower]

I know a bunch of guys with that name and we all pronounce it win.

 

[xtknight]

I thought it was "goy-yen".

 

[meltdown75]

win

ie. for the Nguyen

 

[Doodoo]

Westerners will never pronounce it right...so we all just tell you win or newen to shut you up.

 

[Perknose]

Bruce?

 

[Aikouka]

To make sure I'm not thinking incorrectly, you mean Nguyen in Vietnamese, correct? I had a friend with that last name in college and she tested my ability to pronounce her name. Of course I got it right on the first try... I've had my fair share of ogling Asians online .

New-en (stress on the "New") if I remember correctly, but it has been awhile since she taught me about pronouncing Vietnamese.

 

[txrandom]

N - GUY - EN

 

[Kelemvor]

n'guy-en

Like Nuh-Guy-En

 

[Platypus]

This thread pops up all the time and there's NEVER a clear answer on this one, it irks me

Coworkers with said name all tell us to say 'Win' but I can sense that they're just doing that for our benefit, I'd really like to know the real way to say this.

 

[GeneValgene]

wen

 

[Phokus]

THere was linebacker that played for the dallas cowboys called 'dat nguyen'. The announcers always pronounced his name 'win'.

 

[maximus maximus]

I think it is called "Nu-Yen".


ROFL.. reminded me of a funny bank episode. The teller in the bank has a tag on her shirt which says "Kim Nguyen". There was an old lady in front of me who was struggling to pronounce her last name... after thinking for 5 seconds the old lady blurts out "Kim Ninja ?"

should have seen the look on the tellers face.

 

[AdamK47]

En-guh-eye-hen

 

[Hammerhead]

Win, FTN (for the Nguyen)

 

[marulee]

Neaaing?

 

[ViviTheMage]

'win'

:-D

 

[Hammerhead]

Chee-pote-lay

 

[Steve]

Kway-suh-DILL-uhs

 

[LazyB]

Nguyen is also a simplified version.

The real name is written with accent : Ngue^~n (both accents on the e). That's why, it's impossible to pronounce it right in English.

I tried once to teach the correct way to my friends and nobody can repeat it correctly, not even close, so New-yen is generally accepted...

Most of the time, Vietnameses will just say it's fine if it sounds anything close to it, they know that it's not possible to get it right.