3 syllables: Bou, zou, ki. Stress on zou.
boo-ZOO-kee
/buˈzuːkiː/
Bouzouki is pronounced boo-ZOO-kee (/buˈzuːkiː/). It has three syllables (Bou-zou-ki), with the stress on "zou". Bouzouki is a long‑necked Greek string instrument with a pear-shaped body and a bright, ringing tone. It typically has three or four pairs of strings and a distinct, crisp plucked attack. The instrument is central to rebetiko and modern Greek folk music, often featured with rapid picking and melodic ornamentation.
nounBouzouki is a long‑necked Greek string instrument with a pear-shaped body and a bright, ringing tone. It typically has three or four pairs of strings and a distinct, crisp plucked attack. The instrument is central to rebetiko and modern Greek folk music, often featured with rapid picking and melodic ornamentation.
- You might articulate bouzouki with a heavy, clipped start on /baʊ/ or blur the /ˈzuː/ into /zu/. Practice by saying the syllables separately: /baʊ/ + /ˈzuː/ + /ki/ before blending. - The final /ki/ can sound like /kiː/ or /kɪ/ if the vowel is not kept long enough; monitor vowel length by holding /i/ briefly, then release. - Some learners stress the first syllable (BAU-zoo-ki) instead of the secondary stress on /ˈzuː/; correct by counting beats aloud: da-BA-zoo-ki. - Consonant articulation around the /z/ and /k/ should be clear; avoid turning /z/ into a voiced sibilant or the /k/ into /t/; practice with minimal pairs /baʊzuː/ vs /baʊzuːkɪ/ to fix this.
How to Pronounce Bouzouki
"She learned to play the bouzouki to accompany traditional Greek dances."
"The concert featured a virtuoso bouzouki solo with intricate tremolo picking."
"In class, we discussed the bouzouki's role in Greek folk ensembles."
You say bouzouki like bou-ZOO-kee, with the stress on the second syllable. In IPA US: /ˌbaʊˈzuː.ki/, UK: /ˌbaʊˈzuː.ki/, AU: /ˌbaʊˈzuː.ki/. Start with /baʊ/ as in bow, then /zuː/ rhyming with “zoo,” and end with /ki/ as in “key.” Practicing slow, then normal tempo helps keep the two consonant/vowel clusters clear. You’ll feel the curl of the tongue toward the back for the /uː/ and a light release at the end for /ki/.” ,
Common errors: misplacing the emphasis on the first syllable (bo-), confusing /zuː/ with /zu/ (short vowel) and omitting the final /i/ (kee). Correction: place primary stress on the second syllable /baʊˈzuː.ki/; ensure a long /uː/ vocalic nucleus in /zuː/ and release the final /i/ as a light syllable. Practice by isolating /ˈzuː.ki/ and then blending back to /baʊ/; use minimal pair drills with /ˈzuː/ versus /ˈzu/ to solidify duration and quality.
US and UK share /ˌbaʊˈzuː.ki/, but rhotic and vowel length differences can appear in rapid speech; Australians tend to reduce the /ˈzuː/ to a slightly shorter, tighter vowel while preserving the final /ki/. In all, the second syllable tends to carry primary stress; the main variation is subtle vowel quality—US/UK often have a clear /uː/, AU may be a little closer to /u/ in some speakers.
Difficulties stem from the non-native cluster bou- with the /b/ + /aʊ/ sequence, plus the long /uː/ in /zuː/ and the final /ki/ that can blur in casual speech. The stress pattern on the second syllable is also less intuitive for English listeners, and the Greek origin can cue unfamiliar phonotactics. Focus on two clear cues: a distinct /uː/ vowel and a strong second-syllable stress to guide rhythm.
The presence of the iota-like ending /-ki/ is unique: /ki/ is a light, crisp release, not a doubled vowel. The English reader might default to /-koʊ/ or /-kee/; avoid these. Emphasize the hard K release before the final vowel and keep the last syllable short but audible: /ˈzuː.ki/.
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- US: clear rhotics and a slightly longer /uː/; keep lips rounded for /uː/ to maintain a bright timbre. - UK: non-rhotic, so /r/ is absent; ensure the /z/ is voiced and clear, not devoiced. - AU: tends toward a flatter vowel quality; maintain a precise /zuː/ with less diphthongal dynamics. - IPA anchors: /ˌbaʊˈzuː.ki/; ensure secondary stress on the second syllable is audible in fast speech.
Bouzouki derives from the Greek bouzoukí (βουζουκί), a diminutive form from bouzoú (βουζού), which itself traces to the Turkish bouzuki and earlier Persian/Arabic antecedents within the lute family. The instrument’s modern form emerged in the early 20th century as Greek musicians adapted Orphic and Balkan string traditions into a portable, nylon/metal-string instrument with a long scale and fretted fingerboard. The name entered English via scholarly and musical references in the mid‑20th century, aligning with the instrument’s popularity in Greece and by diaspora communities. The term further consolidates in ethnomusicology and world music catalogs as bouzouki, sometimes spelled buzuki or bouzuki in various transliterations, reflecting its Greek pronunciation and the unfamiliarity of English speakers with the Greek phonotactics. First known use in English appears in music writing around the 1930s–1950s, paralleling globalization of Greek folk ensembles. Today, bouzouki denotes both the instrument and a family of related long‑necked lutes used in Macedonian, Turkish, and Cypriot music, with instrument makers and players expanding its repertoire into contemporary genres while preserving traditional techniques like the ochos, tremolo, and rapid pick scrapes.
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Words that rhyme with "Bouzouki"
-kie sounds
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