3 syllables: Mai, tre, ya. Stress on tre.
meye-TRAY-yuh
/maɪˈtɹeɪjə/
Maitreya is pronounced meye-TRAY-yuh (/maɪˈtɹeɪjə/). It has three syllables (Mai-tre-ya), with the stress on "tre". Maitreya is a Buddhist figure regarded as the future Buddha who will attain awakening and teach the Dharma. Used in Buddhist contexts and discussion of prophecies, it also names temples, projects, and spiritual organizations. The term emphasizes enlightened leadership and future compassionate action, and it appears in religious texts, lectures, and scholarly writing.
nounMaitreya is a Buddhist figure regarded as the future Buddha who will attain awakening and teach the Dharma. Used in Buddhist contexts and discussion of prophecies, it also names temples, projects, and spiritual organizations. The term emphasizes enlightened leadership and future compassionate action, and it appears in religious texts, lectures, and scholarly writing.
How to Pronounce Maitreya
"The Maitreya statue in the temple draws pilgrims from across the region."
"Scholars debated the iconography of Maitreya in early Buddhist art."
"We studied the prophecies surrounding Maitreya in our course."
Pronounce as /ˌmaɪˈtreɪ.ə/ in US/UK/AU English. Break into three syllables: mai-TRE-ya, with primary stress on the second syllable. Start with /maɪ/ as in 'my', then /ˈtreɪ/ like 'tray', and finish with /ə/ as the unstressed schwa. Your mouth should relax into a light vowel at the end: [mə-ɪ-TRAY-ə]. For clarity, place the tongue high for /aɪ/ and glide to a mid front position for /eɪ/ before the final neutral vowel. Listen for the rhythmic three-beat cadence: da-da-DA-da, with a crisp /tr/ cluster in the middle.
Common errors: skipping the second syllable stress (say mai-TRAY-uh with proper emphasis on TRAY); mispronouncing /tr/ as a simple /t/ or /d/; truncating the final /ə/ or making it into a pronounced 'ya' (MAI-tray-ya rather than MAI-tray-uh). Corrections: keep the /tr/ cluster together with a short, unstressed final /ə/; ensure the main stress is clearly on the /treɪ/ syllable; end with a soft, neutral /ə/ rather than an overt 'ya' sound.
In US/UK/AU, the core is /ˌmaɪˈtreɪ.ə/. The primary difference is rhoticity: US is rhotic, so /ˈtreɪ.ə/ has a more pronounced r-like quality in the second syllable, whereas UK/AU are non-rhotic, with a shorter, less pronounced r. Australians may show mild non-rhotic tendencies with a slightly flatter /eɪ/ in /treɪ/. Overall the three-syllable rhythm remains, but vowel quality and r-coloring vary subtly.
Three challenges: the /aɪ/ diphthong in 'Mai,' the /treɪ/ with the /t/ + /r/ cluster that can blur in fast speech, and the final unstressed /ə/ (schwa) which can get reduced or misarticulated as /ə/ or /ya/. The sequence /maɪˈtreɪ.ə/ requires careful timing: keep the stress on /treɪ/ and urge the mouth through the diphthong into a light ending without adding a consonant after /ə/.
A distinctive feature is maintaining the three-syllable rhythm with a clear secondary flow: mai-TRAY-uh. The middle syllable carries primary stress and has a tight /treɪ/ sequence. Visualize the mouth narrowing for /aɪ/ then widening through /treɪ/ before closing softly to /ə/. This tri-syllabic balance helps avoid rushing the final syllable and keeps the name sounding authoritative and calm.
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Maitreya comes from Sanskrit मৈत्रेय (maitr̥eya) meaning 'loving-kindness' or 'friendship' and is related to maitri, meaning friendship or benevolence. In Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is the bodhisattva who awaits his turn to teach after the current Buddha’s passing. The term appears in early Buddhist texts and Pali/Mriya renderings, with variations across languages including Maithreya (Pali), Maitriya, and Metteya in Tibetan and Chinese transliterations. The concept evolved from Indian Buddhist thought into broader Mahayana and Vajrayana belief, where Maitreya represents universal compassion and the eventual coming of a future age. First known uses appear in Indian scriptures dating to the 1st millennium BCE, with textual attestations in Buddhist sutras and commentaries, later influencing East Asian eschatology and devotional practice. Over centuries, the name migrated through Theravada and Mahayana traditions, absorbing linguistic adaptations while retaining the core idea of a future, benevolent teacher who perfects compassion and wisdom for all beings. The etymology thus reflects a fusion of linguistic roots and a durable messianic archetype in Buddhist thought.
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Words that rhyme with "Maitreya"
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