4 syllables: O, ri, ga, mi. Stress on ga.
aw-ree-GAH-mee
/ˌɔɹiˈɡɑˌmi/
Origami is pronounced aw-ree-GAH-mee (/ˌɔɹiˈɡɑˌmi/). It has four syllables (O-ri-ga-mi), with the stress on "ga". Origami is the art of paper folding, producing intricate figures by folding a single sheet without cutting or glue. It involves precise hand movements and careful sequencing, transforming flat paper into three-dimensional sculptures. The term emphasizes craft, patience, and spatial reasoning, rooted in Japanese tradition but practiced worldwide for both decorative and instructional purposes.
nounOrigami is the art of paper folding, producing intricate figures by folding a single sheet without cutting or glue. It involves precise hand movements and careful sequencing, transforming flat paper into three-dimensional sculptures. The term emphasizes craft, patience, and spatial reasoning, rooted in Japanese tradition but practiced worldwide for both decorative and instructional purposes.
How to Pronounce Origami
"She learned origami to create origami cranes for the festival."
"The origami workshop taught beginners how to fold a simple bookmark without tearing the paper."
"In Japan, origami is often used as a classroom activity to develop fine motor skills and concentration."
You say origami with four syllables: o-ri-ga-mi. Primary stress on the third syllable: /ˌɔːrɪˈɡɑːmi/ in US, with US vowel quality slightly rounded and lengthened. Start with an open back vowel, then roll the tongue for the mid‑back /ɔː/, glide to a light /ɪ/ in the second syllable, stressed /ˈɡɑː/ with a broad open back vowel, and finish with /mi/. Audio references: consult Pronounce or Forvo entries for native speaker samples.
Common errors include stressing the wrong syllable (placing primary stress on the first or second syllable instead of the third), and mispronouncing the first vowel as a short /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ without the length and rounding of /ɔː/. Some speakers flatten the final /i/ as /ɪ/; aim for a pure /i/ at the end. Ensure the middle /ɡɑː/ has a clear, low-back vowel before the /mi/ suffix.练 try saying o-ri-GA-mi with emphasis on GA.
In US English, /ˌɔːrɪˈɡɑːmi/ features a rhotic r and a long ɔː in the first syllable. UK English tends to reduce the /ɔː/ slightly and maintain non-rhoticity; you may hear /ˌɒrɪˈɡɑːmi/ with a shorter first vowel and less rhotic coloring. Australian English often aligns with US rhotic pronunciation but with slightly more centralized vowels and a shorter /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Maintain the stress on GA (third syllable) across varieties, but vowel qualities shift subtly by region.
The difficulty lies in the long, tense first vowel /ɔː/ followed by a clear /ɡɑː/ cluster and the final unstressed /mi/; the tight contrast between /ɡɑː/ and the subsequent /mi/ can blur in rapid speech. Non-native speakers often misplace stress or mispronounce the mid-back vowel as /ɒ/ or /ɔ/. Mouth positioning requires a rounded, open-back vowel transitioning cleanly into a velar stop /g/ and a high-front /i/. Focus on keeping each vowel distinct and preserving syllable boundaries.
Origami’s prefix o- often causes a light, quick onset in casual speech; keep the initial /ɔː/ rounded and not reduced to a schwa. The second syllable /ri/ should maintain a short, crisp vowel; avoid merging /ri/ into /riɡ/ in a slurred single unit. Also ensure the /ɡ/ is a hard stop, not a softened /j/ or /dʒ/ sound. In connected speech, you may experience slight vowel reduction in rapid narration, but preserve the primary stress on GA.
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Origami derives from the Japanese words ori (折り or おり, ‘folding’) and kami (紙, ‘paper’). The compound ori-kami denotes folding paper. The practice dates back to 17th-century Japan, likely earlier in temple and ceremonial contexts, but the term origami appears in English in the 1860s, popularized in the early 20th century by writers and educators introducing systematic folding techniques. Historically, origami evolved from ceremonial origami used in Shinto rituals to a broader didactic and artistic practice, with folding sequences codified in manuals and later adapted for modern classrooms and crafts. The global origami movement expanded post-World War II, with pioneers like Akira Yoshizawa formalizing diagrams, crease patterns, and standardized folds, elevating origami from craft to an expressive, mathematical, and aesthetic discipline. First known use in English literature traces to 1860s-1890s, with a surge of popularity in the mid-20th century as Western audiences encountered Yoshizawa’s diagramming system and the hobbyist kits that followed. When addressed today, origami spans modular constructions, tessellations, and dynamic origami that combines action and structure, reflecting its evolution from a traditional paper art to a universal language of folding.”,
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Words that rhyme with "Origami"
-ama sounds
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