There are several types of pronunciation people use according to their accents. There are many ways to pronounce Kratom, but most people mispronounce it, which leads to embarrassment, or the shopkeeper cannot get you at first when you use it wrong thus if you are looking for Kratom, which is a plant or tree of the coffee family pronounce Kratom correctly.
It is a famous herb in south Asian regions, where it is taken daily as routine and used as part of their worship. This plant is used widely worldwide as a relaxing agent or to boost energy. Many athletes use this herb to increase their stamina and activate their muscles.
In this article, we will be looking at how to pronounce Kratom in different parts of the world. Moreover, we will find some exciting and often confusing accents too.
What Are The Different Kratom Pronunciations
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People use the pronunciations of this herb in many ways, but the most popular accents are KRAY-tum and KRAT-um. These are mentioned in the Oxford Dictionary, and the method of pronouncing Kratom is also there. However, there is not a thumb rule written anywhere to pronounce Kratom in a specific way.
Krat-Um
The standard way to pronounce Kratom is KRAT-um originated from the word atom. However, this pronunciation uses the short sound of a but not ay. Many people use the ay sound rather than a. This is the most common way to pronounce Kratom.
Kray-Tum
This type of rhyme originated from the word Tatum. In this type, people use the ay sound long rather than a. It is the opposite of the previous one. Mostly, the American people pronounce Kratom in this way. Some variations exist as denunciations of English as their native language. There are many different pronunciations which we will discuss in a later section.
Which One Is Right Way To Pronounce Kratom?
There are exceptions, and it is complicated to say which one is right or wrong. Because as we all know, the rules of English are very complex for this reason, many experts have failed to benchmark this plant’s pronunciation.
According to the basic rules, KRAY-tum is correct to pronounce Kratom; however, many similar words indicate the KRAT-um. The local accents vary in pronouncing the word “a,” leading to this herb’s different pronunciations.
What Do Mitragyna Users Think About The Pronunciation?
There are tonnes of users who consider the KRAT-um as the correct pronunciation. But the American Association of Kratom advocates says that the KRAY-tum is fitting because, in several interviews, they have used this pronunciation, which leads them to believe it is right according to them.
Another exciting part is that the experts want all to use the articulation that the people where this herb is generated had adopted. Because this is not an English-speaking word, seeing how South Asians pronounce Kratom is essential.
What Is The Pronunciation Of Kratom In South Asia?
It is hard to find which pronunciation is correct in South Asia, but most Thailand pronounces Kratom like Ketum. The r here is silent; this is what people are using. But it is highly dependent on where you are and from which region you belong.
Talking about the pronunciation of this plant in Malaysia, they use Ketum more than the people of Thailand. People in Malaysia also use Kruh-tome, but It isn’t easy to define Kratom correctly. The detailed and divided description is given below according to the regions,
Malaysian Accent
The people of Malaysia pronounce Kratom like Ketum or Key-tum. There is an r, but it is silent. Some people there say using kea or kay is okay. Malaysia is the biggest exporter of the mitragyna globally and has different types of strain produced every year, the tonnes of ketum product supplied to the USA.
Indonesian Accent
When you listen to the accent of the people of Indonesia, they pronounce Kratom like kra-them. Here the T sounds like th, but the “kra” sound remains the same. The Bali strain of Indonesia is world-famous as its name depicts Bali as the island in Indonesia from where this strain is generated and supplied to different countries, including the USA.
Thai Accent
Thailand is another big producer of this herb. They used to pronounce Kratom like Kruh-tome. Here it has different accents in both ways; the kra here is kruh, and the tum they pronounce as the time, just like the skin tone when used to pronounce. Thailand is at the top in exporting this herb worldwide, and people of this country use this herb as part of their worship.
Reason For Pronouncing Ketum In South Asia?
The Thai letters are much different and challenging to understand, and these are much different from the Roman letters, such as the “k” in Kratom is the Thai alphabet K, which is pronounced between the k and g in English if you want it pronounced like south Asians. Despite being so complicated in English, you can pronounce it as a k.
It is hard to understand the pronunciation of this plant from the locals of Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia if you are a native of English. But you can learn and understand how to pronounce Kratom correctly.
Which Region’s Pronunciation To Follow?
As mentioned earlier, the American Association of Kratom advocates said that it is better to follow the native accent of this herb from where it is generated and that the name and pronunciation are usually followed from where it originated. The ketum plant was developed in Thailand.
Therefore, it is correct to follow the accent of Thailand, which is Kroh-tome. However, if you follow this accent in the USA, this may not be friendly to people around you. If we see the articulation of Malaysia, the r is silent and may confuse a lot of people because it changes the word to ketum.
What Is The Scientific Name Of This Plant?
This plant has several different names, but the scientific name is not Kratom; the scientists referred to this plant by a scientific name as Mitragyna Speciosa. Sometimes this herb is also called only Speciosa, but Kratom is the most common name that people know of this plant.
What Has Oxford University Press Said?
If you are following the oxford dictionary, then go to lexico.com; the press of oxford university launches this dictionary; from this site, you will get the following types of pronunciation:
- The first is that you will be kra-tum; it sounds like an atom but has two parts: the first one is kra, and the second is tum. The kra matches with the word at and tum are similar to the ton.
- The second pronunciation you will find is cray-tum. The first part of this pronunciation is similar to the crayon, and the tone is identical to the previous one.
- The third is the kra-tom. The first part is the same as the first pronunciation; however, the second is changed. The “tum” sounds like the skin tone.
So the above are some pronunciations added by the Oxford University Press in their recommended site, and those are for the natives of the USA and England. There are many pronunciations and words used for this plant around the world.
Which Name Should Be Used?
Despite having complicated descriptions for the word’s pronunciation, there is not a single thumb rule for pronunciation from which we can say that a certain kind of pronunciation is correct.
Moreover, there are several names defined by different regions. And local accents have a significant role in making you pronounce this word in a certain way.
Suppose you haven’t heard the term before or know it, but you listen to it in a different accent. In that case, you will not understand it at first, so there is much variation in saying the word, and it is much dependent on the people living in different regions around the world.
What Is The Pronunciation Of Its Strain?
As we know, different regions have different accents for the word, and a similar case is for kratom strains. It is also difficult to pronounce by reading when you see it first. There are two strains defined here: Maeng Da and Bentuangie kratom strain.
- The Maeng Da is pronounced like mean-Duh or Mong Da. in Thailand, people used to say it Mong Da, and in Malaysia, it is like Mung-Da, whereas if you see the people of Indonesia, they will like Maeeen-Duh.
- Furthermore, Hulu Kapuas is another name for this plant but is rarely used by people. It has the correct pronunciation of ho-loo Kah-poo. It looks like it will be difficult to pronounce when seeing at first, but it is easy to hear the correct pronunciation from somebody.
- The Bentuangie kratom strain is also common for south Asians but is rare for foreigners. This is difficult for you to say if you are a native English speaker, but it is easy to learn. The correct pronunciation of this strain is Ben-too-Angie. It is just like your childhood cartoon Ben-10.
What Is The Pronunciation Of The Consumers Of Kratom?
It is essential to know how to pronounce Kratom correctly and know the people you are surrounded by. Below are the different accents the native people of English usually sound;
British Accent
The British accent has a standard pronunciation like Kray-tum. The first word here is like the way with k. And the second one is tum.
American Accent
On the other hand, this American Accent is like Kra-um, where the t is silent while pronouncing it. However, if you listen to the male voice, you feel like the pronunciation of Kratom is similar to the south Asian people and is considered to be the correct one.
Australian Accent
If you are in Australia, they sound like grey-tom. Here the second part is different from the British accent. However, the first one is similar to the British accent.
Canadian Accent
The Canadian accent is like the American accent but not similar at its first part; the Canadian accent sounds like Kre-tom. A mixture of American and Australian accents. However, some Canadians sound like the British ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is this plant generated?
The origin of Kratom is from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and more South Asian countries. Therefore it is correct to follow their accent.
What is the correct way to pronounce Kratom?
Suppose you cannot follow the south Asians fully but want to have an American accent. The sound ketum is good to follow because this is the word’s origin from south Asia. When you follow this accent ultimately, you will follow both the accents of South Asia and America. In this way, people can understand what you are saying without being embarrassed.
Conclusion
It is challenging to say the correct accent because it is a rare plant and less experienced. This plant has many ways of pronunciation. The reason is that English does not generate it.
Therefore, this word has become controversial, and you may mispronounce it. Its pronunciation is highly dependent on the regions; however, you can learn more by searching for it and hearing the sounds; it is effortless to learn the correct pronunciation of Kratom.
People mispronounce Kratom unless they know how to pronounce Kratom correctly. Surely it will help prevent you from being embarrassed in front of many people If you have looked at it keenly.
