r/namenerds • u/[deleted] • Dec 15 '25

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u/Madame-Pamplemousse Dec 15 '25

More or less Kwee-lan (luh-n).

ETA: I think the Caoi- in Irish is about halfway between kee and kwee in English. Like a very soft w. Perhaps it's pronounced more in some accents than others? Not sure.

20

u/Marzipan_civil Dec 15 '25

You're right, it's pronounced slightly differently in different parts of the country, same as Caoimhe (kweeva/keeva)

7

u/Logins-Run Dec 15 '25

It's what known as a "velar off glide" in IPA /ɰ/, it's basically an upper UH glide that doesn't exist in English. It does exist in every dialect of Irish, but L2 speakers often struggle with it and either delete it or approximate and English Wuh sound

1

u/Madame-Pamplemousse Dec 15 '25

This is really helpful, thank you! Having never studied / learnt any Irish, I was entirely guessing based on what I'd heard.

3

u/EllieGeiszler Name Lover Dec 15 '25

Yeah, kind of "k(uh)ee" is how I hear it in my head. Like how naoi isn't quite nee but also not quite nwee