Pronunciation Guide • English (from Quechua)
How to Pronounce quinoa
Difficulty: medium
IPA Transcription
/ˈkiːnwɑː/
Why is it so hard to pronounce?
Pronounced "KEEN-wah". Despite looking like it should be "kwi-NO-ah", the word comes from Quechua (an Andean indigenous language) where "qu" represents the /k/ sound. The "oa" ending sounds like "wah".
💡 Pro Tip for quinoa
KEEN-wah. Two syllables. The Q sounds like K, the ui sounds like EE, and "noa" sounds like "wah".
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The term quinoa originates from Quechua "kinwa". Understanding its etymology helps explain why it breaks standard pronunciation rules.