How to Pronounce “edamame”

American (US)

/ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/

British (UK)

/ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/

noun — Young green soybeans, usually boiled in the pod and salted.

Example: They shared a bowl of edamame while they waited.

A loanword from Japanese. Japanese pronounces every vowel, and a final e is never silent. Four syllables: “eh-dah-MAH-meh”.

Where the stress falls. “edamame” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "edamame" mean?

edamame (noun): Young green soybeans, usually boiled in the pod and salted. For example — They shared a bowl of edamame while they waited.

How do you pronounce "edamame" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "edamame", /ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "edamame"?

/ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/ in American English, /ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "edamame"?

“edamame” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌedəˈmɑːmeɪ/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

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