How to Pronounce “geisha”

American (US)

/ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/

British (UK)

/ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/

noun — A Japanese female entertainer skilled in various arts such as tea ceremony, dancing, singing and calligraphy.

Where the stress falls. “geisha” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/ 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 "geisha" mean?

geisha (noun): A Japanese female entertainer skilled in various arts such as tea ceremony, dancing, singing and calligraphy.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "geisha", /ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/, 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 "geisha"?

/ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/ in American English, /ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "geisha"?

“geisha” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.