You can refer to the correct pronunciation of “Qatar” as native speakers say it below.
How to pronounce Qatar correctly?
It would be embarrassing if you are “betting” on the World Cup but mispronounce the name of the host country, Qatar. So how should you pronounce Qatar to be “perfectly accurate”? “Ka-ta” like in the poem “Qua Đèo Ngang” by Bà Huyện Thanh Quan? Or “Quơ-ta” as in the poem “Ve Bâng Quơ” by Tản Đà? Or even “Quát-ta”?
Unfortunately, none of the pronunciations above are correct. You can check out the pronunciation from a native speaker in the video below:
Video: Pronunciation of “Qatar” by Hassan Al Thawadi, the head of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Committee.
So “Ka-ta” is the most accurate pronunciation of Qatar. Why do many people, from football enthusiasts to casual observers, pronounce it incorrectly? This is because the Latin transliteration of “Qatar” and the Arabic word قطر have different pronunciations.
Even Neil Buethe, the communications director of the U.S. Soccer Federation, has expressed confusion. Hassan Al Thawadi, the head of the committee preparing for the 2022 World Cup, mentioned in an interview that even locals pronounce the word Qatar differently.
Most people agree that “Ka-ta” is the most accurate pronunciation.
An Arabic lecturer at Yale University stated that the first consonant in the name “Qatar” is not exactly pronounced as /r/ nor /q/. This consonant is quite difficult to pronounce, leading to much confusion.
