The world is full of gorgeous beers, so what better way to celebrate National Beer Day than by raising a cold one.
We love an international beer, but what if we told you that you might have been mispronouncing some of your favourites for years? To help you avoid any embarrassment down the pub, here’s how to properly pronounce some of the world’s most popular beers.
Thursday, June 15 is National Beer Day, and language learning platform Preply have taken a closer look at some of the world’s most mispronounced beers and created a guide on how to say each of them correctly. In addition, they’ve spelled out how to order a beer in 16 different languages.
Sylvia Johnson, Language expert from Preply, has also provided expert commentary on why English people might find pronunciation of foreign brand names difficult. She said: "Each language has its own unique set of sounds and pronunciation patterns. English speakers may find it challenging to reproduce certain sounds that are present in other languages.
"For example, languages like German or Czech may have specific consonant clusters or vowel sounds that do not exist in English, making it harder to pronounce words accurately."
This Belgian wheat beer is loved by many, but we bet you your bottom beer-soaked dollar that you have been mispronouncing it your whole life. Is it right to assume you’ve been saying ‘hoe-gar-den’ this entire time? If so, you may be surprised to find it’s actually pronounced ‘who-gar-den’.
Mispronunciation: Hoe-gar-den
Correct pronunciation: Who-gar-den
Most Chinese beers are pale lagers, such as Tsingtao, and it goes wonderfully with Chinese food. How nice would it be to impress your fellow diners with the proper pronunciation of the country’s signature beer next time you’re out?
Mispronunciation: Sing-tow
Correct pronunciation: Ching-dow
This Polish lager is one of Britain’s most beloved beverages, largely down to its approachable price point and the fact that it is easily drinkable. Imagine everyone who has been saying it wrong? Next time you order one at the bar, say “tis-ke-ya” rather than “tie-ski” and feel suitably smug.
Mispronunciation: Tie-ski
Correct pronunciation: Tis-ke-ya
4. Efes, Turkey
Efes Pilsener is a European pale lager style beer and dominates the Turkish beer market, making up 80% of all beer consumed in the country. It has only just started making its mark in the UK, but confusion around how to pronounce the name has already begun. Named after the ancient city of Ephesus, it’s pronounced “eff-ezz”.
Mispronunciation: Eefs
Correct pronunciation: Eff-Ezz
One of Denmark’s greatest exports (perhaps only trumped by hygge), Tuborg is famously mispronounced. It’s the ultimate festival beer, often sponsoring big music events, so when you’re getting the next round in at Glastonbury this summer, show off to your mates by saying “tu-borg”.
Mispronunciation: Too-borg
Correct pronunciation: Tu-borg
Are you as astounded as us to learn that San Miguel originates from the Philippines, not Spain? Spanish settlers in the Philippines were responsible for the establishment of the brewery that produces one of the world’s most recognisable beers in the 19th century. The pronunciation is distinctly Spanish too, so remember to enunciate the e-sound at the end properly.
Mispronunciation: San Mah-gel
Correct pronunciation: San Mi-gel
Often the butt end of a joke and famously only drank by men in tank tops, this Belgium lager is actually one of Britain’s most favoured beers. Often shortened to ‘Stella’ (perhaps due to the fear of mispronouncing ‘Artois’), we’re here to help you become a beer connoisseur.
Mispronunciation: Stel-ah Ar-twas
Correct pronunciation: Stel-ah a-tua
8. Asahi, Japan
This sophisticated and crisp Japanese lager has steadily increased in popularity over the past couple of years and has now become a staple in pubs across the country. The pronunciation of it seems pretty straightforward, but we think most of us will be able to refine our pronunciation of it from now on - uh-saa-hee!
Mispronunciation: Asa-hi
Correct pronunciation: Uh-saa-hee
9. Mahou, Spain
This Spanish beer took the UK by storm last summer and has quickly established itself as a favourite among beer lovers across the country. In your attempt to pronounce it properly, imagine yourself as a meowing cat and say “ma-oo”!
Mispronunciation: Ma-hou
Correct pronunciation: Ma-oo
10. Kölsch, Germany
The Germans certainly know their beer, don’t they? They also know a thing or two about difficult spelling, so we’re here to help. Kölsch (pronounced K'ool-Sh) is a refreshing style of beer that stands out for its crisp drinkability and exceptional balance of malt and fruit flavours.
Mispronunciation: Coal-Sh
Correct pronunciation: K'ool-Sh
Decidedly France’s most famous beer, Kronenbourg is one that is much loved across the pond here in Britain, and possibly one of the most mispronounced too. We’re all a bit afraid of sounding pretentious when pronouncing French words aren’t we, but if we want to get this one right, we need to overcome this barrier.
Mispronunciation: Krow-nen-berg
Correct pronunciation: Kro-nan-bour
12. Peroni, Italy
The margins of mispronouncing Peroni are small, but with a few little tweaks, you will be pronouncing the thirst-clenching beer like a true Milanese in no time.
Mispronunciation: Per-on-knee
Correct pronunciation: Per-own-i
13. Sagres, Portugal
With Spain and Portugal being so close to each other, it’s sometimes easy to forget that they speak different languages. Although they are similar and originate from the same language family, their pronunciations differ quite starkly. That’s why we need to shelf the Spanish ‘s’ pronunciation from this beer and replace it with the more Portuguese ‘shh’ sound.
Mispronunciation: Sag-rez
Correct pronunciation: Sa-gresh
14. Singha, Thailand
Originating from the Land of Smiles, this fresh beer definitely helps put a smile on our faces. It’s excellent with Thai food of course, and the pronunciation of it couldn’t be easier - Sing!
Mispronunciation: Sing-ha
Correct pronunciation: Sing
Easily one of the world’s most recognisable beers, Heineken has been the sponsor for major sports events, notably within the world of football and rugby. The beer has also featured in no less than eight Bond films where they probably have been pronouncing it all wrong. Would you like your Hin-eh-ken shaken or stirred?
Mispronunciation: Hei-knee-ken
Correct pronunciation: Hai-nuh-kn
16. Duvel, Belgium
Another tricky Belgium beer enters the list! This high-percentage blonde beer is very often mispronounced, but with a few tweaks to your pronunciation, you’ll sound like a Belgian beer pro in no time.
Mispronunciation: Duh-vell
Correct pronunciation: Doo-vul
Kirin Ichiban has become one of the most popular beers in Japan right now and its popularity is growing steadily to other parts of the world, especially the UK. That means two things; 1) we are blessed with another delicious-tasting beer, and 2) we have another difficult name to pronounce. But we’re here to help!
Mispronunciation: Keer-in Ish-i-ban
Correct pronunciation: Ke-reen Itchy-bahn
Thought you had the pronunciation of this one under control? Well, think again. It’s all about perfecting your Italian pronunciation here - feel free to join in with some wild hand gesticulation as well for added effect.
Mispronunciation: Birra More-et-ti
Correct pronunciation: Bi·ruh-muh·reh·tee
19. Budweiser, USA
A ‘bud’ has become one of the world’s most iconic beers, so it must be gutting to learn that we’ve been saying it wrong all this time. You can say goodbye to the perceived American pronunciation of this one and instead opt for the German way.
Mispronunciation: bud-wee-i-zer
Correct pronunciation: buh·dwai·zuh
Impressively, one out of every 10 pints sold in London is a Guinness, making the UK capital the undisputed king of Guinness drinking. How embarrassing that we tend to pronounce it wrong then! The emphasis is much more on the ‘s’ at the end of the name rather than the ‘ee’ sound at the start.
Mispronunciation: Gooin-is
Correct pronunciation: Gi-nuss
How to order a beer in 16 languages
Knowing how to order a beer in the country we’re visiting is one of the first phrases we learn when learning its language. Having the ability to order a beer in a country’s native tongue is as universal and binding as beer itself, so Preply have put together a guide to how to order a beer in 16 different languages.
Spanish
“Quiero una cerveza por favor.”
German
“Ich hätte gern ein bier, bitte.“
Italian
“Vorrei una birra, per favore.”
French
“Une bière s’il vous plait?”
Portuguese
“Eu quero uma cerveja, por favor.”
Polish
“Poproszę piwo”
Swedish
“Kan jag få en öl, tack?”
Turkey
“Bir bira lütfen”
Chinese
“我想买啤酒” (wo xiang mai pijiu)
Japanese
“ビールください。” (bi-ru wo kudasai)
Ukrainian
“Можна пиво, будь ласка?” (mozhna pyvo bud’ laska)
Korean
“맥주 주세요“ (Makju juseyo)
Thai
“เอา เบียร์ หนึ่ง ขวด“ (Ow bia nueng khuat)
Danish
“Jeg vil gerne have en øl”
Dutch
“Een bier, alsjeblieft”
Hebrew
