If you go somewhere to eat some Swedish meatballs and end up buying new furniture, or buy some new furniture and end up eating Swedish meatballs, where are you likely to be?
Some people in Singapore would guess IKEA, and say "ai-kay-uh" — well, sucks to be them, because they are officially wrong.
The Swedish multinational conglomerate has come out to set the record straight on how to pronounce IKEA.
This isn't the first time IKEA's pronunciation has been discussed.
In 2018 — the year that IKEA celebrated its 75th anniversary — a company spokesperson told Quartz that "IKEA" is an acronym comprising the founder's name (Ingvar Kamprad), the name of Kamprad's family farm (Elmtaryd), and the location of the farm (the village of Agunnaryd, inSmåland, Sweden).
The spokesperson stated that when IKEA was founded by Kamprad in 1943, he had — of course — pronounced it with a typical Swedish accent: Ee-kay-uh.
However, the spokesperson also toldQuartz:
"It’s only natural that people pronounce 'IKEA' and the Swedish names of its products with a local accent. That’s absolutely ok!"
Other fun facts from IKEA Singapore
Some of the other fun facts shared by IKEA Singapore in honour of IKEA Tampines' 15th birthday include the fact that there have been 1.3 million chicken wings consumed from IKEA Tampines this year, and the fact that 20 per cent of IKEA Tampines' energy needs are solar powered.
Top photos via IKEA and Instagram / ikeasingapore.
Instead of emphasizing the the first letter and saying "eye-kee-ah," the way the word was intended to be pronounced is apparently "ee-kay-uh." An Ikea representative confirmed to "Today" that Americans, in fact, say the Swedish store's name differently from its actual pronunciation.
Originally Answered: What is the correct way to pronounce “IKEA”? In America English it's “eye-key-uh.” In Swedish, it's “ee-chay-uh.”. That works for Norwegian and Danish as well.
Despite many people mispronouncing its name, IKEA isn't pressuring anyone to change the way they say it. "It's only natural that people pronounce 'IKEA' and the Swedish names of its products with a local accent. That's absolutely ok!" added the spokesperson.
E is for Elmtaryd, the name of the farm where Ingvar grew up, and A is for Agunnaryd, the name of the parish in Småland, Ingvar's home village. Elmtaryd farm is where Ingvar Kamprad grew up and started the IKEA business.
Break 'confirmation' down into sounds: [KON] + [FUH] + [MAY] + [SHUHN] - say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them.
The acronym that makes up the name stands for Ingvar Kamprad (the founder's name), Elmtaryd (the farm where the founder grew up), and Agunnaryd (the founder's hometown). Related words: big-box store.
Certainly, IKEA is not the only brand that sells affordable but lesser-quality furniture. Largely made from particleboard, IKEA furniture most often does not stand up to years of use. Disassembling and transporting the furniture during a move can also shorten its lifespan.
Many IKEA stores have similar layouts and we almost always have the same facilities and areas. All our of stores have the following areas: Car park (undercover, open air or both).
What makes IKEA so different from other furniture stores? IKEA was the first company to conceive of home furnishings as a lifestyle instead of individual stand-alone products. IKEA is not just furniture. It also includes a wide range of complimentary home furnishings related products.
However, it's a necessary process in order to make sure IKEA is keeping up with changing times. Therefore, you may see some articles with "Now or Never" beneath the item's name. This means the item has been discontinued and will not be returning. However, keep in mind a similar product may be available.
IKEA's naming system all goes back to its Swedish founder Ingvar Kamprad (cool name btw). According to Business Insider Kamprad has dyslexia so he needed a better way to simplify the item codes. His solution? Name IKEA products after specific and categorised Swedish words.
IKEA is the name of a popular Scandinavian-founded, worldwide furniture store. The acronym that makes up the name stands for Ingvar Kamprad (the founder's name), Elmtaryd (the farm where the founder grew up), and Agunnaryd (the founder's hometown).
“When Ingvar founded IKEA in 1943, he of course pronounced it with a typical Swedish accent: “Eee-KEH-Yah,” explains a spokesperson to Quartz. It's not “AYE-kee-yah,” as English speakers pronounce it, or “IK-yah,” as the Japanese might say.
IKEA was founded (1943) in Sweden and still flaunts its origins—store exteriors are decorated in the colours of the Swedish flag (blue and yellow), in-store restaurants serve Swedish food, and the company's products carry Swedish names—but its headquarters are now in the Netherlands.
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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