Comments (Pronunciation Only)
It has nothing to do with the Spanish word niña. That part should be deleted. The name Nina is pronounced NEE-na whereas niña is pronounced NEEN-ya, they sound completely different and do not have anything in common.
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My dad had a relative with this name, but it was pronounced like NEYE-nuh instead of NEE-nuh. I don't know why.
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My dad has some sort of cousin that pronounces this name NIEN-ə. I know, I don't understand it either.
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On this site it says "This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl"."
-> No, it doesn't. The Spanish word is pronounced NEEN-ya, which doesn't even come close to NEE-na.
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-> No, it doesn't. The Spanish word is pronounced NEEN-ya, which doesn't even come close to NEE-na.
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I am Nina (like China) and named after my grandmother. I did not have trouble with mispronunciations until a soap opera in the sixties had a Nina (née an) on the the show. I agree that I usually do not correct someone in passing.
I found most older ladies pronounce it as long I and the younger generations pronounce it with the short I.
I do love my name and am glad that I am usually the only Nina that people know.
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I found most older ladies pronounce it as long I and the younger generations pronounce it with the short I.
I do love my name and am glad that I am usually the only Nina that people know.
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I'm from the US and have never heard this name pronounced: n•eye•na. Always pronounced nee•na.
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I am Nina. As in, Nine + ah. I am named after my mother's mother and her mother's mother. We are direct descendants of Richard Warren, passenger of the Mayflower. I love my name. I couldn't imagine being one of a dozen or so Kim's, Lisa's, Michelle's or Julie's in school or work, at a party or convention. People rarely forget a woman named Nina.
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My name is Nina (Nine-ah). It is also my grandmother's name. I have not met many people close to my age with the name as it is an older name but I work in long term care and several of my residents mothers or aunts or someone they grew up with were named Nine-ah. It seems to be more common in the South.
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My name is Nina (nine-ah) I do not dislike the pronunciation of "Nine-ah" or "Neen-ah" If there is anything that is difficult about it it is if someone is pronouncing it differently than my given name. If it is someone I will see repeatedly I usually gently say it is Nina like China. If it is someone that I may just see in that short period of time I usually do not say anything. I do not want people to be embarrassed for pronouncing it differently than it was meant to be because I did not kindly correct them. I think my mom chose it from a Russian movie Star magazine however we are not Russian but a Scandinavian mixture living in the Northwest region of the United States. I grew up with nicknames like niner, forty niner, number 9. I like that it is a little different.
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It constantly grates my nerves when people insist that NIE-nah is incorrect. It is not incorrect in Older English dialect and in some parts of the United States, NIE-nah is the correct pronunciation. Both Nee-nah and NIE-nah are correct depending on where you live in the world. It is rather ignorant to say that NIE-nah is not correct. I know a girl named Nina (NIE-nah) from the South and the name has been in her family with that pronunciation for generation. Yes, NEE-nah is also correct in some English dialects and in many different languages.
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It's usually Nee-nah (Nine-uh is a rare pronounciation).
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I've never heard the name pronounced Nie-na. I believe most countries pronounce it Nee-na.
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Please, not "NIE-na"! This constant mispronunciation with which the U.S. is cursed grates the nerves.
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Nina was commonly pronounced "NINE-uh" in the United States during the 19th century, just as Maria was normally said "mah-RYE-uh" back then. The general pronunciations changed to "Nee-nuh" and "mah-REE-uh" as Americans became more familiar with the pronunciation of these names in Spanish and other European languages (perhaps partly through learning about Columbus's ships the Nina & the Santa Maria in school.) But there are of course still some families who have handed the name down from the 19th century and continue to pronounce it as "NINE-uh".
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We pronounce it just like the Spanish word, NEEN-yah.
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Nina is pronounced neena not nynah!
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NIE-na (NY-na), not NEE-na.
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In a lot of countries it IS pronounced NEE-na, maybe in America you would spontaneously pronounce it NY-na.
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Comments are left by users of this website. They are not checked for accuracy.
I’m the third, my grandaughter is the fifth. I was born in 1946, my grandmother in 1882, in a family that for many generations had lived in north Mississippi. My family was originally English and Scottish.
I have learned that the people who recognize my pronunciation of this name often say it is the pronunciation their grandmother also used.