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How to pronounce
Raphinha

11
Say it

hah·FEE·nyuh

American /hɑˈfinjə/

Sound by sound

3 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.

  1. hah the ‘ah’ in father
  2. FEE the ‘ee’ in see — say this beat loudest
  3. nyuh the relaxed ‘uh’ in sofa

Get it right

  • hah·FEE·nyuh — stress on FEE
Nation
Brazil
Position
Forward

Why Portuguese names trip up English speakers

  • -nh- is a ‘ny’ sound — Vitinha → vee-TEE-nyah, Marquinhos → mar-KEE-nyohs.
  • Brazilian R at the start of a word is an H — Rodrygo → hoh-DREE-goh, Raphinha → hah-FEE-nyuh.
  • Nasal endings (-ão, -ães) have no clean English match; Americans land on a plain ‘own’/‘ines’ — Leão → lee-OW.
  • -s between vowels is a ‘z’, and j / -di- lean toward ‘zh’ — Júnior → ZHOO-nyor.

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More Brazil names

Vinícius Júnior vih·NEE·see·uhsZHOO·nyor Neymar NAY·mar Casemiro kah·zeh·MEE·roh Marquinhos mar·KEE·nyohs Bruno Guimarães BROO·nohgih·mah·RAHYNS Gabriel Magalhães GAB·ree·ehlmah·gah·LYEHNS
The full squad list All 263 player names · 48 nations Kits, squad numbers, and the American way to say every name. Browse all players

FAQ

How do you pronounce Raphinha?

Raphinha is pronounced hah·FEE·nyuh in American English — 3 beats, with the stress on FEE.

What position does Raphinha play?

Raphinha is a forward for Brazil (the Brazilian national team).