BRAZIL · FORWARD
How to pronounce
Vinícius Júnior
vih·NEE·see·uhsZHOO·nyor
Native [viˈnisjus ˈʒũɲoʁ] → American /viˈniː.si.əs ˈʒuː.njɔr/
Sound by sound
6 little beats. BIG = the stressed part.
- vih the ‘ih’ in sit
- NEE the ‘ee’ in see — say this beat loudest
- see the ‘ee’ in see
- uhs the relaxed ‘uh’ in sofa
- ZHOO the ‘oo’ in food — say this beat loudest
- nyor the ‘or’ in for
Like a local vs like an American
Don’t say…
- vih-NISH-us JOO-nee-or
- vin-ee-CHEE-us
- vih·NEE·see·uhs ZHOO·nyor — stress on NEE and ZHOO
Where the name comes from
Vinícius comes from the Latin family name Vinicius; Júnior (“the younger”) is added because, like many Brazilians, he plays under a given name rather than a surname. The Brazilian-Portuguese “J” leans toward “zh”, so Júnior is ZHOO-nyor.
- Nation
- Brazil
- Position
- Forward
- Club
- Real Madrid
- Born
- 12 Jul 2000
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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FAQ
How do you pronounce Vinícius Júnior?
Vinícius Júnior is pronounced vih·NEE·see·uhs ZHOO·nyor in American English — 6 beats, stressing NEE and ZHOO.
What position does Vinícius Júnior play?
Vinícius Júnior is a forward for Brazil (the Brazilian national team).
Where does the name Júnior come from?
Vinícius comes from the Latin family name Vinicius; Júnior (“the younger”) is added because, like many Brazilians, he plays under a given name rather than a surname. The Brazilian-Portuguese “J” leans toward “zh”, so Júnior is ZHOO-nyor.