# Why do we pronounce Nazi as Naht-zi? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929 "2005-01-04T01:02:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/1 "2005-01-04T01:02:49Z")
Why does it rhyme with Yahtzee when clearly it looks like it should rhyme with Daisy. Why isn’t it pronounced Nahzee? I’ve wondered this for years. Where do I accept my Nobel Prize? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/2 "2005-01-04T01:08:05Z")
That’s German for you. In the German language, the letter Z is pronounced as “tz”. The pronunciation carried over into our language, because the word is relatively new to English, and with radio, we had a solid introduction as to how to pronounce it. We didn’t have to guess at it, which is how we used to end up smushing foreign words into English pronunciation rules. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/3 "2005-01-04T01:08:25Z")
Probably because that’s how it’s [pronounced](http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/pro/nazi2.htm) in German. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/4 "2005-01-04T01:08:54Z")
Because that’s how it’s pronounced in German. A “Z” is a “TS” sound. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/5 "2005-01-04T01:09:39Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Why does it rhyme with Yahtzee when clearly it looks like it should rhyme with Daisy. > > Why isn’t it pronounced Nahzee? > > I’ve wondered this for years. > > Where do I accept my Nobel Prize? I assume it’s because it’s the German pronounciation? (“z”=“ts”) Yes, I know most foreign words don’t keep their original pronunciation, but this one did, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/6 "2005-01-04T01:11:59Z")
wow. Quadruple simulpost. How 'bout that? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/7 "2005-01-04T01:34:44Z")
I’ve heard it pronounced “Nah-zee”, too. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/8 "2005-01-04T03:37:11Z")
[Cotton Hill] Ya wanna kill a _Nazzy_, boy? [/CH] ---
**Author:** ![WeRSauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f19dbf/32.png) [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/9 "2005-01-04T04:06:42Z")
“Nazi” comes from the full name of NSDAP, “_die Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei_,” which means “the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.” [According to Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_German_Workers_Party), “Nazi” comes from the first word: _ **Na** tionalso__zi_\*alistische\*. WRS ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/10 "2005-01-04T04:16:48Z")
By the way, **Shirley** , how do you pronounce “pizza”? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/11 "2005-01-04T04:22:57Z")
> [@WeRSauron](#): > > “Nazi” comes from the full name of NSDAP, “_die Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei_,” which means “the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.” [According to Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_German_Workers_Party), “Nazi” comes from the first word: _ **Na** tionalso__zi_\*alistische\*. > > WRS Click on the link in my previous post. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WeRSauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f19dbf/32.png) [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/12 "2005-01-04T04:40:53Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Click on the link in my previous post. 🙂 🙂 The OP actually got me thinking: why is it written as “Nazi” instead of “Nati”? I did a search for “Na **z** ionalsozialistische” and for “Na **t** ionalsozialistische” (both of which would have been pronounced the same). There were more hits for the latter than for the former, so I would say that despite being called “Nazi,” the first word was spelled with a “t.” Although the spelling of the word “Nazi” may be explained by pronunciation, it doesn’t make sense orthographically from whence the abbreviation came from. Wikipedia had an explanation, but I don’t think I’m totally convinced. I am half inclined to believe to the spelling came from taking two letters from “National” and two from “sozialistische.” The other half believes the spelling is a reflection of the pronunciation. After all, why those two letters from “sozialistische”? Why not the first two of that word, creating “Nasozis” (nah-zoh-tzeez), who believe in Nasozismus (in German) or Nasozism (in English) instead of Nazis who believe in Nazismus (in German) or Nazism (in English)? WRS - sorry for the hijack ---
**Author:** ![WeRSauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f19dbf/32.png) [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/13 "2005-01-04T04:44:57Z")
Oy. I also wanted to mention that I, personally, try to avoid using the word “Nazi.” It’s been bandied about so much that it can hardly be used when referring to the specific political movement that the NSDAP was. So, I use “NSDAP” instead to refer to what others call the “Nazi Party” or “Nazism” whose believers are “National Socialists” instead of “Nazis.” In my opinion, the NSDAP as a political and ideological movement is more than anti-Semitism, Hitler, SA, SS, Himmler, Goebbels, Hess, etc. WRS ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/14 "2005-01-04T07:30:04Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > Because that’s how it’s pronounced in German. A “Z” is a “TS” sound. Mozart = Mote sart ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/15 "2005-01-04T07:58:33Z")
> [@WeRSauron](#): > > The OP actually got me thinking: why is it written as “Nazi” instead of “Nati”? I did a search for “Na **z** ionalsozialistische” and for “Na **t** ionalsozialistische” (both of which would have been pronounced the same). I would assume to retain the correct pronunciation of the shortened word. “Nati” auf deutsch would be pronounced as Naa-tee, more or less. To preserve the “ts” sound of the “tio”, they changed it to a z. Similarly the way Spanish changes the spelling of verb radicals on occasion to maintain the correct pronunciation, like “buscar” (boose-car) becoming “busqué” (boose-kay), instead of “buscé” (boose-say). Those of us with irregular spelling systems would probably have just written Nati and remembered it was an exception. German spelling is much more regular than English, so they changed it. And I have nothing to back this up other than my own opinion. And **ouryL** , it’s not Mote Sart, it’s Mo Tsart, and there is a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/16 "2005-01-04T11:27:39Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > By the way, **Shirley** , how do you pronounce “pizza”? Peet-zah! Huh. The Nazi’s invented pizza. Giggle ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/17 "2005-01-04T21:58:57Z")
Winston Churchill did pronounce it “Nah-zee”. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/18 "2005-01-04T22:38:36Z")
Am I the only one who thought of “The Producers” when he saw the thread title? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/19 "2005-01-04T23:02:38Z")
> [@WeRSauron](#): > > 🙂 > > The OP actually got me thinking: why is it written as “Nazi” instead of “Nati”? I need to find the cite, but I’ve read that “Nazi” is actually a nickname that their opponents in Bavaria gave to the party, (because in addition to being an abbreviation you could make from the party name, it was also Bavarian slang meaning “fool” or “bumpkin”) and it stuck. I’ll see if I can find a cite for that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929/20 "2005-01-04T23:06:26Z")
And here I found a source mentioning that theory (and arguing against it). Never mind, unless anyone can find an original use by Heiden. 🙂 [http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1104/dictionary\_men111704.asp](http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1104/dictionary_men111704.asp) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-pronounce-nazi-as-naht-zi/282929.md?page=2)