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The word isn't an English word... Do you call Beijing "Peking" as well? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Beijing


Sure it is. When you take a French course they have you learn the name "Etats-Unis" (or "Angleterre" or "Australie" or wherever you're from) as a French word along with all the others.


Yes. The name “Beijing” is for people writing in pinyin, which is not a transliteration designed for English speakers. English speakers should use Yale romanization or the traditional postal romanization for well known places.


I called it Pékin for years and as far as I know the pronunciation is closer to the Chinese name than Beijing


It’s not. Beijing is pretty accurate as most English speakers say it (except for the tones), although I often hear people do really weird things with the j. The b and j sounds in Mandarin are not the same as in English, but they are closer than p or k to my ear.


Youtube link: https://youtu.be/_GE4dkpOdPw?t=80

Basically, say it in the most naïve way (for an American English speaker). Trying to pronounce the 'j' like it's a French word is wrong.


Only when I’m ordering their local style duck!


Ironically, Turks call it "pekin".




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