The world of Zelda has many people and places with names that seem unusual to the casual reader, as is the case with most Fantasy stories and titles. As such, people will often get into discussions about how to pronounce the names of key characters and places that appear in various Zelda games.

Below, the English versions of various names are given. Next, you’ll find an easy-to-follow pronunciation of the word, with the International Phonetic Alphabet spelling of the word next to it. The Japanese name (usually but not always the original name) will be listed, followed immediately by its transliteration and any necessary translation. Please note that the pronunciations we list are not official. They’re conjectures that are based upon all of the data we have available on the subject. Some official Nintendo representatives may pronounce these words differently from others, but we believe that the pronunciations listed below best reflect the original intentions of the games’ creators.

If you have any feedback or suggestions for this guide, feel free to email us!

Thanks to Gazebo for his *immense* help with the IPA spellings!

Characters

Spelling Pronunciation IPA Spelling Japanese Transliteration
Link Link [liŋk] リンク Rinku
Zelda Zell-Da ['zɛl də] ゼルダ Zeruda
Ganondorf Gan-nun-Dorf ['gæn ən dorf] ガノンドロフ Ganondorofu
Epona Eh-Poe-Na [e 'po nə] エポナ Epona
Midna Mid-Na ['mɪd nə] ミ ドナ Midona
Zant Zaant [zænt] ザント Zanto
Ilia Ee-Lee-Ah ['i li ə] イリア Iria
Din Dinn [dɪn] ディン Din
Farore Fah-Roe-Reh [fa 'ro re] フィロル Firoru
Nayru Neigh-Rue ['ne ru] ネール Neeru
Kafei Kah-Feh-Ee [kə 'fe i] カーフェイ Kaafei
Majora Ma-Joh-Rah [mə 'dʒo rə][ ムジュラ Mujura
Tatl Tattle ['tæt l] チャット Chatto (Chat)
Tael Tale [teɪl] トレイル Toreiru (Trail)
Saria Sah-Ree-Ah ['sa ri ə] サリア Saria
Sahasrahla Sah-Hass-Rah-La [sa 'has ra ,la] サハスラーラ Sahasuraara

Races

Spelling Pronunciation IPA Spelling Japanese Transliteration
Goron Goh-Rohn ['go rɔn] ゴロン Goron
Zora Zoh-Rah [zo rə] ゾーラ Zoora
Gerudo Geh-Roo-Doe [gə 'ru do] ゲルド Gerudo
Twili Twigh-Ligh ['twa:ɪ la:ɪ] n/a* n/a*
Rito Ree-Toe ['ri to] リト Rito
Deku Deh-Koo ['de ku] デク Deku
Kokiri Koh-Kee-Ree [ko 'ki ri] コキリ Kokiri

Locations

Spelling Pronunciation IPA Spelling Japanese Transliteration
Ordon Ore-Dohn [or 'don] トアル Toaru
Ordona Ore-Doh-Na [or 'do nə] ラトアーヌ Ratoaanu
Faron Fah-Rohn [fa 'ron] フィローネ Firoone
Eldin El-Dinn ['ɛl dɪn] オルディン Orudin
Lanayru Lah-Neigh-Rue [lə 'ne ru] ラネール Raneeru
Hyrule High-Rule ['ha:ɪ rul] ハイラル Hairaru
Hylia High-Lee-Ah ['ha:ɪ li ə] ハイリア Hairia
Termina Tur-Mee-Na [tər 'mi nə] タルミナ Tarumina

* As far as we can figure out, the Twili do not have their own name in the Japanese version. Instead, they are simply referred to as トワイライトの民, Towairaito no Tami. This simply translates to “the People of Twilight”.