1. manga (Japanese comics)

*raises hand* Guilty. Anyway, this term is frequently American-ized as ‘main-gah’ so it’s an easy term for new fans to get wrong. It’s okay to say ‘main-gah’ in normal conversation (ie with non-otakus) but you’d better get it right at an anime convention. Correct pronunciation: mahn-gah

2. Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon creator)

I’ve heard it slaughtered by panel staff at anime conventions, and it’s a common mistake by average fans as well. Mispronunciations I’ve heard include ‘Nay-ohko Tay-koo-chee’ and ‘Nah-oo-koh Tay-kay-chee.’ If you’re familiar with the pronunciation of Japanese syllables, this one should actually be no problem. Correct pronunciation: Nah-oh-koh Tah-keh-oo-chi

3. Eureka Seven (manga and anime series)

Noooooooo, people, it is not pronounced ‘Yuh-ree-kah Seven.’ If you examine the original katakana, it says it’s pronounced ‘Eh-oo-reh-kah Seven.’ It even clearly states this in the manga (and in the anime, the main character’s name is pronounced this way as well.) Correct pronunciation: Eh-oo-reh-kah Seh-vehn

4. Code Geass (anime series)

Since this mecha series hasn’t been released in North America yet, I can sort of understand some occasional butchering of the title. But I heard it mispronounced multiple ways at Matsuricon alone! Things I heard include ‘Code Gay-ahss,’ ‘Code Gee-ayz’ and my personal favorite, ‘CODE GEESE!!’ Look, people, there are NO geese in Code Geass, unless you consider that Shirley has the brain of a goose. The Wikipedia article for the series has the correct breakdown of the katakana. Correct pronunciation: Cohd Gee-ahss

5. Evangelion (anime series)

>_> Look, people, if you’re going to publicly diss the grandfather of modern mecha series, at least get the frickin’ title right. ‘Ee-van-jellon’ doesn’t count. Correct pronunciation: Eh-vahn-gel-ee-on (hard g in the middle)

6. Lelouche (Code Geass character)

Now that we have covered the pronunciation of the series’ title, let’s look at the main character. People who haven’t seen the series or turn the audio off when watching subtitles have been heard pronouncing it as ‘Lee-lou-chee’ or ‘Lay-lou-chay.’ Once again, the original katakana can set things straight. Note that since his name seems to be French, the exact original pronunciation may be slightly different. Correct katakana pronunciation: Loo-loo-shoo. My best guess at the true name: Luh-loosh

6. C.C. (Code Geass character)

Wow, Code Geass sure is tricky. ^_^ Though it’s spelled like it’s a pair of initials, the female protagonist’s name is not pronounced ’see-see.’ People who TURN THE AUDIO ON when reading their subtitles, please say it with me: ‘See-too,’ or in the katakana slaughterization, ‘Shee-tsoo.’ (So why isn’t her name just spelled C2???)

7. Neko (Japanese for ‘cat’)

HYPER FORUMTARDS, I’M LOOKING AT YOU! It. Is. Not. ‘Nee-koh.’ Stop calling yourself a ‘Kay-wah-ee Nee-koh’ if you know what’s good for you. Correct pronunciation: Neh-koh

8. Hentai (anime porn)

Attention all porn addicts: no, it is not pronounced ‘Heen-tay.’ Do youself a favor and skip the next episode of Unconcious Virgin Catgirl to learn some proper pronunciation of Japanese syllables. Correct pronunciation: Hehn-ta-ee (Hehn-tie)

9. Cowboy Bebop (anime series)

As classic as this series is, it still seems to get occasionally mispronounced by non-fans. Maybe if ‘bebop’ was actually used in modern English, they wouldn’t call it ‘Bay-bop.’ Correct pronunciation: Bee-bawp

10. Pocky (snack food)

To be honest, this one hardly belongs on the list because almost everyone in America pronounces it ‘Paw-kee.’ But if you look at the katakana, of course, you get a different story. No one at an anime convention will flame you for it, though. Correct pronunciation: Poh-kee. (But does anyone really care?)