How to Pronounce iroha?

How Do You Pronounce iroha?

As a Japanese brand, our brand name, iroha, can be somewhat hard to pronounce for many people, especially, if you don’t speak Japanese. It is 3 simple syllables i ro ha or (/ɪroʊha/ ee-ROW-hah). 

Here is an easy to remember, the i is pronounced as the “i” in [it],  and then “ro” as in [rose], and “ha” like [ha ha]. If you speak Spanish, here is another way to remember how to pronounce iroha with your Spanish knowledge: [Y Ro Ja]. And just like that, you can pronounce our brand name!

What Does iroha Actually Mean?

Now that you know how to pronounce iroha, it would only make sense that you understand the origin of our brand name. 

iroha (いろは) is also a well-known Japanese poem by the famous Japanese monk Kukai from the Heian period (794-1179). いろは was the first 3 Kana (characters/letters) of the poem. This poem is a perfect pangram (a phrase or poem that uses every letter in the alphabet) and uses all of the Kana letters at once without repeating them in the poem. The Japanese language consists of Kana and Kanji, Kanji are the Japanese characters derived from the Chinese language. While Kana alphabets are separated into 2 types, the Hiragana and Katakana, each Kana or alphabet contains all 46 sounds of the Japanese language. 

The iroha poem being a pangram makes it the perfect choice for ordering in the similar way the alphabet has been used in English. Thus, the iroha poem is referred to as the basics, or the ABCs in Japanese. 

The iroha poem first appeared in the Konkōmyōsaishōōkyō Ongi (金光明最勝王経音義), 'Readings of Golden Light Sutra'. Since then, the iroha poem has transformed as time passed. That being said, like many ancient poems, the essence remains and continues to be passed down.

iroha in the Modern Day

While the Japanese alphabet (Kana) has evolved, the use of iroha as an alphabetical ordering system still remains. There are many instances where いろは is still used in the modern day as a way of alphabetical ordering; for example, the Japan Railway (JR) uses the iroha to classify the different types of cars. Where the first class car is I “い”, the second class, also known as the Green Car, is Ro “ろ”, and the standard car is Ha “は”. While the first class i “い” is no longer available, the Green Car and Standard Car remain Ro “ろ and Ha “は”.

Another case where the iroha order is still being used in modern-day Japan is in Japanese laws and regulations. Where iroha is used to organize and order the subsections, for example, Article 30, Section 2, Subsection 1-Ro. 

The idea of iroha is often used in many Japanese expressions, such as Iroha no I (いろはのい) means “the most basic element of all”, “the default/standard”, or even the starting point. Another one would be I no Ichiban (いの一番) which means the very first. 

Iroha is also for educational purposes. As mentioned, the poem uses all kanas once, so it was made into a card-matching game for children, iroha karuta. The game is very simple: the individual Kana is on one type of card, the Torifuda, and then there is a matching card (Yomifuda) for each Torifuda. On the Yomifuda, there is a picture and a corresponding proverb that starts with the same Kana. One person reads the proverb, and two other players have to compete on who can find the correct matching card and grab it. As the iroha is known as the basic, this game is often used to help children learn the Japanese language.

What Does iroha Mean to Us?

So, you must be wondering what iroha means to us. 

As part of iroha’s mission, we hope to help more people feel comfortable with themselves through wellness, specifically their sexual wellness. To us, sexual wellness is part of the basics of health and it is an important aspect that many of us often forget to take care of, or even neglect. So, we hope with iroha products we can provide the solutions or support to the basics of a wonderful life. We want to empower more people to feel comfortable with their bodies and sexuality by starting with the basics.

We want iroha to be an option for those who are looking to keep it simple or start with the basics for their self-care/self-pleasure journey, whether it is with our iroha pleasure items as the basic to your sexual wellness or our iroha intimate care products for your everyday self-care routine. On top of that, we are a brand that is very true to our roots, the essence of Japan, and we often find inspiration for products in Japanese elements or items, while maintaining our goal to create products that support one’s wellness. iroha just made sense to us as it is ingrained in Japanese culture.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to pronounce iroha, the next time you want to share your favorite iroha products with your friends, you can do it easily. Or if you are visiting Japan, you can show off your knowledge of the iroha poem. If you are curious to know more about our brand, check out our latest blog about how iroha is changing female sexuality in Japan. Or learn more about what iroha has been up to for the last 10 years and what we are aiming for in the next 10 years.