Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de keuken" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce de keuken in Dutch?

de keuken is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /də ˈkøːkə(n)/. It means “kitchen.” duh KUH-kuh — the eu is a rounded front vowel, and the final n drops in speech.

duh KUH-kuh — the eu is a rounded front vowel, and the final n drops in speech.

de keuken /də ˈkøːkə(n)/

Beat on the first syllable, where the rounded vowel lives. The word is a useful diagnostic: if your "keuken" has two clearly different vowels — one rounded and strong, one neutral and weak — your Dutch eu is working.

Listen: de keuken

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Sound it out

k (first) Unaspirated, released quietly into the rounded vowel.

eu Lips rounded as for "oo," tongue forward as for "ay," held at the same time. The vowel of French "deux," and it carries the primary stress here.

k (second) Also unaspirated, closing the strong syllable and opening the weak one.

en The ending collapses to a schwa and the n drops, so the two syllables end up sounding almost alike — one rounded, one neutral.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik kook altijd in de keuken.

I always cook in the kitchen.

Listen: Ik kook altijd in de keuken.

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"Ik kook altijd in de keuken" pairs "kook" and "keuken," two k-initial words with very different vowels: a long back "oh" and a rounded front "eu." Saying them in one breath is a good drill for keeping the two apart.

Where English speakers slip

The eu becomes "you" or "oo," giving "KYOO-ken" or "KOO-ken." Neither is close. The tongue must be forward while the lips are rounded. Learners also pronounce the final n, which makes the word sound recited rather than spoken.