Mini Lesson 11: How to Actually Pronounce Rio's Landmarks

How to Actually Pronounce Rio's Landmarks

Every tourist gets to the base of Pão de Açúcar and points, but half of them can't actually say it, and the taxi driver's face gives it away immediately. Here's how Rio's most famous names really sound, no history attached, just pronunciation.

The Sound That Trips Everyone Up

Almost every name on this list shares one sound, the nasal ã (or ão). To make it, close your mouth like you're about to say "ow", then push the air out through your nose instead of your mouth. There's no hard N at the end, the nose does the work.

The Landmarks, One by One

• Pão de Açúcar: The ç and the nasal ã landing right next to each other make this probably the most butchered name on the list.

• Cristo Redentor: The carioca R at the start of Redentor is a breathy H sound, and it tends to disappear completely in non-native mouths.

• Corcovado: Easy enough to write, but the stress almost always lands on the wrong syllable.

• Escadaria Selarón: A beautiful name with an accent trap in nearly every syllable.

• Arcos da Lapa: Say "Lapa" on its own and English speakers usually turn it into "layp-uh" without realising.

• Floresta da Tijuca: Same tricky "Tijuca" sound as the neighbourhood, the "ti" comes out like "chee" in carioca speech.

• Museu do Amanhã: Another nasal ã right at the end, a great test once you've got the sound down.

Try this!

Pick the name you find hardest on this list and say it out loud three times before your next trip to Rio. Once the nasal sound clicks, the rest come much easier.

_________________________________________________________________________________ If today's lesson made you want more, I'd love to have you as a student. I'm Samar, I'm Brazilian! I teach Brazilian Portuguese, one-on-one or in small groups, for anyone who actually wants to learn properly.