Italian · Difficult words
How to pronounce cucina in Italian
cucina
Kitchen
Standard Italian · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
cucina is pronounced /kuˈt͡ʃi.na/ in Italian. In cucina: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in cucina
Read cucina in these IPA segments: ku · ˈt͡ʃi · na. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.
1.The affricate /tʃ/
In cucina: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction.
Watch out: Do not separate it into a t syllable followed by sh.
2.Front-vowel position
In cucina: Listen for the distinction between the closer /i/ and the more relaxed /ɪ/ when shown. Keep your tongue toward the front.
Watch out: Do not decide vowel quality from English spelling alone.
3.Back rounded vowels
In cucina: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA.
Watch out: Avoid inserting a y sound before the vowel unless the IPA includes /j/.
Hear it in context
Sono in cucina, sto preparando la pasta.
I'm in the kitchen, I'm making pasta.
Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.
Pronunciation and variety
cucina is presented using Standard Italian. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.
The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.
Meaning and everyday use
Questions about cucina
How do you pronounce cucina?
cucina is pronounced /kuˈt͡ʃi.na/ in Italian. In cucina: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In cucina: Make a single “ch” sound, beginning with a brief stop and releasing into friction. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
