Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

niiko

/ˈnikoʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: nii-ko
IPA: /ˈnikoʊ/

9

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A folk dance from southern Somalia similar to twerking, generally performed by women.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"After decades of war Mogadishu is tentatively relaxing. From sourdough pancakes to traditional bum-shaking Niiko dance and political hip-hop,[…]Xamar has a local dance called Niiko, which is the rhythmic shaking of the bum synchronized with drums."
"Niiko dancing was one of several dimensions of Somali culture that she had actively embraced and enjoyed celebrating and displaying to others.[…]Niiko was a part of her Somali culture and whether it conflicted or not with religion was not a concern for her at that point in time. Interestingly, Niiko is a dance that the majority of first-generation Somalis associate with the minority Bantu,[…]"

Etymology

Borrowed from Somali niiko.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈnikoʊ/
British English: /ˈniːkəʊ/

Usage

Uncountable

Questions

How do you pronounce niiko?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnikoʊ/.
What does niiko mean?: A folk dance from southern Somalia similar to twerking, generally performed by women.
Where does niiko come from?: Borrowed from Somali niiko.

How to pronounce niiko

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “niiko”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnikoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “niiko”.
Repeat and practice — Say “niiko” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.