How Do You Say “Qatar”?

In 2003, the United States went to war in Iraq.  Qatar was a major staging point, and so media outlets mentioned the small peninsular nation regularly.  Reporters, however, pronounced the name of the little emirate incorrectly every time.  It became popular to say “Cutter.”  When Texas A&M opened a branch campus in Doha ten years ago, everyone in College Station talked about “A&M Cutter.”

Learning about the Persian Gulf as a child, I heard it spoken of quite differently.

Naturally, the first question I wanted answered when I set out for this small state was what its people called it and themselves.  I knew immediately as I departed Chicago from Doha on Qatar Airways.  The Arabs, Qataris, and others here confirmed what I knew long ago.

Qatar, the country: “Kah-ter”

Qatari, the people: “Kah-ter-ee”

Granted, there is a number of divergent ways to say the same thing here:

“Kah-der”

“Kah-taar”

“Kah-der-ee”

“Kah-taa-ree”

And, of course, there are those who insist on saying it their own way.  But I can assure you, it ain’t “Cutter.”