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Apple makes a Bokeh commercial, uses “bokeh” as a verb and pronounces it wrong

by 18 Comments

“Bokeh” is a Japanese word describing the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of photos. And as we all know, it’s a noun. Well, Apple decided to play with language a bit in its latest ad and turn “bokeh” into a verb. Oh, and the ladies in the ad are pronouncing it wrong as well.

Apple’s iPhone XS and iPhone XR come with Depth Control feature that lets you adjust the bokeh effect on backgrounds before or after you shoot. This way “you can turn a cute portrait of two kids into a stunning portrait of one kid,” Apple writes. Or you can “bokeh a child,” according to the ad, and “un-bokeh” him as well.

Okay, I know that language evolves and changes.  This ad instantly made me remember that “google” has become a verb in colloquial use. Still, changes like this happen spontaneously and with time, you can’t force it. And with “bokeh’d children,” I think Apple is forcing it, big time! Along with that mispronunciation of “bokeh,” this ad makes me cringe. Here’s how you should pronounce “bokeh.”

Okay, I got a little annoyed by this ad, but that’s just me. What do you think, should we start using “bokeh” as a verb?

[Depth Control — Bokeh’d — Apple | Apple]

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  • This is how we have learned it: “Bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur” – Having some parts of the image unsharp is named simply: “Out of focus”. What Apple has is: “Artificial depth of field simulation”. – Not so nice name for commercial purposes!
    * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh

  • #sad

  • g_discus

    English… They can. I try to imagine bokeh-verb in Russian. It turns out something indecent. “Отбокешить и разбокешить” (Google translates it wrong ;).

  • No

  • Matthias

    it’s an Apple commercial. They fabricate reality. In a lot of heads at least… so I guess from now on this should be the right way to say and use the word “Bokeh”

  • Maybe it’d be better to share images of bokeh

  • This is actually a funny commercial, but the product should never be used….ever. (and bokeh is a verb because the characters purposely don’t know what they’re talking about.)

  • JT

    I have heard PLENTY of professional photographer pronounce it as “BO-kuh” – so I honestly cannot fault Apple for that and I think its a bit pretentious to only call out Apple on this because of their commercial. I speak Japanese and have always pronounced it the Japanese way, so personally it’s always sounded uneducated to pronounce it the way they do in this commercial.

    Using nouns as verbs happens all the time in the English language, so that part doesn’t bother me at all. The biggest example that EVERYONE is familiar with? Google.

  • Who gives a shit…

    • Richard Jackson

      Those who mistakenly took a lot of laxative, and are now regretting that ill fated decision.

  • And apparently I’ve been saying it wrong for years too ! Japanese pronunciation is boh-keh

  • Slow news day huh 🤔
    It’s honestly a word nobody knows how to pronounce anyway…
    But I like Kaiman Wong’s pronunciation the best!

  • no

  • Tomato =/= Tomato. Who cares.

  • Terry Gardner

    BO-kuh so as not to confuse it with a bunch of flowers.

  • James West

    Everything had to be a verb these days; it’s how language is being IMPACTED.

  • The Japanese language is filled with foreign words that they use on a daily basis, e.g. pen, table, steak etc. And due to Japanese being syllabic they mispronounce practically every word. And after having lived in Japan for more than twenty-five years I can hardly ever remember my name being spoken correctly. So I fail to understand why Apple is copping so much flak.

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