How to Pronounce Reiki: an Easy Memory Trick

There is a simple trick for how to pronounce Reiki, the Japanese relaxation technique that uses gentle hand placements on the body. Learn this memory trick, and you’ll get the pronunciation correct every time for this wonderful form of energy balancing — and be able to talk about the 5 Reiki Principles, too.

First, some background: My name is Lillie, and I’m a Reiki Master in Boston who has been certified since 2018. Because I’m around this energy work all the time, sometimes I forget that many people aren’t sure how to pronounce it.

This Reiki pronunciation confusion causes awkwardness. Why? Because when people call me up to book an appointment, they feel shy and nervous on the phone, as they try to ask for an appointment.

“Um, hi,” they mutter. “I am calling to ask about a… a… Rikki session? Or should I say Rakky? Or Reekie? Or Rukki? Or Rekkie? Or Rocky? How the heck do you say that word?”

Hence the impetus for me to write this article: it’s far easier to be making requests to book a Reiki session if you can actually say the word “Reiki!” Let’s find our solution.

How to Pronounce Reiki

The answer to how to pronounce Reiki is a breeze, once you learn it. Ready? Reiki is pronounced: RAY-key (or RAY-kee), with the “ei” pronounced like “a” to rhyme with “pay,” the “kei” pronounced to rhyme with “tee,” and the emphasis on the first syllable.

Want to know the Reiki pronunciation memory trick? Here it is: imagine a RAY of sun (like a yellow aura), then visualize a magic KEY that unlocks relaxation, life clarity, and happiness!

This mnemonic device fits well with the actual Japanese meaning of the word “Reiki.” In the Japanese language, “Reiki” means “universal life force energy” — which matches with the image of RAYS of sunshine next to a KEY that unlocks energy flow, doesn’t it?

If you’d like to learn the pronunciation of another highly useful word in the world of Reiki and energy, check out the surprising answer to how to pronounce chakra…

How Do You Spell Reiki?

Now that we have Reiki pronunciation down pat, we might as well polish up our spelling of the word, too, because me oh my, I have seen many different letter orders as people try to write it out. I’ve witnessed: Rayki, Reikie, Rakky, Reekie, Raykie, Rikkie, Riki, Rekky, and plenty of other combinations.

Ultimately, the correct English spelling of the Japanese form of relaxing touch is: Reiki. The spelling of Reiki is also the same in the Spanish language (as demonstrated by my article en español, “Principios de Reiki“), though the Spanish pronunciation of “Reiki” has a rolled initial “r” to follow the conventions of that language.

How to Pronounce Reiki, in Sum

I hope this article on how to pronounce Reiki has been useful, and that it now gives you the confidence to, for example, talk about a Reiki intake form, or ask to book a Reiki session. What other topics would you like me to cover? Do share!

Want more? Learn about a green aura meaning during energy work.