We get lots of questions from our non-Russian friends about how to pronounce our children’s names.  Jaan’s name is said as if the J were a Y.  Raia is just like it looks.  Asya is Ahs-ya.  The video clip above is Jaan, telling you how to say “Baby Asya.”  And her whole name is Anastasiya, which is pronounced Ah-nah-stah-SEE-ya.  Thanks for asking!

 

 

People also ask how and why we chose their names.  We usually just look for names that we like, that would be pronounceable in English and Russian.  We chose the English spelling of Jaan’s name when we were in Estonia.  Raia we just like the way it sounds.  (And it’s only Raia, not Raisa.)  It is something like the Russian word for paradise, so we have one friend who called her our “heavenly baby.”  Asya is the only one we considered the meaning with.  We gave her the full name of Anastasiya, even though we don’t call her that, because we like the Greek meaning: Resurrection!  (And it’s just so beautiful!)