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How Do You Pronounce Kamala Harris's Name?

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How Do You Pronounce Kamala Harris's Name?

On Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced some pretty big news: he's selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. She could become the Vice President of the United States — and the first woman to do so — if things go her way this November, but there's one problem. Some people aren't sure how to pronounce her name.

How do you pronounce Kamala Harris's name?

Fall into that category of people who aren't sure? Don't worry, you're not the only one. Here's how to pronounce Kamala Harris, and in case you're still a little fuzzy, there's a pretty good chance you'll be hearing it out loud a lot in the coming months. 

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Kamala Harris is officially Joe Biden's running mate.

The news broke Tuesday afternoon, when Biden shared that Harris would be joining him on the campaign trail. 

"I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate," he tweeted. "Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign."

Kamala Harris's name comes from Sanskrit. 

The name Kamala comes from the Sanskrit language, meaning "lotus" or "pale red." It's also one of the names of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and can be used in both feminine and masculine forms.

Kamala Harris name pronounciation: Her name is pronounced Comma-la. 

Though the name has been heard with many different pronounciations — most commonly as "Ka-mall-uh" — the correct way to say her name is "Comma-la," with the emphasis on the first syllable of her name. 

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She's shared videos about the pronounciation of her name in the past. 

Back in 2016, when Harris was running for senate, she posted a video on Twitter of kids saying her name, showing off the right way to pronounce it. Not only is this a super cute video, but it's also a pretty good way to drive the point home.

There are plenty of Kamala Harris videos about how to pronounce Kamalas Harris's name online.

Just a search on YouTube makes it easy for more examples of the pronounciation of Harris' name for anyone who might need to hear more examples. It's pretty simple! 

Trump has mispronounced Kamala Harris's name in the past.

President Trump very famously mispronounced Harris' name in 2019, famously calling her "Kameela" during an interview about the Democratic presidential primary. 

“I would say the best opening so far would be Kamala Harris,” he said of the primary at the time. "I would say in terms of the opening act, I would say, would be her. A better crowd — better crowd, better enthusiasm.”

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Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.