The truth behind amazhang

This is a topic that has been bothering me for quite a long time. Ever since the heroes of Olympus series was released and Frank Zhang was made a character, and an amazing one at that, people have made the joke of amazhang.

I ed in, thinking it was a brilliant version of play on words, and this continued for years until earlier this year I was informed by another cosplayer, who is of chinese origin, that Zhang is actually not pronounced that way and I found that Amazhang actually can frustrate some people that are of chinese origin or know the correct pronunciation.

This is not a message of cruelty or harshness, but a blog post to educate and help expand this discovery. I'd like you all to know how it is actually pronounced!

Below is a screencap showing how Zhang is actually pronounced, and I hope you will take a moment to read it!

So as you have just read by my screencap, Zhang is actually not pronounced with a Z or X sounding beginning such as Xylophone. It is actually pronounced with a J sound sort of like Jhong.

This is why the phrase "Amazhang" actually does not make any sense and can frustrate people who know the true pronunciation. It would actually read as "Ama-jhong," and therefore the play on words does not work or make sense.

But it's okay!

Everyone makes mistakes, and it is an easy one to make for those who do not really know the culture or language! So don't worry! What matters is how you move forward from this and correct yourself!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you guys! And credit goes to @Dumbgaysian on instagram! Check them out, they have a wonderful Frank cosplay!

#curatorreview