How to pronounce jojoba oil

If you’ve heard us pronounce it during a telephone conversation or, perhaps, at a trade show, you probably know the “j” in jojoba is a Spanish “j” and is pronounced like the English “h”, as in “ho ho ba”. The Germans can it “yoyoba” because they pronounce their “j” like our “y”.

noun. a shrub, Simmondsia chinensis (or S. californica), of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, bearing seeds that are the source of an oil (jojoba oil ) used in cosmetics and as a lubricant.

Etymology. Borrowed from Spanish jojoba, from O’odham hohowi.