How to pronounce Mizo and Mizoram

Mizo is pronounced "Mizou," not "Mijaw" or "Mizu." Mi means Person/Human Zo(zou) denotes a culture and also the highland associated with the Mizo people. So Mizo means Zo Person or more literally a Zo'er (culturally zo and geographically zo-highland) . People sometime translate it as Hill people or highlanders but this is not accurate as Zo in Mizo is not a noun but rather an adjective and denotes a culture, just as in Zozia(ways of the zo ) zothuam(Garment of the Zo), so Mizo is (Zo person) the Zo here is an adjective that attributes the quality of Zo both it's highland origin and culture to the Mi(human) , also not every hill person is a Mizo, the term for hill people in Mizo is Tlangmi(Tlang- Hill , Mi-person) . Mizo people call their fellow hill tribes such as the Nagas, Tlangmi and not Mizo. A Mizo is a Mizo even if he reside in the plains, his identity is not confined to the hills.

Mizoram is pronounced "Mizou-rum," with rum like "two shots of rum," - "Bhaia, can I get a quarter of rum" not Ram like "Lord Ram." Ram (pronounced Rum) means Land/country /territory

It’s not a huge issue, but getting it right goes a long way. When you pronounce Mizo and Mizoram correctly, you’ve already won over 50% of a Mizo’s heart, especially if you’re from the Northeast. There’s something really nice about hearing your neighbors say your name properly; it shows they know you and care enough to make the effort!