> I'm from the US, Kefir is healthy fermented yogurt-like drink that is in every grocery store pronounced "kee-fur".
Pretty unfortunate. Take a look here at a pronunciation in English more closely resembling the original Caucasian / Slavic: https://www.lexico.com/definition/kefir (/kəˈfɪə/ in IPA). There's audio in the link, which should hopefully clear up confusion.
This is also the common way I've heard it pronounced in the UK, where the product appears on most major grocery store shelves.
"Kafir" is an Arabic word meaning unbeliever or infidel, and is used in the Islamic word as a pejorative for non-Muslims. It's also been adopted elsewhere, such as a nasty slur in South Africa for blacks.
Pretty unfortunate. Take a look here at a pronunciation in English more closely resembling the original Caucasian / Slavic: https://www.lexico.com/definition/kefir (/kəˈfɪə/ in IPA). There's audio in the link, which should hopefully clear up confusion.
This is also the common way I've heard it pronounced in the UK, where the product appears on most major grocery store shelves.