Is it really iifa tree? Or Lifa tree?

[Croyles]

In the game its written as lifa Tree. I always used to think of it it as Lifa, because I just assumed that the fact that the L was not in caps was for some other strange reason, and besides iifa tree sounded dumb to me.
But I guess it really IS iifa....
So can someone tell me what the ACTUALL name is. I also included a poll for people to choose how they pronounce it, on the small chance that other people are actually confused about this too.

[DarkLadyNyara]

It is Iifa. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Look at any official source, and it is Iifa.

[Croyles]

lol ok, I completed FFIX three times and never botherd to properly check it up.
For me Iifa is a pet peeve, it sounds horrible, Lifa or maybe even Tifa would have sounded better.
Meh, as long as its not voice casted, ill think of it as Lifa :D.

[Darth Cid]

Iifa.

[Mirage]

It's Iifa. Every location on the map starts with a capitalized letter, the Iifa Tree is no exception.

[Yuffie514]

it's definitely Iifa. sometimes it looks like Tifa when with the cursive letters. i dislike fonts where it's hard to tell apart a capital "I" and an "l" since it is confusing...

[Slade]

It's Iifa, it says it at the beginning of the game if you leave the controller after the 'Squaresoft' appears. It would probably make more sense if it was 'Lifa' but....it's not.
On another note I also thought it was 'Tifa' when I first saw it :jess:

[dodhungry]

I always thought of it to be the Tifa Tree..I just ignored the I and made it a T. Dont ask me why....cause I really dont have an explanation.

[Twilight Edge]

It's Iifa. It's official. It's how you should pronounce it. It's because you don't have a choice. It's because it's spelled that way that it's the way you should say that it's the Iifa Tree and because it's not the Lifa Tree.

[The Man]

In Japanese, an "L" can be confused with an "R." A "V" can be confused with a "B." An "H" can be confused with an "F." A "TH" can be confused with either an "S" or a "T." A "U" can even be confused with an "A," given the right circumstances, and so on. However, there is no way to confuse an "I" with an "L." That tree is the Iifa Tree. There is no mistake. G'night.

[Cid Vicious]

In Japanese, an "L" can be confused with an "R." A "V" can be confused with a "B." An "H" can be confused with an "F." A "TH" can be confused with either an "S" or a "T." A "U" can even be confused with an "A," given the right circumstances, and so on. However, there is no way to confuse an "I" with an "L." That tree is the Iifa Tree. There is no mistake. G'night.Tell that to whoever was responsible for this. (http://www.eyesonff.com/ff9/locations.php)

[vorpal blade]

I never could figure it out either... eventually I decided that it was pronounced "Yygdrasil."

[Sefie1999AD]

It's Iifa Tree, with a caps "i". I had a thread about that once, with a lot of screenshots where you could see both "I" and "l" in the same sentence, and the first letter of Iifa was definitely "I", not "l". I pronounce it "ee-fah" myself. With Finnish pronouncing, I'd pronounce Lifa as "lee-fah" (the same with Tifa/tee-fah), but "life-ah" is plain hard to pronouce. :p

[Quindiana Jones]

The 3 people that voted Lifa are fools. And the people who wrote the FF9 Locations are idiots. :bigsmile:

[Christmas]

It's Tifa's tree, heathen.

[Quindiana Jones]

Trees have no boobies.

[YTDN]

I pronouce it I-ee-fa.

[The Man]

I never could figure it out either... eventually I decided that it was pronounced "Yygdrasil."
*Yggdrasil, but nonetheless, you win the thread.

[Cezanzo]

http://tn3-1.deviantart.com/fs6/300W/i/2005/018/2/1/IifaTree_Club_ID_by_IifaTree.png

[Zeromus_X]

It's Iifa.

[Crossblades]

Iifa

[Eiko Guy]

Lifa just sounds so much better that's what i read in the american version so that's official enough for me

[Zeromus_X]

Lifa just sounds so much better that's what i read in the american version so that's official enough for me

:confused: :( :cat:

[Jigsaw]

Totally Iifa.

Great place. Shame what happened to it.

[NeoCracker]

Lifa just sounds so much better that's what i read in the american version so that's official enough for me
Its Iifa in the american version. Thats what the Debate is over, even though its rather one sided. I say Lifa out of habit, but meh, Yggrasil is still better.

[Heero Yuy NWZC]

I contine to pronounce it Lifa because that is how I saw it. Sorry to all who hate that.

[XxSephirothxX]

Huh, I always just assumed it was the Lifa tree. Interesting. Is there any significance to "Iifa," or is it simply a name?

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

It's just a name.

May I ask what led you to think it was "Lifa"? It's such a bizarre conclusion to reach, especially considering how prevalent it is.

[XxSephirothxX]

Well, I can't say I'm exactly good at paying attention to little details, and the i did look an awful lot like an l. I didn't notice the fact that every area began with a capital letter, but that one didn't. Plus, it just makes sense that it would be the "Life" tree or something similar, whereas iifa has no meaning at all.

[Levian]

The Iifa tree will always be the Lifa tree to me. Screw facts. :D

[Goldenboko]

Iifa. I like to say...

"The Iifa tree is really Iffy!"

[boys from the dwarf]

The Iifa tree will always be the Lifa tree to me. Screw facts. :D

yeah. well put.

i dont think its a habit im going to get out of. i diodn't know it was Iifa until now and i'll keep that in mind but i probably wont change.

[BG-57]

Until fairly recently, I thought it was Lifa, not Iifa. My reasons were fairly simple:

Capital I does look a lot like a lowercase l.

Lifa sounds close to the word life, which given the role of the tree in the game and the Tree of Life in mythology makes sense.

On a related note, a lot of words in English begin with Li-, but not with Ii-, and the words with ii anywhere are often borrowed words like Hawaii.

So reading it quickly, Lifa made more sense than Llfa or Iifa.

[Jigsaw]

I feel ya BG, you make some good points.

But why would a place in the game be always referred to with a lower case letter?

I wish I could climb that tree.

[Quindiana Jones]

That's what I was thinking. Lindblum, Alexandria, lifa? Uh no. It'd be Lifa if it had an L. L makes more sense in English and is easier to say, but I know it as Iifa so am used to that.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Capital I does look a lot like a lowercase l.Here's your problem. Proper nouns, such as the names of locations, are capitalized. If it weren't obvious to begin, I'd think that that would be the biggest hint that it's Iifa.

[BG-57]

I know proper nouns are supposed to be capitalized, but since the lowercase interpretation nearly matched a real English word that made sense contextually I found it easier to assume the translators had simply forgotten and put it in lowercase than to assume it was correctly written word with unconventional spelling. I freely admit it was the wrong assumption but I still contend it was a reasonable one to make.

[vorpal blade]

What's the japanese spelling for this tree?

[chrisfffan]

its Ifia tree were did u get lifa tree from?

[Croyles]

I know proper nouns are supposed to be capitalized, but since the lowercase interpretation nearly matched a real English word that made sense contextually I found it easier to assume the translators had simply forgotten and put it in lowercase than to assume it was correctly written word with unconventional spelling. I freely admit it was the wrong assumption but I still contend it was a reasonable one to make.

Exactly.
Also, FF9 does not have many mistranslations or typos etc. but I played FF9 for the first time after completing FF7 again.
After seeing things like "This guy are sick" and "Beecause" I thought anything was possible.

[Zidane Ultimate]

The first time I played it through I thought it was the Lifa tree, I was embarrassed when I found out it was Iifa ;_;

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

What's the japanese spelling for this tree?イーファ

I-fa. Iifa.

[VengefulRonin]

For the longest time i thought it was the Lifa tree...then i realized it was Iifa tree, but i still say Lifa anyway because it sounds better and actually makes sense.

[Sefie1999AD]

What's the japanese spelling for this tree?イーファ

I-fa. Iifa.

That's good to hear. I guess it's now clear that Iifa isn't a lousy translation error, and the tree is supposed to be called Iifa.

[Heero Yuy NWZC]

It's just a name.

May I ask what led you to think it was "Lifa"? It's such a bizarre conclusion to reach, especially considering how prevalent it is.

I came to the conclusion that the I resembled a lowercase l but in a bigger size which lead to Lifa.

[Cezanzo]

ok people, it is Iifa. They would not spell things wrong in FF9. They would not forget to capitalize the i. But japanese words can be funky and for all I know it could be pronounced Ieefvia. But I am absolutely sure it is Iifa.

[oddler]

Iifa is pronounced "leefuh" as much as oddler is pronounced "fail".

[Ashley Schovitz]

I always thought that it was Lifa at first on my first playthrough until the end, but I realized that it's Iifa. By the way how are you all pronouncing it?

Iifa (eye-fa) Lifa (Lie-fa)?

[vorpal blade]

What's the japanese spelling for this tree?イーファ

I-fa. Iifa.

Wait, it's pronounced eefa? And here I thought it had three syllables: I-i-fa (as in eye-if-a).

[IsntFFIXGrand]

Iifa. 'Iifae' has something to do with mist in Latin. Soulcage was the mist maker remember?

Plus every area starts with a capital, if it didn't it'd be Lifa.

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________________________________________
Being forgotten is worse than dying.

[Rhi]

i usde to think it was Lifa when i was younger then i was on the game about two years ago and was like 'holy crap it's the Iifa tree!!! O.O' and i felt stupid, but i now call it the Iifa tree

[The Anarchy Angel]

Man, I was thinking about making this thread not long ago, but I have come to the decision it's iifa, I spent a long time comparing letters in speech, but it was(n't) worth it!

[Odaisé Gaelach]

I call it Bob.

[Thane]

Iifa, but some people don't understand the concept of CAPITAL letters. But pesonally, I like the sound Lifa far more.

[The Unknown Guru]

It looked like a capital I to me, and I couldn't see any reason why they wouldn't capitalize it.

[Hambone]

It is Iifa. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Look at any official source, and it is Iifa.

QFT

[arcanedude34]

At first I saw Lifa, Then realized it was Iifa, and just now I realized it said Iifa at the beginning instead of Tifa.

Productive. ^_^

[Tigmafuzz]

If it was Lifa tree it would be capitalized and the L would be noticeable

[Ashley Schovitz]

Iifa is how it's pronounced but on first look in 2000 I thought it was Lifa.

They both sound almost the same anyway Iifa (eye-fa) Lifa (life-ah)

[daggertrepe]

It's Iifa, it says it at the beginning of the game if you leave the controller after the 'Squaresoft' appears. It would probably make more sense if it was 'Lifa' but....it's not.
On another note I also thought it was 'Tifa' when I first saw it :jess:

Haha, meeeee toooo. :rolleyes2

[ReloadPsi]

I call it Iifa, and then curse its stupid name.

[Xurts]

Iifa. Blame FF9's bad font for the confusion.

[Northcrest]

Iifa because that is what I got translated in the guide book.

[leader of mortals]

I kno its Iifa, but I say Lifa just because it sounds better to me.

[Galvatron]

I call it Iifa because that's what it says in the game.
The one thing that makes me mad is how Zidane's name is pronounced.

[Brennan]

It's Iifa


The one thing that makes me mad is how Zidane's name is pronounced.

I used to think it was "Zi-dayn"
But now as far as I can tell, I think it's "Zi-don"

[Xurts]

I pronounce names however they sound best, regardless of how they are supposed to be pronounced.