My name literally means ever-lasting in Farsi.

It is officially pronounced: JAW-veed. The JAW is the strong sound and is pronouned just like the body part, and veed rhymes with weed.

Growing up, American friends / teachers always pronounced it: JAV-id, where JAV sounds like the first part of java and id sounds like the first part of idiom. Growing up, I never really bothered correcting people, and I eventually got used to this pronunciation. This is still how I introduce myself to American people.

There are also about 10 other variations that people have used. For example, my inlaws say: ju-VEED, where ju is the first part of just and VEED is the strong sound. Some of my close friends shorten my name and pronounce it: JAV-ee, which rhymes with Ravi (like Ravi Shankar). I actually like this pronunciation. In general, I acknowledge people as long they get close.

The only one I really dislike is: JAH-vid, where the JAH is like the ‘ja’ in jam and the vid sounds like the first part of video.

In English, my last name is pronounced: juh-MAY, where juh is like the ‘ju’ in just and MAY is pronounced like the month. In Farsi, my last name is pronounced: JAW-me, where JAW is like the body part and me is like the ‘me’ in metal.