How do you pronounce Burj Khalifa, and what does it mean?

How to pronounce Burj Khalifa

Wikipedia gives the Arabic pronunciation as [bʊrd͡ʒ xaˈliːfa]. In plain English letters, that is "burj kha-LEE-fa". Burj rhymes with "urge". Khalifa has three syllables, and the stress falls on the middle one, LEE. The "kh" at the start is a throaty sound, like the "ch" in Scottish "loch" or German "Bach". Many English speakers say a plain "k" ("ka-LEE-fa"), and you will be understood in Dubai either way. Avoid stressing the first syllable of Khalifa ("KHA-li-fa"), which is the most common slip.

• Burj — burj, rhymes with urge
• Khalifa — kha-LEE-fa, stress on the middle syllable
• Full name — burj kha-LEE-fa

What burj means

Burj is the Arabic word for tower, which is why Wikipedia translates the full name as "Khalifa Tower". You will see the word across the Gulf: the Burj Al Arab hotel, about 11 km south-west of the Burj Khalifa along the coast, uses the same word. Khalifa is an Arabic personal name. As a word it is the origin of the English "caliph", the title Wikipedia describes as a successor to the Prophet Muhammad, and it is often translated as successor. In the tower's name it refers to one person, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, so the name means the tower of Khalifa rather than a tower of successors. Spellings like "Burj al Khalifa" or "Burj e Khalifa" are informal versions of the same name.

Using the name when you visit

You will see the name in a few forms around Downtown Dubai. The observation decks are branded "At the Top, Burj Khalifa", the name Emaar uses in its list of attractions, and the higher deck is "At the Top SKY". The nearest metro station on the Red Line is called Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, and it opened on 4 January 2010, the same day as the tower. To reach the decks, ask for The Dubai Mall: the visitor entrance is on the mall's lower ground floor, not at the tower's own doors. The Levels 124 & 125 ticket is the standard visit, and where Burj Khalifa is has the address and map.

Why it was renamed from Burj Dubai

The project was planned and built as Burj Dubai. It was renamed at its official opening on 4 January 2010. Wikipedia reports that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, ruler of Dubai, made the change at the ceremony to honour Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, who had organised federal financial support when Emaar ran into trouble during the Great Recession. Abu Dhabi and the federal government lent Dubai tens of billions of dollars in that period. Sheikh Khalifa died in 2022; the name stays. Read more about the tower's history on when Burj Khalifa was built and what it cost.