Lee's post on the Japanese names for konjac seems to provide an answer to something I've long wondered about. Lee mentioned the Japanese name konnyaku. I've long wondered if the j in konjac was the "consonantal I" sort of j or something like the English j. The Japanese name suggests that it's the "consonantal I" sound, and if that's true, then the word konjac sounds just like the word cognac (cognac as in French brandy). I gave a talk awhile back and used the pronunciation kon-yak - it got some stares. Maybe they thought I was drunk. : ) Jim McKenney Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I'm going to check the local Asian markets for some of those fruit-flavored candies based on konjac gel. Maybe I should start a rumor that Japanese children have a high level of consumption of cognac.