Spanish word meaning 'jewel'; most commonly known as part of La Jolla, California, meaning 'the jewel.'
From Spanish joya meaning 'jewel,' possibly influenced by Arabic jawhar with the same meaning. The 'll' in Spanish represents a 'y' sound, which is why La Jolla is pronounced 'La HOY-ah.'
La Jolla's pronunciation trips up many English speakers who try to pronounce the double-L as in English. The Spanish 'll' sound doesn't exist in English, making this California city name a perfect example of how borrowed place names preserve their original phonetics.
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