How to pronounce “Asia” in Polish?

I have noticed that the way my name should be pronounced often leads to a confusion ;) First, it has nothing to do with the name of the huge continent… In fact, according to my passport I should be called Joanna. However, in Polish Joanna can be shortened to Asia, and for multiple reasons I use and prefer this alternative.

Anyway, coming back to the pronunciation. Both “a” should be pronounced like “a” in “cap” or “bag”. The “si” part is a bit more tricky, as this is a soft sound characteristic to Polish. Perhaps “sh” as in “she” is a decent approximation, giving us all together something similar to “Ashja”. Just not “Asia” (/ˈeɪ.ʒə/), please :)