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Esperanto alphabet and pronunciation
One letter, one sound, stress on the second-to-last syllable – after this page you can read any Esperanto word aloud.
The Esperanto alphabet has 28 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 23 consonants. Each letter has one basic sound, every letter is pronounced, and there are no silent letters. Six letters carry a mark – ĉ, ĝ, ĥ, ĵ, ŝ, ŭ – and the letters q, w, x and y are not part of the alphabet.
All 28 letters
Letter names follow a simple pattern: a vowel is named by itself, a consonant adds -o (bo, co, ĉo). The English sound-alikes are approximations; the IPA column follows PMEG, the standard reference grammar.
| Letter | Name | IPA | Sounds like (English) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A a | a | [a] | a in "father" | akvo – "water" |
| B b | bo | [b] | b in "boy" | bona – "good" |
| C c | co | [ts] | ts in "cats" – never k or s | paco – "peace" |
| Ĉ ĉ | ĉo | [tʃ] | ch in "church" | ĉokolado – "chocolate" |
| D d | do | [d] | d in "dog" | domo – "house" |
| E e | e | [e] | e in "bed" – never "ay" | eta – "tiny" |
| F f | fo | [f] | f in "fun" | familio – "family" |
| G g | go | [ɡ] | g in "go" – always hard | granda – "big" |
| Ĝ ĝ | ĝo | [dʒ] | j in "jam" | ĝardeno – "garden" |
| H h | ho | [h] | h in "hat" | hundo – "dog" |
| Ĥ ĥ | ĥo | [x] | ch in Scottish "loch" | ĥoro – "choir" |
| I i | i | [i] | ee in "see" | infano – "child" |
| J j | jo | [j] | y in "yes" | jes – "yes" |
| Ĵ ĵ | ĵo | [ʒ] | s in "measure" | ĵurnalo – "newspaper" |
| K k | ko | [k] | k in "kit" | kato – "cat" |
| L l | lo | [l] | l in "let" | lingvo – "language" |
| M m | mo | [m] | m in "map" | mano – "hand" |
| N n | no | [n] | n in "no" | nokto – "night" |
| O o | o | [o] | o in "more", without the r – never "oh-oo" | ovo – "egg" |
| P p | po | [p] | p in "pen" | pano – "bread" |
| R r | ro | [r] | rolled or tapped r, as in Spanish or Italian | rozo – "rose" |
| S s | so | [s] | s in "see" – never z | suno – "sun" |
| Ŝ ŝ | ŝo | [ʃ] | sh in "she" | ŝipo – "ship" |
| T t | to | [t] | t in "top" | tago – "day" |
| U u | u | [u] | oo in "food" | urbo – "city" |
| Ŭ ŭ | ŭo | [w] | w in "cow", "how" | aŭto – "car" |
| V v | vo | [v] | v in "very" | vivo – "life" |
| Z z | zo | [z] | z in "zoo" | zebro – "zebra" |
The 1905 Fundamento de Esperanto gave English key words such as "make" for e and "not" for o. In most modern accents those are glides or different vowels. Aim for steady vowels without a glide, as in Spanish or Italian; whether a vowel is long or short does not matter (PMEG).
Where does the stress go?
The stress always falls on the second-to-last vowel of the word. The letters j and ŭ are not vowels, so they do not count.
In ĉiutage "every day" each i and u is its own syllable, so the stress falls on ta. In Eŭropo "Europe" and kiuj "which (plural)" the pairs eŭ and uj are one syllable each.
| Word | Syllables | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| saluton | sa-LU-ton | "hello" |
| familio | fa-mi-LI-o | "family" |
| radio | ra-DI-o | "radio" |
| ankaŭ | AN-kaŭ | "also" |
| hodiaŭ | ho-DI-aŭ | "today" |
| Esperanto | es-pe-RAN-to | "Esperanto" |
Every i and u next to another vowel is a full syllable, which is why it is fa-mi-LI-o, not "fa-MIL-yo". When the noun ending -o is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe in poetry or songs, the stress stays where it was: famili' is said fa-mi-LI.
Vowel pairs (diphthongs)
Six combinations join a vowel with j or ŭ into one syllable. PMEG describes them as a vowel plus a semivowel; textbooks often call them diphthongs.
| Pair | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aj | eye | kaj – "and" |
| ej | ay in "day" | plej – "most" |
| oj | oy in "boy" | hundoj – "dogs" |
| uj | oo + y, as in "phooey" said fast | kiuj – "which (plural)" |
| aŭ | ow in "how" | aŭto – "car" |
| eŭ | e + w, no English equivalent | Eŭropo – "Europe" |
In ordinary words ŭ almost always follows a or e, and in 2023 the Academy of Esperanto recommended keeping it that way in new words. Where English has a w sound after a consonant, Esperanto uses v: akvo "water", kvin "five" – never "akwo".
How to pronounce the Esperanto r
PMEG recommends a rolled (trilled) r, made at the teeth like in Spanish or Italian. A rolled uvular r, as in some French or German accents, is equally correct. In practice speakers also use other r-sounds and are understood. Two things matter: keep r distinct from l (revi "to dream" vs levi "to lift"), and do not drop it after a vowel (parko "park" must not sound like pako "package").
Writing without ĉ, ĝ, ŝ: the h-system and the x-system
If you cannot type the accented letters, two substitute spellings exist. The h-system comes from the Fundamento itself: write ch, gh, hh, jh, sh and plain u for ŭ. It can be ambiguous: flughaveno "airport" is flug-haven-o, not fluĝaveno. The x-system adds x, which is not an Esperanto letter: cx, gx, hx, jx, sx, ux. It is unofficial but unambiguous and common online. The Academy of Esperanto accepted substitute spellings in 2007 for technical needs.
Tips for English speakers
- Pronounce every vowel fully, also in unstressed syllables: banano is ba-NA-no, not "buh-NAH-nuh".
- c is always "ts": centro "centre" is TSEN-tro.
- g is always hard, as in "get": geografio is ge-o-gra-FI-o, not "jee-".
- j is always "y": jaro "year" sounds like "YAH-ro".
- h (a breath) and ĥ (like "loch") are different sounds. Ĥ is the rarest letter, and many words with it have forms with k: ĥemio = kemio "chemistry".
Next step: learn the words you will hear first on Basic Esperanto phrases.
Common questions
How many letters are in the Esperanto alphabet?
There are 28 letters: the Latin alphabet without q, w, x and y, plus six letters with marks: ĉ, ĝ, ĥ, ĵ, ŝ and ŭ.
Is Esperanto pronounced the way it is written?
Yes. Each letter stands for one sound, and every letter is pronounced. Once you know the 28 letters and the stress rule, you can read any word aloud.
Where is the stress in Esperanto words?
Always on the second-to-last vowel: ta-BLO is wrong, TA-blo "table" is right. The letters j and ŭ do not count as vowels.
Why does Esperanto use letters like ĉ and ŝ?
Each sound needs exactly one letter. Instead of English-style pairs like ch or sh, Esperanto uses one letter with a mark, so spelling never becomes ambiguous.
How do I type ĉ, ĝ and ŝ?
On a phone, add Esperanto to your keyboard (Gboard supports it on Android and iPhone) and long-press a letter, for example c for ĉ. On a computer, install an Esperanto keyboard layout, or write in the x-system (cx, gx, sx); our dictionary search and course exercises convert it as you type.
Sources
- PMEG: Literoj (the alphabet and letter names)
- PMEG: Bazaj elparolaj reguloj (pronunciation, stress, r, ĥ)
- Fundamento de Esperanto – grammar in English (1905)
- Akademio de Esperanto: Pri apartaj teknikaj bezonoj (2007)
- Akademio de Esperanto: Deklaro pri la Esperanta litero ŭ (2023)
- Vikipedio: X-sistemo
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