| Zulu vowels | ||||
PA
|
Example
(IPA)
|
Example
(Written)
|
Meaning
|
Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
[i]
|
[síːza̤]
|
-siza
|
"help"
|
This
vowel is pronounced somewhat like ease in
English.
|
[u]
|
[umúːzi̤]
|
umuzi
|
"homestead"
|
Somewhat
like English vowel in the word loom.
|
[e]
|
[umɡiɓéːli]
|
umgibeli
|
"passenger"
|
e
is e when the following syllable contains an "i"
or a "u", or final
|
[ɛ]
|
[pʰɛ́ːɠa]
|
-pheka
|
"cook"
|
e
is ɛ everywhere else
|
[o]
|
[umaɠóːti]
|
umakoti
|
"bride"
|
o
is o when the following syllable contains an "i"
or a "u", or final
|
[ɔ]
|
[ɔɡɔ̤̌ːɡo̤]
|
ogogo
|
"grandmothers"
|
o
is ɔ everywhere else
|
[a]
|
[dǐ̤ːda̤]
|
-dida
|
"puzzle"
|
Is
pronounced somewhat like mama in English.
|
| Zulu consonants | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | Example (IPA) | Example (Written) | Meaning | Notes |
| [m] | [umáːma] | umama | "my/our mother" | Pronounced as in English. |
| [n] | [uníːna] | unina | "his/her/their mother" | Pronounced as in nine in English. |
| [ɲ] | [iɲóːni] | inyoni | "bird" | Pronounced as in French vignette. |
| [ŋ] | [iŋɡǎːne] | ingane | "child" | Pronounced as in sing. |
| [pʼ] | [iːpʼíːpʼi] | ipipi | "pipe for smoking" | Pronounced as in speech. |
| [pʰ] | [pʰɛ́ːɠa] | -pheka | "cook" | Pronounced as in pin. |
| [t] | [iːtíːje] | itiye | "tea" | Pronounced as in "step". |
| [tʰ] | [tʰáːtʰa] | -thatha | "take" | Pronounced somewhat as in English "top". |
| [kʼ] | [kʼumnáːndi̤] | kumnandi | "it is delicious" | Pronounced as in English "skill". |
| [kʰ] | [iːˈkʰáːnda̤] | ikhanda | "head" | Pronounced somewhat like c in "cat". |
| [b] | [bǎ̤ːla] | -bhala | "write" | Pronounced more or less as in English bed, but fully voiced. |
| [d] | [iːdǎ̤ːda̤] | idada | "duck" | Pronounced more or less as in English duck, but fully voiced. |
| [ɡ] | [ɔɡɔ̤̌ːɡo̤] | ugogo | "grandmother" | Pronounced somewhat like in go, but fully voiced. |
| [ɓ] | [uɓáːɓa] | ubaba | "my/our father" | Pronounced with implosion. |
| [ɠ] | [uɠǔːza̤] | ukuza | "to come" | Pronounced with implosion. |
| [f] | [íːfu] | ifu | "cloud" | Pronounced more or less as in English fun. |
| [v] | [vǎ̤ːla] | -vala | "close" | Pronounced as in English very. |
| [s] | [iːsíːsu] | isisu | "stomach" | Pronounced as in English say. |
| [z] | [umzṳ̌ːzṳ] | umzuzu | "moment" | As in English "zoo" |
| [ʃ] | [iːʃúːmi] | ishumi | "ten" | Pronounced as in English shall. |
| [h] | [háːmba̤] | -hamba | "go" | Pronounced as in English hand. |
| [ɦ] | [iːɦǎ̤ːʃi] | ihhashi | "horse" | Pronounced as in English ahead. |
| [l] | [láːla] | -lala | "sleep" | Pronounced as in English leaf. |
| [ɬ] | [ɬáːla] | -hlala | "sit" | Pronounced as in Welsh Llanelli. |
| [ɮ] | [ɮǎ̤] | idla | "eat" | Voiced form of [ɬ]. |
| [tʃʼ] | [utʃʼáːni] | utshani | "grass" | Pronounced as the English chin. |
| [dʒ] | [úːdʒṳ] | uju | "honey" | Pronounced as the English jump. |
| [kx ~ kʟ̝̊ ~ kʟ] | [umkxɔmɛ́ːlo] | umklomelo | "prize" | Pronunciation varies by speaker. |
| [j] | [ujíːse] | uyise | "his/her/their father" | Pronounced as in yes in English. |
| [w] | [wɛ́ːla] | wela | "cross" | Pronounced as in wall in English. |