The Xhosa alphabet is latin-based.
| letters | IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| a | [a] | |
| b | [ɓ] | |
| bh | [bʱ] | (written as b after m) |
| c | [kǀ] | ( written as kc after n) |
| ch | [kǀʰ] | |
| d | [dʱ] | |
| dl | [ɮ̈] | (pronounced as [dɮʱ] after n) |
| dy | [dʲʱ] | |
| dz | [dz] | rare |
| e | [ɛ] | |
| f | [f] | |
| g | [ɡʱ] | |
| gc | [ɡǀʱ] | |
| gq | [ɡǃʱ] | |
| gr | [ɣ̈] | |
| gx | [ɡǁʱ] | |
| h | [h] | |
| hh | [ɦ̤] | (often written as h) |
| hl | [ɬ] | (written as tl,after n pronounced as[tɬ’]) |
| i | [i] | |
| j | [d̠ʒʱ] | |
| k | [k’] | |
| kh | [kʰ] | |
| kr | [kx’] | |
| l | [l] | |
| lh | [l̤] | |
| m | [m] | |
| mh | [m̤] | |
| n | [n] | (pronounced as [ŋ] before k ) |
| n’ | [ŋ] | |
| nc | [ŋǀ] | |
| ngc | [ŋǀʱ] | |
| ngq | [ŋǃʱ] | |
| ngx | [ŋǁʱ] | |
| nh | [n̤] | |
| nq | [ŋǃ] | |
| nx | [ŋǁ] | |
| ny | [nʲ] | |
| nyh | [n̤ʲ] | |
| o | [ɔ] | |
| p | [p’] | |
| ph | [pʰ] | |
| q | [kǃ] | (after n written as kq) |
| qh | [kǃʰ] | |
| r | [r, r̤] | (only in loanwords) |
| rh | [x] | |
| s | [s] | |
| sh | [ʃ] | |
| t | [t’] | |
| th | [tʰ] | |
| ths | [tsʰ] | (sometimes written as tsh) |
| tl | [tɬ’] | (variant of hl after n) |
| ts | [ts’] | |
| tsh | [tʃ’; tʃʰ] | (two phonemes; [tʃʰ] sometimes it is written as thsh) |
| ty | [tʲ’] | |
| tyh | [tʲʰ] | |
| u | [u] | |
| v | [v̤] | |
| w | [w] | |
| wh | [w̤] | |
| x | [kǁ] | It is writtean as kx after n |
| xh | [kǁʰ] | |
| y | [j] | |
| yh | [j̈] | |
| z | [z̤] |