THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET (revised to 1993, updated 1996)

CONSONANTS (PULMONIC)

Bilabial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Post alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
Plosive p b t d c k g q G /
Nasal m n = N
Trill r R
Tap or Flap |
Fricative F B f v T D s z S Z J x V X ? h H
Lateral
fricative L
Approximant j
Lateral
approximant l K
Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a voiced consonant. Shaded areas denote articulations judged impossible.

CONSONANTS (NON-PULMONIC) VOWELS

Front Central Back
Clicks Voiced implosives Ejectives

> Bilabial Bilabial Examples:

Close i y u
Dental Dental/alveolar p Bilabial
IY U
! (Post)alveolar Palatal t Dental/alveolar Close-mid e P e o
Palatoalveolar Velar k Velar
s E { O

Alveolar lateral Uvular Alveolar fricative Open-mid

OTHER SYMBOLS

Voiceless labial-velar fricative Alveolo-palatal fricatives
Open a A
Where symbols appear in pairs, the one
w Voiced labial-velar approximant Alveolar lateral flap to the right represents a rounded vowel.

Voiced labial-palatal approximant Simultaneous S and x

SUPRASEGMENTALS

Voiceless epiglottal fricative " Primary stress

Voiced epiglottal fricative Affricates and double articulations

(

can be represented by two symbols

kp ts Secondary stress
foUn"tISn
Epiglottal plosive
(

joined by a tie bar if necessary.

Long e
DIACRITICS Diacritics may be placed above a symbol with a descender, e.g. N( Half-long e
9 Voiceless n9 d9 Breathy voiced b a 1 Dental t1 d1 * Extra-short e*
3 s3 t3 0 b0 a0 Apical t d Minor (foot) group

Voiced Creaky voiced
Major (intonation) group
Aspirated t d Linguolabial t d 4 Laminal t4 d4 . Syllable break i.kt
7 More rounded O7 W Labialized tW dW ) Nasalized e) Linking (absence of a break)
Less rounded O Palatalized t d Nasal release d
Advanced u Velarized t d Lateral release d TONES AND WORD ACCENTS
LEVEL CONTOUR

2 Retracted e2 Pharyngealized t d } No audible release d} e_ or Extra

high &or eRising
Centralized e Velarized or pharyngealized : e! High e$ Falling

+ Mid-centralized e+ 6 e6 ( 6 = voiced alveolar fricative) e@ Mid e% High

rising
e~ e
Raised Low
Low
` Syllabic n` Lowered e ( B = voiced bilabial approximant) e Extra
low e& $
rising
Rising-
falling
8 Non-syllabic e8 5 Advanced Tongue Root e5 Downstep Global rise

Rhoticity a Retracted Tongue Root e Upstep Global fall