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Swahili
The following tables show the IPA representations of Swahili pronunciation. The first two section concern Unguja standard Swahili, which is based on the Swahili of Zanzibar town and which is spoken by the large majority of Swahili speakers whose mother tongue is not Swahili (and who have come to make up the bulk of speakers of the language). English approximations are in some cases very approximate, and only intended to give a general idea of the pronunciation.
| Vowels
|
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| ɑ
|
baba 'father'
|
father
|
| ɛ
|
ndege 'bird'
|
let
|
| i
|
Kiswahili 'Swahili (language)'
|
meat
|
| ɔ
|
mtoto 'child'
|
off
|
| u
|
uhuru 'freedom'
|
fool
|
| ː
|
kondoo 'sheep'
|
vowel length
|
| Suprasegmentals
|
| IPA
|
Examples
|
Explanation
|
| ˈ
|
safari 'journey'
|
stress
|
| Consonants
|
| IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
| ɓ
|
baba 'father'
|
bill
|
| ɗ
|
dola 'dollar'
|
delta
|
| ð
|
dhambi 'sin, offence'
|
that
|
| ʄ ~ dʒ
|
maji ~ 'water'
|
jab
|
| f
|
fisi 'hyena'
|
focus
|
| ɠ
|
gani 'what, of which'
|
gag
|
| ɣ
|
ghali 'expensive'
|
Scottish loch but voiced
|
| h
|
uhuru 'freedom'
|
ahead
|
| j
|
yeye 'he/she'
|
yellow
|
| k
|
kitabu 'book'
|
scald
|
| l
|
lakini 'but'
|
lack
|
| m
|
damu 'blood'
|
mocha
|
| m̩
|
mtoto 'child'
|
rhythm
|
| ᵐb
|
mbali 'far'
|
clamber
|
| ᶬv
|
mvinyo 'spirits'
|
Humvee
|
| n
|
nini 'what'
|
ninny
|
| n̩
|
nchi 'country'
|
even (syllabic nasal)
|
| ⁿd
|
muhindi 'corn, maize'
|
handy
|
| ᵑɡ
|
ngoma 'drum'
|
finger
|
| ⁿdʒ
|
injili 'gospel'
|
range
|
| ⁿz
|
kwanza 'to begin'
|
pansy
|
| ɲ
|
nyoka 'snake'
|
canyon
|
| ŋ
|
ng'ombe 'cow, ox'
|
sing
|
| p
|
kikapu 'basket'
|
spill
|
| ɾ
|
rafiki 'friend'
|
robot
|
| s
|
sisi 'we'
|
stole
|
| ʃ
|
shamba 'farm, field'
|
shell
|
| t
|
moto 'fire'
|
stand
|
| tʃ
|
chumba 'room'
|
chase
|
| θ
|
thelathini 'thirty'
|
think
|
| v
|
vitabu 'books'
|
vittle
|
| w
|
watu 'people'
|
with
|
| x
|
subulkheri 'good morning'
|
Scottish loch
|
| z
|
maziwa 'milk'
|
zoo
|
Other lects
Outside of Zanzibar, many dialects distinguish alveolar from dental stops:
| Alveolar
|
Dental
|
| IPA |
Examples
|
IPA |
Examples
|
| t
|
kata 'to cut'
|
t̪
|
taka 'to want'
|
| ⁿd
|
ndani 'inside'
|
ⁿd̪
|
ndia 'way' (Kimvita)
|
There is no phonemic aspiration in Standard Swahili. Polomé explains that voiceless stops are aspirated when word-initial or when in the stressed syllable. A great many dialects do distinguish aspirated from unaspirated voiced stops, and this can change the meaning of a word.
| Plain
|
Aspirated
|
| IPA |
Examples
|
IPA |
Examples
|
| p
|
paa 'roof'
|
pʰ
|
paa 'impala'
|
| t
|
mto 'river'
|
tʰ
|
mtu 'person'
|
| t̪
|
taa 'lamp'
|
t̪ʰ
|
nti 'country' (Kimvita)
|
| tʃ
|
choo 'toilet'
|
tʃʰ
|
choo 'earthworm'
|
| k
|
kaa 'charcoal'
|
kʰ
|
kaa 'crab'
|
Finally, some speakers pronounce Arabic loans with a pronunciation closer to the original Arabic one:
| Arabic sounds
|
| IPA |
Examples |
Notes
|
| ˤ◌̹
|
sultani /sulˈt̪ˤɑ̹.ni/ 'sultan'
|
pharyngealization is often realized by making the consonant dental and the subsequent vowel more rounded; details vary by speaker
|
| ː
|
hata 'even if'
|
geminate consonant
|
| ħ
|
hata 'even if'
|
|
| q
|
akili 'common sense'
|
|
| ʕ
|
laana 'curse'
|
|
See also
