If you're trying to learn the Egyptian Alphabet you will find some useful resources including a course about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Egyptian Arabic grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and memorize the sounds. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Egyptian. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Egyptian alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Without it, you will not be able to say words properly even if you know how to write those words. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be in speaking the Egyptian language.
Below is a table showing the Egyptian alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| End of the word | Middle of the word | Beginning of the word | Sound | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ا | ـا | ـا | ا | ʾ / ā | 'a' as in 'father' |
ب | ـب | ـبـ | بـ | b | 'b' as in 'bed' |
ت | ـت | ـتـ | تـ | t | 't' as in 'tent' |
ث | ـث | ـثـ | ثـ | ṯ | 'th' as in 'think' |
ج | ـج | ـجـ | جـ | j | 'g' as in 'game' |
ح | ـح | ـحـ | حـ | ḥ | Sharp 'h' |
خ | ـخ | ـخـ | خـ | ḫ (kh, x) | 'ch' as in German 'Bach' |
د | ـد | ـد | د | d | 'd' as in 'deer' |
ذ | ـذ | ـذ | ذ | z (dh, ð) | 'z' as in 'zebra' |
ر | ـر | ـر | ر | r | 'r' as in 'run' |
ز | ـز | ـز | ز | z | 'z' as in 'zoo' |
س | ـس | ـسـ | سـ | s | 's' as in 'sit' |
ش | ـش | ـشـ | شـ | š (sh) | 'sh' as in 'shut' |
ص | ـص | ـصـ | صـ | ṣ | 's" as in 'sold' |
ض | ـض | ـضـ | ضـ | z | 'z' as in 'zebra' |
ط | ـط | ـطـ | طـ | ṭ | 't' as in 'Tazmania' |
ظ | ـظ | ـظـ | ظـ | ẓ | 'z' as in 'zebra' |
ع | ـع | ـعـ | عـ | ʿ | 'a' in 'agh' when suprised |
غ | ـغ | ـغـ | غـ | ġ (gh) | 'r' as in 'Paris' |
ف | ـف | ـفـ | فـ | f | 'f' as in 'free' |
ق | ـق | ـقـ | قـ | (a, o, e) | a, o, e (depending on vowel after) |
ك | ـك | ـكـ | كـ | k | 'k' as in 'king' |
ل | ـل | ـلـ | لـ | l | 'l' as in 'lift' |
م | ـم | ـمـ | مـ | m | 'm' as in 'moon' |
ن | ـن | ـنـ | نـ | n | 'n' as in 'net' |
ه | ـه | ـهـ | هـ | h | 'h' as in 'house' |
و | ـو | ـو | و | w | 'w' as in 'wonder' |
ي | ـي | ـيـ | يـ | y | 'y' as in 'yellow' |
ء | 'o' as in 'oh'. | ||||
| Top vowel | َ | a | Sounds like 'a' in Alabama | ||
| Top vowel | ُ | u | Sounds like 'o' in Open | ||
| Bottom Vowel | ِ | i | Sounds like 'I' in India |
You saw how a letter is written and might be pronounced, but there is nothing better than hearing the sound of the letters in a video or audio. Below you will be able to hear how the letters above are pronounced, just press the play button:
| Egyptian Pronunciation |
|---|
The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Egyptian. Once you're done with Egyptian alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Egyptian lessons here: Learn Egyptian. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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