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Pashto Alphabet and Pronunciation
If you're trying to learn the Pashto Alphabet which is also called Pashtu, check our courses about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Pashto 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 Pashto. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Pashto Alphabet
Learning the Pashto 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 Pashto language.
Below is a table showing the Pashto alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| Pashto Alphabet | English Sound | Pronunciation Example |
|---|---|---|
| ā / ʾ | as in apple | |
| b | as in boat | |
| p | as in pool | |
| t | as in time | |
| ṭ (or 'tt') | as in tower | |
| s | as in smile | |
| ǰ | as in pleasure | |
| j (or 'dz') / z | as in sad zebra | |
| č | as in cheer | |
| c (or 'ts') | as in cats | |
| h | as in home | |
| x | as in the scottish loch | |
| d | as in day | |
| ḍ (or 'dd') | as in midday | |
| z | 'th' as in this | |
| r | as in room | |
| ṛ (or 'rr') | as in sparrow | |
| z | as in zebra | |
| ž | as in leisure | |
| ẓ̌ | watch video below | |
| s | as in smile | |
| š | as in shine | |
| ṣ̌ | as in sheet | |
| s | as in sold | |
| z, d | 'th' as in that | |
| t | as in toy | |
| z | 'th' as in this | |
| ʻ | watch video below | |
| γ | watch video below | |
| f | as in fine | |
| q | as in queue | |
| k | as in kid | |
| g | as in gold | |
| l | as in life | |
| m | as in moon | |
| n | as in now | |
| ṇ (or 'nn') | as in manure | |
| w, u, o | as in wind, moon | |
| h, a, ə/ë | as in have | |
| ə (or 'ë') | as in meet | |
| y, i | as in year | |
| e | as in elephant | |
| ai, y | as in hi | |
| əi (or 'ëi') | as in hay | |
| əi (or 'ëi') | as in hay |
Pashto Pronunciation
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:
| Pashto Pronunciation |
|---|
The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Pashto. Once you're done with the Pashtu alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Pashto lessons here: Learn Pashto. Don't forget to bookmark this page.