Language/Malay-individual-language/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
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The Malay Alphabet
Halo! Malay Learners! 😃
➡ In today's lesson we will learn everything you need to know regarding the MALAY ALPHABET.
- Modern Indonesian and Malaysian Malay are written in the Latin alphabet. Indonesia and Malaysia unified their official spelling in 1972.
- Before 1972, Classical Malay, in Indonesia as in Malaysia, was written in the Arabic alphabet. This writing is called jawi.
Happy learning!
Latin Alphabet (Tuliran Rumi)
Letters
| tter | Name (in IPA) | Sound | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore | IPA | English equivalent | ||
| Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore | Indonesia | ||||
| Aa | a (/a/) | e (/e/) | /a/ | a as in father | |
| /ə/ ~ /a/ | - | a as in sofa | |||
| Bb | bé (/be/) | bi (/bi/) | /b/ | b as in bed | |
| Cc | cé (/t͡ʃe/) | si (/si/) | /t͡ʃ/ | ch as in check | |
| Dd | dé (/de/) | di (/di/) | /d/ | d as in day | |
| Ee | é (/e/) | i (/i/) | /ə/ | e as in tolerant | |
| /e/ | e as in hey | ||||
| /e/ | /ɪ/ | e as in packet | |||
| /ɛ/ | e as in get | ||||
| Ff | éf (/ef/) | éf (/ef/) | /f/ | f as in effort | |
| Gg | gé (/ge/) | ji (/d͡ʒi/) | /ɡ/ | g as in gain | |
| Hh | ha (/ha/) | héc (/het͡ʃ/) | /h/ | h as in harm | |
| Ii | i (/i/) | ay (/aj/) | /i/ | i as in machine, but shorter | |
| /e/ | /ɪ/ | i as in igloo | |||
| Jj | jé (/d͡ʒe/) | jé (/d͡ʒe/) | /d͡ʒ/ | j as in jam | |
| Kk | ka (/ka/) | ké (/ke/) | /k/ | unaspirated k as in skate | |
| Ll | él (/el/) | él (/el/) | /l/ | l as in let | |
| Mm | ém (/em/) | ém (/em/) | /m/ | m as in mall | |
| Nn | én (/en/) | én (/en/) | /n/ | n as in net | |
| Oo | o (/o/) | o (/o/) | /o/ | o as in owe | |
| /o/ | /ʊ/ | ||||
| /ɔ/ | o as in bought, but shorter | ||||
| Pp | pé (/pe/) | pi (/pi/) | /p/ | unaspirated p as in speak | |
| ki (/ki/) | kiu (/kiu/ or /kju/) | /q/ ~ /k/ | q as in Qatar | ||
| Rr | ér (/er/) | ar (/ar/ or /a:/) | /r/ | Spanish rr as in puerro | |
| Ss | és (/es/) | és (/es/) | /s/ | s as in sun | |
| Tt | té (/te/) | ti (/ti/) | /t/ | unaspirated t as in still | |
| Uu | u (/u/) | yu (/ju/) | /u/ | u as in rule, but shorter | |
| /o/ | /ʊ/ | oo as in foot | |||
| Vv | vé (/ve/ or /fe/) | vi (/vi/) | /v/ ~ /f/ | v as in van | |
| Ww | wé (/we/) | dabel yu (/dabəlˈju/) | /w/ | w as in wet | |
| Xx | éks (/eks/) | éks (/eks/) | /ks/ | x as in box | |
| /z/ | /s/ | x as in xenon | |||
| Yy | yé (/je/) | way (/wai̯/) | /j/ | y as in yarn | |
| Zz | zét (/zet/) | zet (/zed/) | /z/ | z as in zebra | |
Digraphs
| Digraph | IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore | |
| ai | /ai̯/ | |
| au | /au̯/ | |
| oi | /ʊi̯/ | /oi̯/ |
| gh | /ɣ/ ~ /x/ | |
| kh | /x/ | |
| ng | /ŋ/ | |
| ny | /ɲ/ | |
| sy | /ʃ/ | |
Arabic (Jawi)
| Isolated | Initial | Medial | Final | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | ـا | /a/ | ||
| ب | بـ | ـبـ | ـب | /b/ |
| ت | تـ | ـتـ | ـت | /t/ |
| ث | ثـ | ـثـ | ـث | /θ/ or /s/ |
| ج | جـ | ـجـ | ـج | /d͡ʒ/ |
| چ | چـ | ـچـ | ـچ | /t͡ʃ/ |
| ح | حـ | ـحـ | ـح | /ħ/ |
| خ | خـ | ـخـ | ـخ | /x/ |
| د | ـد | /d/ | ||
| ذ | ـذ | /ð/ or /z/ | ||
| ر | ـر | /r/ | ||
| ز | ـز | /z/ | ||
| س | سـ | ـسـ | ـس | /s/ |
| ش | شـ | ـشـ | ـش | /ʃ/ |
| ص | صـ | ـصـ | ـص | /s/ |
| ض | ضـ | ـضـ | ـض | /d/ |
| ط | طـ | ـطـ | ـط | /t/ |
| ظ | ظـ | ـظـ | ـظ | /z/ |
| ع | عـ | ـعـ | ـع | /ʔ/ |
| غ | غـ | ـغـ | ـغ | /ɣ/ |
| ڠ | ڠـ | ـڠـ | ـڠ | /ŋ/ |
| ف | فـ | ـفـ | ـف | /f/ |
| ڤ | ڤـ | ـڤـ | ـڤ | /p/ |
| ق | قـ | ـقـ | ـق | /ʔ/ and /q/ |
| ک | کـ | ـکـ | ـک | /k/ |
| ݢ | ڬـ | ـݢـ | ـݢ | /ɡ/ |
| ل | لـ | ـلـ | ـل | /l/ |
| م | مـ | ـمـ | ـم | /m/ |
| ن | نـ | ـنـ | ـن | /n/ |
| و | ـو | /w/ and /u, o, ɔ/ | ||
| ۏ | ـۏ | /v/ | ||
| ه | هـ | ـهـ | ـه | /h/ |
| ة | ـة | /t/ | ||
| ء | ء | /ʔ/ | ||
| ي | يـ | ـيـ | ـي | /j/ and /i, e, ɛ/ |
| ڽ | ڽـ | ـڽـ | ـڽ | /ɲ/ |
| ى | ـى | /ə, a/ |