Language/Serbian/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Hello Polyglots😀
In today's lesson, you will learn how to write the different letters of the Serbian alphabet, how to pronounce these letters whether it is through the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), or through a video with the pronunciation of the letters by a native speaker.
You will also find at the end of this lesson a virtual keyboard to be able to type each special character of this language.
Serbian can be written in either the Cyrillic or Latin alphabets, but Cyrillic is in official use in Serbia. In Serbia both scripts, the "azbuka" (Cyrillic script) and the Latin alphabet "abeceda" are in use and most of the people know both alphabets. People can freely decide which letters to use.
Vuk Karadzić, the 19th century reformer of the Serbian language came up with the concept of “write as you speak and read as it is written”. (Serbian: "Piši kao što govoriš i čitaj kako je napisano"). The Serbian alphabet is very consistent and precise: one letter per sound.
Serbian Alphabet and IPA Pronunciation
Serbian alphabet has 30 letters (5 vowels and 25 consonants).
The table below shows the Serbian Cyrillic and Latin version and how it is pronounced and some examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| Cyrillic | Latin | IPA | Example
(Cyrillic) |
Example
(Latin) |
Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| А а | A a | /a/ | авион | avion | like a in car |
| Б б | B b | /b/ | брат | brat | like b in bed |
| В в | V v | /ʋ/ | војник | vojnik | like v in victory |
| Г г | G g | /ɡ/ | град | grad | like g in good |
| Д д | D d | /d/ | дрво | drvo | like d in day |
| ђ ђ | Đ đ | /dʑ/ | ђак | đak | like j in juice |
| Е е | E e | /e/ | ексер | ekser | like e in men |
| Ж ж | Ž ž | /ʒ/ | жаба | žaba | like su in leisure |
| З з | Z z | /z/ | змија | zmija | like z in zoo |
| И и | I i | /i/ | ирвас | irvas | like e in east |
| Ј ј | J j | /j/ | јаје | jaje | like y in you |
| К к | K k | /k/ | краба | kraba | like k in king |
| Л л | L l | /l/ | лето | leto | like l in love |
| Љ љ | Lj lj | /ʎ/ | љубав | ljubav | like li in million |
| М м | M m | /m/ | мајка | majka | like m in man |
| Н н | N n | /n/ | нос | nos | like n in nice |
| Њ њ | Nj nj | /ɲ/ | њива | njiva | like ni in onion |
| О о | O o | /o/ | оловка | olovka | like o in door |
| П п | P p | /p/ | прстен | prsten | like p in pen |
| Р р | R r | /r/ | рак | rak | like r in room |
| С с | S s | /s/ | стена | stena | like s in son |
| Т т | T t | /t/ | тата | tata | like t in time |
| Ћ ћ | Ć ć | /tɕ/ | ћуп | ćup | like ch in church,but softer |
| У у | U u | /u/ | уво | uvo | like u in put |
| Ф ф | F f | /f/ | француз | francuz | like f in french |
| Х х | H h | /x/ | хлеб | hleb | like h in hot |
| Ц ц | C c | /ts/ | црв | crv | like ts in cats |
| Ч ч | Č č | /tʃ/ | човек | čovek | like ch in chocolate |
| Џ џ | Dž dž | /dʒ/ | џин | džin | like j in joy |
| Ш ш | Š š | /ʃ/ | шешир | šešir | like sh in she |
Order of Latin
| A, a | B, b | C, c | Č, č | Ć, ć | D, d | Dž, dž | Đ, đ | E, e | F, f | G, g | H, h | I, i | J, j | K, k | L, l | Lj, lj | M, m | N, n | Nj, nj | O, o | P, p | R, r | S, s | Š, š | T, t | U, u | V, v | Z, z | Ž, ž |
Serbian Alphabet and Pronunciation Equivalent in Different Languages
| LETTERS IN
SERBIAN |
PRONUNCIATION
ENGLISH SPEAKERS |
PRONUNCIATION
PORTUGUESE SPEAKERS |
|---|---|---|
| A | ah | a |
| Б | b | b |
| В | v | v |
| Г | g | g |
| Д | d | d |
| Ђ | dz | dz |
| Е | eh | e |
| Ж | zh | j |
| З | z | z |
| И | ih | i |
| Ј | ih | i |
| К | k | k |
| Л | l | l |
| Љ | ly | lh |
| М | m | m |
| Н | n | n |
| Њ | ny | nh |
| О | oh | o |
| П | p | p |
| Р | r | r |
| С | s | s |
| Т | t | t |
| Ћ | ch | tch |
| У | ou | u |
| Ф | f | f |
| Х | h | r |
| Ц | ts | ts |
| Џ | ch | tch |
| Ш | sh | ch |