Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Standard Estonian has become the most widely spoken Estonian variety, being used as the national language, the administrative language, and the language of teaching and research. In this lesson, you will learn the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practice with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills.
Estonian Alphabet
The Estonian alphabet consists of 27 letters, including the letters ä, ö, and ü, which do not exist in English. The letter õ is also specific to Estonian.
The Estonian alphabet is as follows:
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A, a | /ɑ/ | auto (car) |
| B, b | /beː/ | banaan (banana) |
| D, d | /deː/ | diivan (sofa) |
| E, e | /e/ | ema (mother) |
| F, f | /ɛf/ | foto (photo) |
| G, g | /ɡeː/ | garaaž (garage) |
| H, h | /hɑ/ | hobune (horse) |
| I, i | /i/ | ikka (still) |
| J, j | /jɑ/ | järv (lake) |
| K, k | /kɑ/ | koer (dog) |
| L, l | /ɫ/ | linn (city) |
| M, m | /ɱ/ | mees (man) |
| N, n | /n/ | naine (woman) |
| O, o | /o/ | olema (to be) |
| P, p | /peː/ | paber (paper) |
| R, r | /rɑ/ | raamat (book) |
| S, s | /es/ | saama (to get) |
| Š, š | /ʃ/ | šokolaad (chocolate) |
| Z, z | /zeːd/ | zebra (zebra) |
| T, t | /teː/ | tibu (chick) |
| U, u | /u/ | uni (dream) |
| V, v | /ʋɑ/ | vihm (rain) |
| Õ, õ | /ɤ/ | õlu (beer) |
| Ä, ä | /æ/ | ära (do not) |
| Ö, ö | /ø/ | öö (night) |
| Ü, ü | /y/ | üks (one) |
| X, x | /ks/ | eksam (exam) |
| Y, y | /yː/ | müük (sale) |
| Q, q | /kuː/ | Quebec (Quebec) |
Pronunciation Rules
The Estonian language has a relatively simple and consistent system of pronunciation. In general, each letter is pronounced the same way every time, regardless of its position within a word.
The following pronunciation rules will help you correctly pronounce standard Estonian:
- All consonants are pronounced similarly to their pronunciation in English. - The vowels are pronounced as follows:
- "a" like "a" in "car" - "e" like "e" in "bed" - "i" like "i" in "beet" - "o" like "o" in "home" - "u" like "u" in "boot" - "ä" like "a" in "hat" - "ö" like "i" in "bird" - "ü" like "u" in "crude" - "õ" like the nasal vowel in French "bon"
- The stress in words is usually on the first syllable.
Practice Words and Phrases
Here are some practice words and phrases to help you get used to the Estonian alphabet and pronunciation:
- Tere - (Hello)
- Hästi - (Good)
- Nägemist - (Goodbye)
- Tervist - (Hi)
- Jääme vestluseks - (Let's keep in touch)
- Vesi - (Water)
- Kuulama - (To listen)
- Rääkima - (To talk)
- Pere - (Family)
- Töö - (Work)
Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned the Estonian alphabet and correct pronunciation of each letter, as well as practiced with common words and phrases to improve your pronunciation skills. Keep practicing and you will soon be able to communicate confidently in Estonian!