The Asturian Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Digraphs & Accented Letters

Q: How many letters are in the Asturian alphabet?

The Asturian alphabet has 29 letters from the Latin script [1] . This includes 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 24 consonants, notably including two digraphs: ch (counted as one letter) and ll (counted as one letter), plus ñ (n with tilde).

Q: What are the special features of the Asturian alphabet?

The Asturian alphabet has several unique characteristics : • Digraph ch - represents the "ch" sound as in "chair" • Digraph ll - represents a palatal sound like "y" in "yes" • Letter ñ - represents the "ny" sound as in "canyon" • Letter x - represents the "sh" sound (unique feature!) • Uses ü (diaeresis) to mark pronunciation in "gue" and "gui" • Inverted punctuation marks (¿, ¡) like Spanish

Q: Where is Asturian spoken?

Asturian is spoken in northwestern Spain , especially in the Principality of Asturias and nearby areas of León and Zamora. • Principality of Asturias - where Asturianu enjoys formal protection and promotion [3] • Eonavian coastal counties - supported by the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana alongside central Asturian varieties [2]

Q: How is Asturian different from Spanish?

While both are Romance languages, Asturian keeps its own orthography and pronunciation codified by the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, including x = "sh", digraphs ch/ll, and the use of ñ and ü. [2] It is also taught and promoted through the Principality's language policy, so learners encounter vocabulary and grammar that differ from standard Spanish. [3]

Q: How do you pronounce Asturian special letters?

Asturian has distinctive pronunciation features : • Ch ch - pronounced like "ch" in "chair" • Ll ll - pronounced like "y" in "yes" or palatal lateral • Ñ ñ - pronounced like "ny" in "canyon" • X x - pronounced like "sh" in "ship" (key feature!) • Ü ü - marks that "u" is pronounced in "güe" and "güi" • R r - trilled or tapped, especially at word beginnings These sounds make Asturian phonetically unique !

Q: What is the cultural significance of Asturian?

Asturian has deep cultural and historical importance : • The Principality's language policy protects Asturianu in schools, public media, and cultural programming [3] • The Academia de la Llingua Asturiana curates dictionaries, spelling reforms, and events such as the Día de les Lletres Asturianes [2] • The alphabet preserves regional identity by highlighting digraphs and accents that appear in songs, poetry, and signage

Asturian Alphabet at a Glance

29 letters: 5 vowels and 24 consonants including ch and ll digraphs ^[1]
Regional language promoted by the Principality of Asturias ^[3]
Standardized by the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, created in 1980 to safeguard Asturianu and Eonaviegu ^[2]
Uses Latin script with special sounds such as x = "sh" and ñ
Employs acute accents plus the diaeresis (ü) for pronunciation
Shares inverted Spanish-style punctuation (¿, ¡) alongside unique Pyrenean vocabulary

Uppercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Lowercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Uppercase Consonants:

[beh]

[theh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[ef-feh]

[heh]

[ah-cheh]

[el-leh]

[el-yeh]

[em-meh]

[en-neh]

[en-yeh]

[peh]

[koo]

[er-reh]

[es-seh]

[teh]

[veh]

[eh-kees]

[ee gree-eh-gah]

[theh-tah]

[veh doh-bleh]

[kah]

[beh]

Uppercase consonant "B", pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[theh]

Uppercase consonant "C", pronounced like "k" or "th".

[cheh]

Digraph "Ch", pronounced like "ch".

[deh]

Uppercase consonant "D", pronounced like "d" in "day".

[ef-feh]

Uppercase consonant "F", pronounced like "f" in "food".

[heh]

Uppercase consonant "G", pronounced like "g" or "h".

[ah-cheh]

Uppercase consonant "H", silent in Asturian.

[el-leh]

Uppercase consonant "L", pronounced like "l" in "love".

[el-yeh]

Digraph "Ll", pronounced like "y" or palatal "l".

[em-meh]

Uppercase consonant "M", pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[en-neh]

Uppercase consonant "N", pronounced like "n" in "name".

[en-yeh]

Uppercase "Ñ" with tilde, pronounced like "ny".

[peh]

Uppercase consonant "P", pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Uppercase consonant "Q", used before "u".

[er-reh]

Uppercase consonant "R", trilled "r" sound.

[es-seh]

Uppercase consonant "S", pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[teh]

Uppercase consonant "T", pronounced like "t" in "top".

[veh]

Uppercase consonant "V", pronounced like "v" in "very".

[eh-kees]

Uppercase consonant "X", pronounced like "sh".

[ee gree-eh-gah]

Uppercase consonant "Y", pronounced like "y".

[theh-tah]

Uppercase consonant "Z", pronounced like "th".

[veh doh-bleh]

Uppercase consonant "W", rare, used in loanwords.

[kah]

Uppercase consonant "K", rare, used in loanwords.

Lowercase Consonants:

[beh]

[theh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[ef-feh]

[heh]

[ah-cheh]

[el-leh]

[el-yeh]

[em-meh]

[en-neh]

[en-yeh]

[peh]

[koo]

[er-reh]

[es-seh]

[teh]

[veh]

[eh-kees]

[ee gree-eh-gah]

[theh-tah]

[veh doh-bleh]

[kah]

[beh]

Lowercase consonant "b", pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[theh]

Lowercase consonant "c", pronounced like "k" or soft "th" before e, i.

[cheh]

Digraph "ch", pronounced like "ch" in "chair".

[deh]

Lowercase consonant "d", pronounced like "d" in "day".

[ef-feh]

Lowercase consonant "f", pronounced like "f" in "food".

[heh]

Lowercase consonant "g", pronounced like hard "g" or soft "h" before e, i.

[ah-cheh]

Lowercase consonant "h", silent in Asturian.

[el-leh]

Lowercase consonant "l", pronounced like "l" in "love".

[el-yeh]

Digraph "ll", pronounced like "y" in "yes" or palatal "l".

[em-meh]

Lowercase consonant "m", pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[en-neh]

Lowercase consonant "n", pronounced like "n" in "name".

[en-yeh]

Lowercase "ñ" with tilde, pronounced like "ny" in "canyon".

[peh]

Lowercase consonant "p", pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Lowercase consonant "q", used before "u", pronounced like "k".

[er-reh]

Lowercase consonant "r", trilled or tapped "r" sound.

[es-seh]

Lowercase consonant "s", pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[teh]

Lowercase consonant "t", pronounced like "t" in "top".

[veh]

Lowercase consonant "v", pronounced like "v" in "very".

[eh-kees]

Lowercase consonant "x", pronounced like "sh" in Asturian.

[ee gree-eh-gah]

Lowercase consonant "y", pronounced like "y" in "yes".

[theh-tah]

Lowercase consonant "z", pronounced like "th" in "thin".

[veh doh-bleh]

Lowercase consonant "w", rare, used in loanwords.

[kah]

Lowercase consonant "k", rare, used in loanwords.

A a

[ah]

B b

[beh]

C c

[theh]

Ch ch

[cheh]

D d

[deh]

E e

[eh]

F f

[ef-feh]

G g

[heh]

H h

[ah-cheh]

I i

[ee]

L l

[el-leh]

Ll ll

[el-yeh]

M m

[em-meh]

N n

[en-neh]

Ñ ñ

[en-yeh]

O o

[oh]

P p

[peh]

Q q

[koo]

R r

[er-reh]

S s

[es-seh]

T t

[teh]

U u

[oo]

V v

[veh]

X x

[eh-kees]

Y y

[ee gree-eh-gah]

Z z

[theh-tah]

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Lowercase "á" with acute accent, stressed "a" sound.

[ah]

Uppercase "Á" with acute accent, stressed "a" sound.

[eh]

Lowercase "é" with acute accent, stressed "e" sound.

[eh]

Uppercase "É" with acute accent, stressed "e" sound.

[ee]

Lowercase "í" with acute accent, stressed "i" sound.

[ee]

Uppercase "Í" with acute accent, stressed "i" sound.

[oh]

Lowercase "ó" with acute accent, stressed "o" sound.

[oh]

Uppercase "Ó" with acute accent, stressed "o" sound.

[oo]

Lowercase "ú" with acute accent, stressed "u" sound.

[oo]

Uppercase "Ú" with acute accent, stressed "u" sound.

[oo]

Lowercase "ü" with diaeresis, marks that "u" is pronounced in "gue" and "gui".

[oo]

Uppercase "Ü" with diaeresis, marks that "u" is pronounced.

[cero]

[unu]

[dos]

[tres]

[cuatro]

[cinco]

[seis]

[siete]

[ocho]

[nueve]

[cero]

The number zero.

[unu]

The number one.

[dos]

The number two.

[tres]

The number three.

[cuatro]

The number four.

[cinco]

The number five.

[seis]

The number six.

[siete]

The number seven.

[ocho]

The number eight.

[nueve]

The number nine.

;

Used to mark the end of a sentence.

Used to separate clauses or items in a list.

Used at the end of interrogative sentences.

Used at the beginning of interrogative sentences (Spanish-style punctuation).

Used to express strong emotion or emphasis.

Used at the beginning of exclamatory sentences (Spanish-style punctuation).

Used to introduce lists or explanations.

;

Used to separate closely related independent clauses.

Used to join words or separate syllables.

Used to indicate elision or possession.

A a

[ah]

E e

[eh]

I i

[ee]

O o

[oh]

U u

[oo]

Ch ch

[cheh]

Ll ll

[el-yeh]

Ñ ñ

[en-yeh]

X x

[eh-kees]

R r

[er-reh]

A a

[ah]

Pronounced like "a" in "father". Open central vowel.

E e

[eh]

Pronounced like "e" in "bet". Mid-front vowel.

I i

[ee]

Pronounced like "ee" in "see". Close front vowel.

O o

[oh]

Pronounced like "o" in "go". Mid-back vowel.

U u

[oo]

Pronounced like "oo" in "food". Close back vowel.

Ch ch

[cheh]

Digraph pronounced "ch" as in "chair". Important feature of Asturian.

Ll ll

[el-yeh]

Digraph pronounced like "y" in "yes" or palatal lateral. Important feature of Asturian.

Ñ ñ

[en-yeh]

Pronounced like "ny" in "canyon". Palatal nasal sound.

X x

[eh-kees]

Pronounced like "sh" in "ship". Distinct feature of Asturian.

R r

[er-reh]

Trilled or tapped "r" sound. At beginning of words, strongly trilled.

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Asturian alphabet?

What are the special features of the Asturian alphabet?

Where is Asturian spoken?

How is Asturian different from Spanish?

How do you pronounce Asturian special letters?

What is the cultural significance of Asturian?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Basic Latin Unicode Block (U+0000-U+007F)". Retrieved from Unicode Basic Latin
[2] Academia de la Llingua Asturiana. "Institucional". Retrieved from Asturian Digital Academy
[3] Gobierno del Principado de Asturias. "Asturian Language Policy". Retrieved from https://www.asturias.es/