The Basque Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Digraphs & more

Q: How many letters are in the Basque alphabet?

The Basque alphabet consists of 27 letters , covering the 26 Latin letters plus ñ. Euskera also employs distinctive digraphs (dd, ll, rr, ts, tt, tx, tz) that function as single phonetic units. [1]

Q: What makes Basque unique among European languages?

Basque is a language isolate , so it is not related to any Indo-European language spoken around it. [2] Its alphabet relies on academy-approved digraphs (dd, ll, rr, ts, tt, tx, tz) to capture sounds such as the "sh" value of tx in etxe (house). [2]

Q: Where is Basque spoken?

Euskera is spoken across the historical Basque Country , spanning the provinces of Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, northern Navarre, and the Basque territories on the French side of the Pyrenees. [2] Within the Basque Autonomous Community, Eustat surveys how many residents understand, speak, read, and write Basque , helping guide language policy. [3]

Q: What are digraphs and why does Basque use so many?

Basque digraphs are pairs of letters treated as single alphabetic signs in Euskaltzaindia's orthography. Examples include tx (\"sh\" sound), ts (\"ts\"), and the rolling rr . [2] This approach keeps the writing system phonetic: once you learn each digraph, you can pronounce new words consistently. [2]

Q: How does Euskaltzaindia support learners of Euskera?

Euskaltzaindia is the Royal Academy of the Basque Language , charged with researching, safeguarding, and normalising Basque. [2] The Academy publishes spelling rules, dictionaries, and grammar resources that ensure everyone learns the same alphabet and pronunciation conventions. [2]

Basque Alphabet at a Glance

27 letters from the Latin script plus the distinctive ñ letter ^[1]
Language isolate with no known linguistic relatives ^[2]
Eustat monitors Basque-language knowledge and use across the Basque Autonomous Community ^[3]
Uses Latin script for writing and relies on official orthographic rules ^[1]
Features distinctive digraphs such as dd, ll, rr, ts, tt, tx and tz that act as single sounds ^[2]
Euskaltzaindia (Royal Academy of the Basque Language) safeguards and standardises Euskera ^[2]

Vowels (Uppercase):

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ue]

[ah]

Uppercase vowel A (A) pronounced as "ah". Local pronunciation: "A". Used in words like "Aita" (Father).

[ah]

Capital A with acute accent (Á). Local pronunciation: "A zorrotza".

[eh]

Uppercase vowel E (E) pronounced as "eh". Local pronunciation: "E". Used in words like "Etxe" (House).

[eh]

Capital E with acute accent (É). Local pronunciation: "E zorrotza".

[ee]

Uppercase vowel I (I) pronounced as "ee". Local pronunciation: "I". Used in words like "Ibili" (To walk).

[ee]

Capital I with acute accent (Í). Local pronunciation: "I zorrotza".

[oh]

Uppercase vowel O (O) pronounced as "oh". Local pronunciation: "O". Used in words like "Ohe" (Bed).

[oh]

Capital O with acute accent (Ó). Local pronunciation: "O zorrotza".

[oo]

Uppercase vowel U (U) pronounced as "oo". Local pronunciation: "U". Used in words like "Ume" (Child).

[oo]

Capital U with acute accent (Ú). Local pronunciation: "U zorrotza".

[ue]

Capital U with diaeresis (Ü). Local pronunciation: "U puntuduna".

Vowels (Lowercase):

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Vowel A (a) pronounced as "ah". Local pronunciation: "a". Used in words like "aita" (father).

[ah]

A with acute accent (á) used for stress marking. Local pronunciation: "a zorrotza". Used in some dialects.

[eh]

Vowel E (e) pronounced as "eh". Local pronunciation: "e". Used in words like "etxe" (house).

[eh]

E with acute accent (é) used for stress marking. Local pronunciation: "e zorrotza". Used in some dialects.

[ee]

Vowel I (i) pronounced as "ee". Local pronunciation: "i". Used in words like "ibili" (to walk).

[ee]

I with acute accent (í) used for stress marking. Local pronunciation: "i zorrotza". Used in some dialects.

[oh]

Vowel O (o) pronounced as "oh". Local pronunciation: "o". Used in words like "ohe" (bed).

[oh]

O with acute accent (ó) used for stress marking. Local pronunciation: "o zorrotza". Used in some dialects.

[oo]

Vowel U (u) pronounced as "oo". Local pronunciation: "u". Used in words like "ume" (child).

[oo]

U with acute accent (ú) used for stress marking. Local pronunciation: "u zorrotza". Used in some dialects.

[oo]

U with diaeresis (ü) for separate syllable pronunciation. Local pronunciation: "u puntuduna". Used in words like "Iüne" (June).

Consonants (Uppercase):

[beh]

[tseh]

[deh]

[efe]

[geh]

[hache]

[jota]

[ka]

[ele]

[eme]

[ene]

[eñe]

[pe]

[ku]

[erre]

[ese]

[te]

[uve]

[uve bikoitza]

[iks]

[i greko]

[zeta]

[beh]

Uppercase consonant B (B) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "Be". Used in words like "Bide" (Path).

[tseh]

Uppercase consonant C (C) pronounced as "k" or "th". Local pronunciation: "Ce". Used mainly in loanwords.

[deh]

Uppercase consonant D (D) pronounced as "d". Local pronunciation: "De". Used in words like "Denda" (Shop).

[efe]

Uppercase consonant F (F) pronounced as "f". Local pronunciation: "Efe". Used in words like "Familia" (Family).

[geh]

Uppercase consonant G (G) pronounced as "g". Local pronunciation: "Ge". Used in words like "Gau" (Night).

[hache]

Uppercase consonant H (H) pronounced as aspirated "h". Local pronunciation: "Hatxe". Used in words like "Hau" (This).

[jota]

Uppercase consonant J (J) pronounced as "y". Local pronunciation: "Jota". Used in words like "Jan" (To eat).

[ka]

Uppercase consonant K (K) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Ka". Used in words like "Katu" (Cat).

[ele]

Uppercase consonant L (L) pronounced as "l". Local pronunciation: "Ele". Used in words like "Lana" (Work).

[eme]

Uppercase consonant M (M) pronounced as "m". Local pronunciation: "Eme". Used in words like "Ama" (Mother).

[ene]

Uppercase consonant N (N) pronounced as "n". Local pronunciation: "Ene". Used in words like "Nere" (My).

[eñe]

Capital N with tilde (Ñ) pronounced as "ny". Local pronunciation: "Eñe". Used in words like "Iñude" (Frog).

[pe]

Uppercase consonant P (P) pronounced as "p". Local pronunciation: "Pe". Used in words like "Paper" (Paper).

[ku]

Uppercase consonant Q (Q) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Ku". Used mainly in foreign words.

[erre]

Uppercase consonant R (R) pronounced as "r". Local pronunciation: "Erre". Used in words like "Ura" (Water).

[ese]

Uppercase consonant S (S) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "Ese". Used in words like "Seme" (Son).

[te]

Uppercase consonant T (T) pronounced as "t". Local pronunciation: "Te". Used in words like "Talde" (Group).

[uve]

Uppercase consonant V (V) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "Uve". Used mainly in foreign words.

[uve bikoitza]

Uppercase consonant W (W) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "Uve bikoitza". Used mainly in loanwords.

[iks]

Uppercase consonant X (X) pronounced as "sh". Local pronunciation: "Iks". Used in words like "Axola" (Care).

[i greko]

Uppercase consonant Y (Y) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "I grekoa". Used mainly in loanwords.

[zeta]

Uppercase consonant Z (Z) pronounced as "th" or "s". Local pronunciation: "Zeta". Used in words like "Zure" (Your).

Consonants (Lowercase):

[beh]

[theh]

[deh]

[feh]

[geh]

[hah]

[yah]

[kah]

[leh]

[meh]

[neh]

[nyeh]

[peh]

[koo]

[reh]

[seh]

[teh]

[beh]

[weh]

[sheh]

[yeh]

[theh]

[beh]

Consonant B (b) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "be". Used in words like "bide" (path).

[theh]

Consonant C (c) pronounced as "k" or "th". Local pronunciation: "ce". Used mainly in loanwords.

[deh]

Consonant D (d) pronounced as "d". Local pronunciation: "de". Used in words like "denda" (shop).

[feh]

Consonant F (f) pronounced as "f". Local pronunciation: "efe". Used in words like "familia" (family).

[geh]

Consonant G (g) pronounced as "g". Local pronunciation: "ge". Used in words like "gau" (night).

[hah]

Consonant H (h) pronounced as aspirated "h". Local pronunciation: "hatxe". Used in words like "hau" (this).

[yah]

Consonant J (j) pronounced as "y". Local pronunciation: "jota". Used in words like "jan" (to eat).

[kah]

Consonant K (k) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "ka". Used in words like "katu" (cat).

[leh]

Consonant L (l) pronounced as "l". Local pronunciation: "ele". Used in words like "lana" (work).

[meh]

Consonant M (m) pronounced as "m". Local pronunciation: "eme". Used in words like "ama" (mother).

[neh]

Consonant N (n) pronounced as "n". Local pronunciation: "ene". Used in words like "nere" (my).

[nyeh]

N with tilde (ñ) pronounced as "ny". Local pronunciation: "eñe". Used in words like "iñude" (frog).

[peh]

Consonant P (p) pronounced as "p". Local pronunciation: "pe". Used in words like "paper" (paper).

[koo]

Consonant Q (q) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "ku". Used mainly in foreign words.

[reh]

Consonant R (r) pronounced as "r". Local pronunciation: "erre". Used in words like "ura" (water).

[seh]

Consonant S (s) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "ese". Used in words like "seme" (son).

[teh]

Consonant T (t) pronounced as "t". Local pronunciation: "te". Used in words like "talde" (group).

[beh]

Consonant V (v) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "uve". Used mainly in foreign words.

[weh]

Consonant W (w) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "uve bikoitza". Used mainly in loanwords.

[sheh]

Consonant X (x) pronounced as "sh". Local pronunciation: "iks". Used in words like "axola" (care).

[yeh]

Consonant Y (y) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "i grekoa". Used mainly in loanwords.

[theh]

Consonant Z (z) pronounced as "th" or "s". Local pronunciation: "zeta". Used in words like "zure" (your).

A a

[ah]

B b

[beh]

C c

[tseh]

D d

[deh]

E e

[eh]

F f

[efe]

G g

[geh]

H h

[hache]

I i

[ee]

J j

[jota]

K k

[ka]

L l

[ele]

M m

[eme]

N n

[ene]

Ñ ñ

[eñe]

O o

[oh]

P p

[pe]

Q q

[ku]

R r

[erre]

S s

[ese]

T t

[te]

U u

[oo]

V v

[uve]

W w

[uve bikoitza]

X x

[iks]

Y y

[i greko]

Z z

[zeta]

A a

[ah]

Letter A (A) pronounced as "ah". Local pronunciation: "A". It can be uppercase (A) or lowercase (a). Used in words like "aita" (father).

B b

[beh]

Letter B (B) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "Be". It can be uppercase (B) or lowercase (b). Used in words like "bide" (path).

C c

[tseh]

Letter C (C) pronounced as "k" or "th". Local pronunciation: "Ce". It can be uppercase (C) or lowercase (c). Used mainly in loanwords.

D d

[deh]

Letter D (D) pronounced as "d". Local pronunciation: "De". It can be uppercase (D) or lowercase (d). Used in words like "denda" (shop).

E e

[eh]

Letter E (E) pronounced as "eh". Local pronunciation: "E". It can be uppercase (E) or lowercase (e). Used in words like "etxe" (house).

F f

[efe]

Letter F (F) pronounced as "f". Local pronunciation: "Efe". It can be uppercase (F) or lowercase (f). Used in words like "familia" (family).

G g

[geh]

Letter G (G) pronounced as "g". Local pronunciation: "Ge". It can be uppercase (G) or lowercase (g). Used in words like "gau" (night).

H h

[hache]

Letter H (H) pronounced as aspirated "h". Local pronunciation: "Hatxe". It can be uppercase (H) or lowercase (h). Used in words like "hau" (this).

I i

[ee]

Letter I (I) pronounced as "ee". Local pronunciation: "I". It can be uppercase (I) or lowercase (i). Used in words like "ibili" (to walk).

J j

[jota]

Letter J (J) pronounced as "y". Local pronunciation: "Jota". It can be uppercase (J) or lowercase (j). Used in words like "jan" (to eat).

K k

[ka]

Letter K (K) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Ka". It can be uppercase (K) or lowercase (k). Used in words like "katu" (cat).

L l

[ele]

Letter L (L) pronounced as "l". Local pronunciation: "Ele". It can be uppercase (L) or lowercase (l). Used in words like "lana" (work).

M m

[eme]

Letter M (M) pronounced as "m". Local pronunciation: "Eme". It can be uppercase (M) or lowercase (m). Used in words like "ama" (mother).

N n

[ene]

Letter N (N) pronounced as "n". Local pronunciation: "Ene". It can be uppercase (N) or lowercase (n). Used in words like "nere" (my).

Ñ ñ

[eñe]

Letter Ñ (N tilde) pronounced as "ny". Local pronunciation: "Eñe". It can be uppercase (Ñ) or lowercase (ñ). Used in words like "iñude" (frog).

O o

[oh]

Letter O (O) pronounced as "oh". Local pronunciation: "O". It can be uppercase (O) or lowercase (o). Used in words like "ohe" (bed).

P p

[pe]

Letter P (P) pronounced as "p". Local pronunciation: "Pe". It can be uppercase (P) or lowercase (p). Used in words like "paper" (paper).

Q q

[ku]

Letter Q (Q) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Ku". It can be uppercase (Q) or lowercase (q). Used mainly in foreign words.

R r

[erre]

Letter R (R) pronounced as "r". Local pronunciation: "Erre". It can be uppercase (R) or lowercase (r). Used in words like "ura" (water).

S s

[ese]

Letter S (S) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "Ese". It can be uppercase (S) or lowercase (s). Used in words like "seme" (son).

T t

[te]

Letter T (T) pronounced as "t". Local pronunciation: "Te". It can be uppercase (T) or lowercase (t). Used in words like "talde" (group).

U u

[oo]

Letter U (U) pronounced as "oo". Local pronunciation: "U". It can be uppercase (U) or lowercase (u). Used in words like "ume" (child).

V v

[uve]

Letter V (V) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "Uve". It can be uppercase (V) or lowercase (v). Used mainly in foreign words.

W w

[uve bikoitza]

Letter W (W) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "Uve bikoitza". It can be uppercase (W) or lowercase (w). Used mainly in loanwords.

X x

[iks]

Letter X (X) pronounced as "sh". Local pronunciation: "Iks". It can be uppercase (X) or lowercase (x). Used in words like "axola" (care).

Y y

[i greko]

Letter Y (Y) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "I grekoa". It can be uppercase (Y) or lowercase (y). Used mainly in loanwords.

Z z

[zeta]

Letter Z (Z) pronounced as "th" or "s". Local pronunciation: "Zeta". It can be uppercase (Z) or lowercase (z). Used in words like "zure" (your).

[zero]

[bat]

[bee]

[hee-roo]

[lah-oo]

[bost]

[say]

[thath-pee]

[thor-thee]

[beh-deh-rah-thee]

[zero]

Digit 0 (zero) pronounced as "zero". Local pronunciation: "zero". Used in numbers and mathematics.

[bat]

Digit 1 (one) pronounced as "bat". Local pronunciation: "bat". Used in counting and numbers.

[bee]

Digit 2 (two) pronounced as "bi". Local pronunciation: "bi". Used in counting and numbers.

[hee-roo]

Digit 3 (three) pronounced as "hiru". Local pronunciation: "hiru". Used in counting and numbers.

[lah-oo]

Digit 4 (four) pronounced as "lau". Local pronunciation: "lau". Used in counting and numbers.

[bost]

Digit 5 (five) pronounced as "bost". Local pronunciation: "bost". Used in counting and numbers.

[say]

Digit 6 (six) pronounced as "sei". Local pronunciation: "sei". Used in counting and numbers.

[thath-pee]

Digit 7 (seven) pronounced as "zazpi". Local pronunciation: "zazpi". Used in counting and numbers.

[thor-thee]

Digit 8 (eight) pronounced as "zortzi". Local pronunciation: "zortzi". Used in counting and numbers.

[beh-deh-rah-thee]

Digit 9 (nine) pronounced as "bederatzi". Local pronunciation: "bederatzi". Used in counting and numbers.

Accented Vowels (Lowercase):

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Accented Vowels (Uppercase):

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ddeh]

[lyeh]

[rreh]

[tsah]

[tteh]

[cheh]

[tzah]

[ddeh]

Digraph dd pronounced as palatal stop. Local pronunciation: "de bikoitza palatala". Used in words like "eddo" (or).

[lyeh]

Digraph ll pronounced as palatal lateral. Local pronunciation: "ele bikoitza palatala". Used in words like "hille" (dead).

[rreh]

Digraph rr pronounced as strongly trilled "r". Local pronunciation: "erre bikoitza". Used in words like "herri" (town).

[tsah]

Digraph ts pronounced as apical affricate. Local pronunciation: "te ese". Used in words like "etsi" (to give up).

[tteh]

Digraph tt pronounced as palatal stop. Local pronunciation: "te bikoitza palatala". Used in words like "etto" (truth).

[cheh]

Digraph tx pronounced as postalveolar affricate "ch". Local pronunciation: "te iks". Used in words like "etxe" (house).

[tzah]

Digraph tz pronounced as laminal affricate. Local pronunciation: "te zeta". Used in words like "hertz" (hertz).

[puntua]

[koma]

;

[puntu eta koma]

[bi puntu]

[galdera marka]

[harridura marka]

[apostrofoa]

[komatxoak]

[komatxo irekiak]

[komatxo itxiak]

[marratxoa]

–

[marra ertaina]

—

[marra luzea]

[azpimarra]

(

[parentesi irekia]

)

[parentesi itxia]

[

[kako irekia]

]

[kako itxia]

{

[giltza irekia]

}

[giltza itxia]

[barra]

[barra alderantzikatua]

[barra bertikala]

[a bildua]

[traola]

€

[euro]

[ehuneko]

[karratua]

[eta]

[izarra]

[gehi]

[berdin]

[txikiago]

[handiagoa]

[azentu graboa]

[tilde]

[puntu erdia]

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Basque alphabet?

What makes Basque unique among European languages?

Where is Basque spoken?

What are digraphs and why does Basque use so many?

How does Euskaltzaindia support learners of Euskera?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Basic Latin Unicode Block (U+0000-U+007F)". Retrieved from Unicode Basic Latin
[2] Euskaltzaindia. "About the institution - The Royal Academy of the Basque Language". Retrieved from Basque Language Academy
[3] EUSTAT. "Statistical tables: Basque Language (Euskera)". Retrieved from Basque Statistics