The Bikol Alphabet

Q: What is the Bikol alphabet?

The Bikol alphabet is a Latin-based writing system with 20 letters : 5 vowels and 14 consonants, plus the digraph Ng [3] . Native spelling excludes c, f, j, q, v, x, and z, which appear only in loanwords and proper names.

Q: Is Bikol one language or several?

Bikol is registered as a macrolanguage under ISO code bik, comprising nine related varieties [3] . Central Bikol (Bikol Naga) is the most widely understood variety and functions as the region's lingua franca.

Q: What language family does Bikol belong to?

Bikol belongs to the Central Philippine languages , within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian family [2] . This makes it a relative of Tagalog and the Bisayan languages such as Cebuano and Hiligaynon.

Q: How many letters are in the Bikol alphabet?

The Bikol alphabet has 20 letters : five vowels, fourteen consonants, and the digraph Ng [3] . This is more compact than English, since native Bikol writing excludes c, f, j, q, v, x, and z.

Q: Does Bikol use letters like C, F, J, Q, V, X, and Z?

These letters are excluded from native Bikol spelling , appearing only in loanwords and proper names borrowed from Spanish or English. This pattern is common across Philippine languages that adopted the Latin alphabet under Spanish colonial influence.

Q: How does the Ng digraph work in Bikol?

Ng represents the velar nasal sound, similar to "ng" in English "sing", and counts as a single letter of the alphabet. Unlike in English, Ng can appear at the very start of a Bikol word, following a pattern shared with other Philippine languages.

Q: Is Bikol related to Tagalog?

Bikol and Tagalog are both Central Philippine languages, but they belong to different branches of that family [2] . They share Austronesian roots and many loanwords , but are not mutually intelligible without study.

Q: What does the ISO 639-3 code "bik" mean?

The code bik is the official ISO 639-3 macrolanguage identifier assigned to Bikol by the international standards registration authority [3] . It covers nine individual Bikol languages, including Central Bikol, Rinconada Bikol, and several island varieties.

Q: What is the status of Bikol today?

Bikol remains a major regional language of the Philippines, used widely in homes, local media, and community life across the Bicol Region. Filipino and English are also used in formal education and government , under the Philippines' bilingual language policy.

Bikol Alphabet at a Glance

20 letters: 5 vowels and 14 consonants, plus the Ng digraph
Bikol is spoken across the Bicol Region of southern Luzon, home to 6,064,426 people at the 2024 census ^[1]
Bikol belongs to the Central Philippine languages, part of the wider Malayo-Polynesian family ^[2]
Bikol is registered as a macrolanguage under ISO 639-3 code bik, comprising nine related Bikol languages ^[3]
Central Bikol, also called Bikol Naga, is the most widely understood variety and serves as the region's lingua franca
Bikol speakers are also found on the islands of Catanduanes, Masbate, Burias, and Ticao
Native Bikol spelling excludes the letters c, f, j, q, v, x, and z, which appear only in loanwords and proper names

[AH]

[EH]

[EE]

[OH]

[OO]

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[BEE]

[DEE]

[GEE]

[HUH]

[KAY]

[EL]

[EM]

[EN]

[PEE]

[AR]

[ESS]

[TEE]

[WUH]

[YUH]

[BEE]

Uppercase B, a voiced bilabial stop, similar to "b" in "boy".

[DEE]

Uppercase D, a voiced alveolar stop, similar to "d" in "dog".

[GEE]

Uppercase G, a voiced velar stop, similar to "g" in "go".

[HUH]

Uppercase H, a voiceless glottal fricative, similar to "h" in "hat".

[KAY]

Uppercase K, a voiceless velar stop, similar to "k" in "key".

[EL]

Uppercase L, an alveolar lateral approximant, similar to "l" in "lamp".

[EM]

Uppercase M, a bilabial nasal, similar to "m" in "man".

[EN]

Uppercase N, an alveolar nasal, similar to "n" in "nose".

[PEE]

Uppercase P, a voiceless bilabial stop, similar to "p" in "pen".

[AR]

Uppercase R, a tapped or trilled rhotic consonant, similar to the rolled "r" in Spanish.

[ESS]

Uppercase S, a voiceless alveolar fricative, similar to "s" in "sun".

[TEE]

Uppercase T, a voiceless alveolar stop, similar to "t" in "top".

[WUH]

Uppercase W, a labial-velar approximant, similar to "w" in "water".

[YUH]

Uppercase Y, a palatal approximant, similar to "y" in "yes".

[bee]

[dee]

[gee]

[huh]

[kay]

[el]

[em]

[en]

[pee]

[ar]

[ess]

[tee]

[wuh]

[yuh]

[bee]

Voiced bilabial stop, similar to "b" in English "boy".

[dee]

Voiced alveolar stop, similar to "d" in English "dog".

[gee]

Voiced velar stop, similar to "g" in English "go".

[huh]

Voiceless glottal fricative, similar to "h" in English "hat".

[kay]

Voiceless velar stop, similar to "k" in English "key".

[el]

Alveolar lateral approximant, similar to "l" in English "lamp".

[em]

Bilabial nasal, similar to "m" in English "man".

[en]

Alveolar nasal, similar to "n" in English "nose".

[pee]

Voiceless bilabial stop, similar to "p" in English "pen".

[ar]

Tapped or trilled rhotic consonant, similar to the rolled "r" in Spanish.

[ess]

Voiceless alveolar fricative, similar to "s" in English "sun".

[tee]

Voiceless alveolar stop, similar to "t" in English "top".

[wuh]

Labial-velar approximant, similar to "w" in English "water".

[yuh]

Palatal approximant, similar to "y" in English "yes".

[ENG]

[eng]

A a

B b

D d

E e

G g

H h

I i

K k

L l

M m

N n

Ng ng

O o

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

W w

Y y

A a

Vowel A, similar to the "a" in English "father".

B b

Consonant B, a voiced bilabial stop.

D d

Consonant D, a voiced alveolar stop.

E e

Vowel E, similar to the "e" in English "bed".

G g

Consonant G, a voiced velar stop.

H h

Consonant H, a voiceless glottal fricative.

I i

Vowel I, similar to the "ee" in English "see".

K k

Consonant K, a voiceless velar stop.

L l

Consonant L, an alveolar lateral approximant.

M m

Consonant M, a bilabial nasal.

N n

Consonant N, an alveolar nasal.

Ng ng

Digraph Ng, the velar nasal.

O o

Vowel O, similar to the "o" in English "go".

P p

Consonant P, a voiceless bilabial stop.

R r

Consonant R, a tapped or trilled rhotic.

S s

Consonant S, a voiceless alveolar fricative.

T t

Consonant T, a voiceless alveolar stop.

U u

Vowel U, similar to the "oo" in English "food".

W w

Consonant W, a labial-velar approximant.

Y y

Consonant Y, a palatal approximant.

;

(

)

Period (full stop)

Comma

;

Semicolon

Colon

Question mark

Exclamation mark

Apostrophe, used to mark the glottal stop in some Bikol words

Quotation mark

Hyphen

(

Left parenthesis

)

Right parenthesis

Expand All Collapse All

What is the Bikol alphabet?

Is Bikol one language or several?

Where is Bikol spoken?

What language family does Bikol belong to?

How many letters are in the Bikol alphabet?

Does Bikol use letters like C, F, J, Q, V, X, and Z?

How does the Ng digraph work in Bikol?

Is Bikol related to Tagalog?

What does the ISO 639-3 code "bik" mean?

What is the status of Bikol today?

References:

[1] Philippine Statistics Authority. "Highlights of the Region V (Bicol Region) Population, 2024 Census of Population" — recording a regional population of 6,064,426. Retrieved from Philippine Statistics Authority: Bicol Region Population, 2024 Census
[2] Glottolog 5.x. "Bikol [biko1240]" — Austronesian > Malayo-Polynesian > Greater Central Philippine > Central Philippine classification. Retrieved from Glottolog: Bikol
[3] SIL International. "ISO 639-3 Registration Authority: Bikol [bik]" — a macrolanguage comprising nine individual Bikol languages. Retrieved from SIL ISO 639-3: Bikol