The Romanian Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Numerals & more

Q: How many letters are in the Romanian alphabet?

The Romanian alphabet has 31 letters [1] . This includes the 26 standard Latin letters plus 5 distinctive diacritical letters: ă, â, î, ș, and ț . Of these, 8 are vowel letters (a, ă, â, e, i, î, o, u) and the remaining 23 are consonants.

Q: What are the 5 Romanian diacritical letters and how are they pronounced?

Romanian has 5 unique diacritical letters [3] : • Ă (ă) - pronounced like "a" in "about" or "u" in "but". Example: apă (water) • Â (â) - pronounced "uh", used in the middle of words. Example: român (Romanian) • Î (î) - same sound as â, used at the beginning or end of words. Example: împreună (together) • Ș (ș) - pronounced like "sh" in "shoe". Example: școală (school) • Ț (ț) - pronounced like "ts" in "cats". Example: țară (country) These letters are essential for correct Romanian spelling and pronunciation !

Q: What is the difference between and Î in Romanian?

Both and Î represent exactly the same sound , but they are used in different positions: • Î (î) - used at the beginning of words: înalt (tall), înainte (forward) • Î (î) - used at the end of words: a urî (to hate), coborî (to descend) • (â) - used in the middle of words: râu (river), mâine (tomorrow) • Exception: words derived from "România" always use "â" (român, românesc) This distinction is purely orthographic - the pronunciation is identical!

Q: How is Romanian different from other Romance languages?

Romanian has several unique features that distinguish it: • Geographic isolation - only Romance language in Eastern Europe • Slavic influence - absorbed vocabulary and some grammatical features from neighboring Slavic languages • Unique diacritics - ă, â, î, ș, ț are not found in other major Romance languages • Case system - retains grammatical cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, vocative) • Definite articles - attached as suffixes to nouns instead of separate words Despite these differences, Romanian shares 77% of its vocabulary with other Romance languages!

Q: Where is Romanian spoken around the world?

Romanian is spoken by approximately 24 million people [1] worldwide: • Romania - official language, spoken by about 19 million people • Moldova - official language (sometimes called "Moldovan"), spoken by 2.5 million • Diaspora communities - Italy, Spain, Germany, United States, Canada, and Israel • Minority communities - Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, and Bulgaria • Regional status - recognized minority language in several European countries Romanian is an official language of the European Union !

Q: How do I type Romanian special characters (ă, â, î, ș, ț)?

There are several ways to type Romanian diacritical letters : • Romanian keyboard layout - switch your keyboard to Romanian in your operating system • Alt codes (Windows) - hold Alt and type: Alt+0259 (ă), Alt+0226 (â), Alt+0238 (î), Alt+0537 (ș), Alt+0539 (ț) • Character map - use your system's character map or special character picker • Online tools - use Romanian typing websites like Easy Romanian Typing • Autocorrect - some applications offer Romanian autocorrect to add diacritics automatically Using proper diacritics is essential for correct Romanian writing !

Q: Is the comma below (sedilă) the same as a cedilla?

No! The Romanian comma below (sedilă) is different from a cedilla: • Sedilă (correct) - Ș (ș) and Ț (ț) with comma-like mark below • Cedilla (incorrect) - Ş (ş) and Ţ (ţ) with hook-like cedilla below • History - before 1993, Romanian used cedilla due to technical limitations • Current standard - since 1993, comma below (U+0218, U+021A) is the official form [2] • Visual difference - sedilă is a comma shape, cedilla is a hook shape Modern Romanian typography requires the comma below , not the cedilla!

Q: Is Romanian easy to learn for English speakers?

Romanian offers both challenges and advantages for English speakers: • Advantages: - Latin alphabet makes reading accessible - Relatively phonetic - words are pronounced as written - Many cognates with English words of Latin origin • Challenges: - Grammatical cases (5 different cases) - Three grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) - New sounds like ă, â/î that don't exist in English Overall, Romanian is considered moderately difficult for English speakers!

Romanian Alphabet at a Glance

31 letters: 8 vowels (including ă, â, î) and 23 consonants from Latin script
Spoken by approximately 24 million people worldwide, primarily in Romania and Moldova ^[1]
Eastern Romance language, only major Romance language in Eastern Europe
Features 5 distinctive diacritics: ă (schwa), â/î (close central), ș (sh), ț (ts)
Â and î represent same sound but used in different word positions
Official language of Romania, Moldova, and European Union
Preserves Latin grammatical cases better than most Romance languages ^[3]

Uppercase Vowels:

[ah]

[uh]

[eh]

[ee]

[uh]

[oh]

[oo]

Lowercase Vowels:

[ah]

[uh]

[eh]

[ee]

[uh]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Lowercase a, pronounced like "ah" in "father". First vowel of the Romanian alphabet.

[uh]

Lowercase ă, distinctive Romanian letter pronounced like "a" in "about" or "u" in "but". Example: "apă" (water).

[uh]

Lowercase â, distinctive Romanian letter with the same sound as î. Used in the middle of words. Example: "român" (Romanian).

[eh]

Lowercase e, pronounced like "e" in "bed". Second basic vowel of the Romanian alphabet.

[ee]

Lowercase i, pronounced like "ee" in "see". Third basic vowel of the Romanian alphabet.

[uh]

Lowercase î, distinctive Romanian letter with the same sound as â. Used at the beginning or end of words. Example: "împreună" (together).

[oh]

Lowercase o, pronounced like "o" in "go". Fourth basic vowel of the Romanian alphabet.

[oo]

Lowercase u, pronounced like "oo" in "food". Fifth basic vowel of the Romanian alphabet.

Romanian Consonant Letters

The Romanian alphabet contains 23 consonants, including two distinctive letters with diacritics: ș (with comma below) and ț (with comma below). In Romanian, vowels and consonants combine to form syllables, which are the building blocks of words.

For example:

In the word "România" (Romania), meaning "Romania", the vowels o, â, i, and a combine with the consonants R, m, and n to form syllables and complete the word.

Uppercase Consonants:

[beh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[feh]

[jeh]

[hah]

[zheh]

[kah]

[leh]

[meh]

[neh]

[peh]

[koo]

[reh]

[seh]

[sheh]

[teh]

[tseh]

[veh]

[doo-bloo veh]

[eeks]

[ee-grek]

[zeh]

[beh]

Uppercase B, called "be". Pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[cheh]

Uppercase C, called "ce". Pronounced like "k" before a, ă, â, o, u; like "ch" in "chair" before e, i.

[deh]

Uppercase D, called "de". Pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[feh]

Uppercase F, called "fe". Pronounced like "f" in "fun".

[jeh]

Uppercase G, called "ge". Pronounced like "g" in "go" before a, ă, â, o, u; like "j" in "giraffe" before e, i.

[hah]

Uppercase H, called "ha". Pronounced like "h" in "hello".

[zheh]

Uppercase J, called "je". Pronounced like "s" in "pleasure".

[kah]

Uppercase K, called "ka". Used mainly in foreign words.

[leh]

Uppercase L, called "le". Pronounced like "l" in "love".

[meh]

Uppercase M, called "me". Pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[neh]

Uppercase N, called "ne". Pronounced like "n" in "name".

[peh]

Uppercase P, called "pe". Pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Uppercase Q, called "qu". Used mainly in foreign words.

[reh]

Uppercase R, called "re". Pronounced as a rolled "r" sound.

[seh]

Uppercase S, called "se". Pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[sheh]

Uppercase Ș, distinctive Romanian letter. Pronounced like "sh" in "shoe".

[teh]

Uppercase T, called "te". Pronounced like "t" in "top".

[tseh]

Uppercase Ț, distinctive Romanian letter. Pronounced like "ts" in "cats".

[veh]

Uppercase V, called "ve". Pronounced like "v" in "victory".

[doo-bloo veh]

Uppercase W, called "dublu ve". Used mainly in foreign words.

[eeks]

Uppercase X, called "ics". Pronounced like "ks" in "box".

[ee-grek]

Uppercase Y, called "igrec". Used mainly in foreign words.

[zeh]

Uppercase Z, called "ze". Pronounced like "z" in "zebra".

Lowercase Consonants:

[beh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[feh]

[jeh]

[hah]

[zheh]

[kah]

[leh]

[meh]

[neh]

[peh]

[koo]

[reh]

[seh]

[sheh]

[teh]

[tseh]

[veh]

[doo-bloo veh]

[eeks]

[ee-grek]

[zeh]

[beh]

Lowercase b, called "be". Pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[cheh]

Lowercase c, called "ce". Pronounced like "k" before a, ă, â, o, u; like "ch" in "chair" before e, i.

[deh]

Lowercase d, called "de". Pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[feh]

Lowercase f, called "fe". Pronounced like "f" in "fun".

[jeh]

Lowercase g, called "ge". Pronounced like "g" in "go" before a, ă, â, o, u; like "j" in "giraffe" before e, i.

[hah]

Lowercase h, called "ha". Pronounced like "h" in "hello". Used in digraphs like "ch" and "gh".

[zheh]

Lowercase j, called "je". Pronounced like "s" in "pleasure" or "j" in French "je".

[kah]

Lowercase k, called "ka". Used mainly in foreign words, pronounced like "k" in "kite".

[leh]

Lowercase l, called "le". Pronounced like "l" in "love".

[meh]

Lowercase m, called "me". Pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[neh]

Lowercase n, called "ne". Pronounced like "n" in "name".

[peh]

Lowercase p, called "pe". Pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Lowercase q, called "qu". Used mainly in foreign words, always followed by "u".

[reh]

Lowercase r, called "re". Pronounced as a rolled "r" sound.

[seh]

Lowercase s, called "se". Pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[sheh]

Lowercase ș, distinctive Romanian letter. Pronounced like "sh" in "shoe". Example: "școală" (school).

[teh]

Lowercase t, called "te". Pronounced like "t" in "top".

[tseh]

Lowercase ț, distinctive Romanian letter. Pronounced like "ts" in "cats". Example: "țară" (country).

[veh]

Lowercase v, called "ve". Pronounced like "v" in "victory".

[doo-bloo veh]

Lowercase w, called "dublu ve" (double v). Used mainly in foreign words.

[eeks]

Lowercase x, called "ics". Pronounced like "ks" in "box".

[ee-grek]

Lowercase y, called "igrec" (Greek i). Used mainly in foreign words.

[zeh]

Lowercase z, called "ze". Pronounced like "z" in "zebra".

[zeh-roh]

[oo-noo]

[doy]

[tray]

[pah-troo]

[chinch]

[shah-seh]

[shahp-teh]

[opt]

[no-wuh]

[zeh-roh]

Zero, called "zero" in Romanian.

[oo-noo]

One, called "unu" in Romanian. Becomes "un" before masculine nouns.

[doy]

Two, called "doi" in Romanian (masculine form). Feminine form is "două".

[tray]

Three, called "trei" in Romanian.

[pah-troo]

Four, called "patru" in Romanian.

[chinch]

Five, called "cinci" in Romanian.

[shah-seh]

Six, called "șase" in Romanian, featuring the distinctive ș letter.

[shahp-teh]

Seven, called "șapte" in Romanian, featuring the distinctive ș letter.

[opt]

Eight, called "opt" in Romanian.

[no-wuh]

Nine, called "nouă" in Romanian, featuring the distinctive ă letter.

A a

[ah]

Ă ă

[uh]

Â â

[uh]

B b

[beh]

C c

[cheh]

D d

[deh]

E e

[eh]

F f

[feh]

G g

[jeh]

H h

[hah]

I i

[ee]

Î î

[uh]

J j

[zheh]

K k

[kah]

L l

[leh]

M m

[meh]

N n

[neh]

O o

[oh]

P p

[peh]

Q q

[koo]

R r

[reh]

S s

[seh]

Ș ș

[sheh]

T t

[teh]

Ț ț

[tseh]

U u

[oo]

V v

[veh]

W w

[doo-bloo veh]

X x

[eeks]

Y y

[ee-grek]

Z z

[zeh]

A a

[ah]

Letter A (a), pronounced "ah" like in "father". First letter of the Romanian alphabet.

Ă ă

[uh]

Letter Ă (ă), distinctive Romanian letter pronounced like "a" in "about". Can be uppercase (Ă) or lowercase (ă).

Â â

[uh]

Letter (â), distinctive Romanian letter with same sound as Î, used in the middle of words. Can be uppercase (Â) or lowercase (â).

B b

[beh]

Letter B (be), pronounced like "b" in "boy". Can be uppercase (B) or lowercase (b).

C c

[cheh]

Letter C (ce), pronounced like "k" or "ch" depending on following vowel. Can be uppercase (C) or lowercase (c).

D d

[deh]

Letter D (de), pronounced like "d" in "dog". Can be uppercase (D) or lowercase (d).

E e

[eh]

Letter E (e), pronounced "eh" like in "bed". Can be uppercase (E) or lowercase (e).

F f

[feh]

Letter F (fe), pronounced like "f" in "fun". Can be uppercase (F) or lowercase (f).

G g

[jeh]

Letter G (ge), hard "g" or soft "j" sound depending on following vowel. Can be uppercase (G) or lowercase (g).

H h

[hah]

Letter H (ha), pronounced like "h" in "hello". Can be uppercase (H) or lowercase (h).

I i

[ee]

Letter I (i), pronounced "ee" like in "see". Can be uppercase (I) or lowercase (i).

Î î

[uh]

Letter Î (î), distinctive Romanian letter used at beginning or end of words. Can be uppercase (Î) or lowercase (î).

J j

[zheh]

Letter J (je), pronounced like "s" in "pleasure". Can be uppercase (J) or lowercase (j).

K k

[kah]

Letter K (ka), used mainly in foreign words. Can be uppercase (K) or lowercase (k).

L l

[leh]

Letter L (le), pronounced like "l" in "love". Can be uppercase (L) or lowercase (l).

M m

[meh]

Letter M (me), pronounced like "m" in "mother". Can be uppercase (M) or lowercase (m).

N n

[neh]

Letter N (ne), pronounced like "n" in "name". Can be uppercase (N) or lowercase (n).

O o

[oh]

Letter O (o), pronounced "oh" like in "go". Can be uppercase (O) or lowercase (o).

P p

[peh]

Letter P (pe), pronounced like "p" in "pen". Can be uppercase (P) or lowercase (p).

Q q

[koo]

Letter Q (qu), used mainly in foreign words. Can be uppercase (Q) or lowercase (q).

R r

[reh]

Letter R (re), rolled "r" sound. Can be uppercase (R) or lowercase (r).

S s

[seh]

Letter S (se), pronounced like "s" in "sun". Can be uppercase (S) or lowercase (s).

Ș ș

[sheh]

Letter Ș (ș), distinctive Romanian letter pronounced like "sh" in "shoe". Can be uppercase (Ș) or lowercase (ș).

T t

[teh]

Letter T (te), pronounced like "t" in "top". Can be uppercase (T) or lowercase (t).

Ț ț

[tseh]

Letter Ț (ț), distinctive Romanian letter pronounced like "ts" in "cats". Can be uppercase (Ț) or lowercase (ț).

U u

[oo]

Letter U (u), pronounced "oo" like in "food". Can be uppercase (U) or lowercase (u).

V v

[veh]

Letter V (ve), pronounced like "v" in "victory". Can be uppercase (V) or lowercase (v).

W w

[doo-bloo veh]

Letter W (dublu ve), used mainly in foreign words. Can be uppercase (W) or lowercase (w).

X x

[eeks]

Letter X (ics), pronounced like "ks" in "box". Can be uppercase (X) or lowercase (x).

Y y

[ee-grek]

Letter Y (igrec), used mainly in foreign words. Can be uppercase (Y) or lowercase (y).

Z z

[zeh]

Letter Z (ze), pronounced like "z" in "zebra". Can be uppercase (Z) or lowercase (z).

[period]

[comma]

;

[semicolon]

[colon]

[question mark]

[exclamation mark]

[quotation marks]

[apostrophe]

„

[low double quote]

[high double quote]

[period]

Period used to end declarative sentences.

[comma]

Comma used to separate clauses and items in lists.

;

[semicolon]

Semicolon used to connect closely related independent clauses.

[colon]

Colon used to introduce lists, explanations, or quotations.

[question mark]

Question mark used at the end of questions in Romanian.

[exclamation mark]

Exclamation mark used at the end of exclamations in Romanian.

[quotation marks]

Double quotation marks used for direct speech or quotations.

[apostrophe]

Apostrophe used in contractions and certain grammatical constructions.

„

[low double quote]

Opening quotation mark used in Romanian typography, placed at baseline.

[high double quote]

Closing quotation mark used in Romanian typography.

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Romanian alphabet?

What are the 5 Romanian diacritical letters and how are they pronounced?

What is the difference between and Î in Romanian?

How is Romanian different from other Romance languages?

Where is Romanian spoken around the world?

How do I type Romanian special characters (ă, â, î, ș, ț)?

Is the comma below (sedilă) the same as a cedilla?

Is Romanian easy to learn for English speakers?

References:

[1] Academia Vlăhește. "Megleno-Romanian Alphabet and Language Standards". Retrieved from Romanian Academy
[2] Unicode Consortium. "Latin Extended-B Block". Retrieved from Unicode Latin Extended-B
[3] Institutul Limbii Române. "Romanian Language: Structure and Use". Retrieved from Romanian Language Institute