The Yoruba Alphabet: Twenty-Five Letters

Yoruba is written in a Latin-based alphabet with 25 letters, along with accent marks that show tone.

The letters

A, B, D, E, Ẹ, F, G, GB, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, Ọ, P, R, S, Ṣ, T, U, W, Y

Note that GB counts as a single letter, a digraph.

Letters that look new

Letter	Sound
Ẹ	like e in "bed"
Ọ	like aw in "saw"
Ṣ	like sh in "ship"
GB	a single sound, made with the lips
P	pronounced as kp, made at the same time at the lips and back of the mouth

The dot underneath ẹ, ọ and ṣ is called a subdot.

English letters not used

Standard Yoruba does not use C, Q, V, X or Z. They appear only in some borrowed names.

Familiar letters

Most other letters sound close to English:

• B, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, R, S, T, W, Y

Examples

• ẹja (eh-jah), fish
• ọmọ (aw-maw), child
• ṣe (sheh), to do
• gbogbo (gboh-gboh), all
• pẹ̀lẹ́ (kpeh-leh), gently

Short alphabet, rich sound

Yoruba has seven oral vowels, and tones that change meaning. The simple alphabet is paired with accent marks, which the next articles describe.

Learning tips

1. Learn the three subdot letters first.
2. Practise GB and P with a native speaker.
3. Use the dictionary to see words with correct marks.

Look up any Yoruba word with English Yoruba Dictionary →