Yoruba Vowels: Oral and Nasal
The seven oral vowels and the nasal vowels of Yoruba, with examples to practise.
Yoruba vowels are clear and consistent, which makes them a good place to start.
The seven oral vowels
| Letter | Approximate sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | ah, as in "father" | ata (pepper) |
| e | ay, as in "say" without the glide | ewé (leaf) |
| ẹ | e as in "bed" | ẹsẹ̀ (foot) |
| i | ee as in "see" | ilé (house) |
| o | o as in "go" without the glide | owó (money) |
| ọ | aw as in "saw" | ọwọ́ (hand) |
| u | oo as in "moon" | ìkùukùu (cloud) |
Pairs worth practising
- e and ẹ: ewé (leaf) and ẹ̀fọ́ (vegetable)
- o and ọ: owó (money) and ọwọ́ (hand)
Nasal vowels
Yoruba also has nasal vowels, written with an n after the vowel. The n does not mean a separate consonant. It shows that the vowel is pronounced partly through the nose, as in French bon. At the start of a syllable, n is an ordinary consonant, as in ọ̀nà (road).
Examples with nasal vowels
- ẹ̀gbọ́n (eh-gbawn), older sibling
- ìyàn (ee-yan), famine
Vowels in a row
Yoruba words often contain two or three vowels in a row, such as ìyá or ẹ̀kọ́. Say each syllable evenly.
Tips
- Practise the pairs.
- Listen for nasal vowels.
- Use the dictionary to check vowel spelling.
English Yoruba Dictionary
Offline English–Yoruba dictionary with clear, accurate meanings
More about English Yoruba Dictionary
GB and P: Yoruba's Two Doubled Sounds
How to pronounce the sounds written gb and p in Yoruba, which are made with two articulations at once.
Read article →The Subdot Letters Ẹ, Ọ and Ṣ and How to Type Them
Why the dots under ẹ, ọ and ṣ matter, and practical ways to type them on a phone or computer.
Read article →The Yoruba Alphabet: Twenty-Five Letters
The standard Yoruba alphabet, which letters differ from English and which English letters are not used.
Read article →Yoruba Syllables: How Words Are Built
How Yoruba words are formed from simple syllables, and what that means for reading and pronunciation.
Read article →