The Hausa alphabet (Boko) consists of 29 letters, utilizing modified Latin characters to represent unique sounds like glottalized and implosive consonants. [1, 2, 3]
The Hausa Alphabet (A–Z)
- A a
- B b
- Ɓ ɓ (Hooked B – unique implosive sound)
- C c (Pronounced like the “ch” in “chair”)
- D d
- Ɗ ɗ (Hooked D – unique glottalized sound)
- E e
- F f
- G g
- H h
- I i
- J j
- K k
- Ƙ ƙ (Hooked K – unique ejective sound)
- L l
- M m
- N n
- O o
- R r
- S s
- Sh sh (Treated as a single letter/digraph)
- T t
- Ts ts (Treated as a single letter/digraph with a unique whistling sound)
- U u
- W w
- Y y
- Ƴ ƴ (Hooked Y – unique glottalized sound, sometimes written as ’Y ’y)
- Z z
- ’ (The apostrophe signifies a glottal stop and is considered a letter) [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Key Differences from English
- Missing Letters: The letters P, Q, V, and X do not exist in the standard Hausa alphabet.
- Hooked Letters: Ɓ, Ɗ, Ƙ, and Ƴ require special tongue placement to create implosive or ejective sounds.
- Digraphs: Sh and Ts are counted as distinct individual units within the alphabetical order. [9, 10]
Would you like to hear how these specific hooked letters are pronounced, or do you want to learn some basic vocabulary starting with these letters?
[4] https://latinum.substack.com
[5] https://latinum.substack.com
[7] https://elon.io
[9] https://wisc.pb.unizin.org
[10] https://elon.io