Key Amharic sounds, the Ge'ez syllabary's vowel orders, ejective consonants, and stress patterns. Front: the sound, letter, or example word. Back: the meaning plus a plain-English pronunciation note.
32 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- ሀ ሁ ሂ ሃ ሄ ህ ሆ (ha hu hi ha he hi ho)
Show answer
The seven-vowel order for the consonant h; each symbol is a full consonant-vowel syllable, not a separate letter.- ቀ (qe)
Show answer
Pronounced with an ejective q sound, made by pinching the throat; distinct from the plain k sound in ke.- ጠ (t'e)
Show answer
An ejective t sound, pronounced with a sharp burst of air from the throat; different from the plain te.- ጨ (ch'e)
Show answer
An ejective ch sound; contrast with the plain che which has no throat closure.- ጰ (p'e)
Show answer
An ejective p sound, less common, found mostly in loanwords and a few native words.- ፀ (tse)
Show answer
Pronounced like an ejective ts, as in the ts of tsehay (sun).- ሸ (she)
Show answer
Pronounced sh as in shoe; part of the palatalized consonant series.- ኘ (nye)
Show answer
Pronounced ny as in canyon; a palatalized n sound.- ኧ (glottal e)
Show answer
A vowel-only symbol representing a glottal stop plus e, often at the start of a word.- ዕ (glottal a)
Show answer
Represents a glottal stop plus a vowel, historically from the Ge'ez letter ayin.- ስ (si, sixth order)
Show answer
The sixth vowel order often has a reduced or nearly silent vowel, pronounced as a short i or barely voiced.- Word stress
Show answer
Amharic stress is generally even across syllables, with less emphasis variation than English; avoid over-stressing any one syllable.- Gemination (doubled consonants)
Show answer
Amharic distinguishes meaning by doubling a consonant's length; listen for the extra-long consonant sound in some verb forms.- ሰላም vs ሰላይ (selam vs selay)
Show answer
Selam (hello, peace) and selay (spy) differ in the final consonant; listen carefully to tell them apart.- Ejective vs plain consonants
Show answer
Ejectives (q, t', ch', p', ts') are pronounced with a sharp puff of air and a catch in the throat, while their plain counterparts are pronounced smoothly like in English.
FlashKeepers