Key Tongan sounds, the fakau'a glottal stop, macron vowel length, and stress patterns for accurate pronunciation. Front: the sound pattern or example word. Back: meaning plus a plain-English pronunciation note.
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- Fakauʻa (glottal stop)
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Written as a reversed apostrophe ʻ; it is a full consonant in Tongan, and dropping it can change a word's meaning entirely.- Macron (long vowel mark)
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A bar over a vowel (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) showing the vowel is held about twice as long as a plain vowel.- Ng sound
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Written as the two letters "ng" but pronounced as one sound, like the "ng" in English "singer". Example word: tangata (person).- H sound
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Tongan has a clear "h" sound, pronounced like the English "h". Example word: haʻu (to come).- No R sound
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Tongan has no native "r" sound; loanwords containing "r" are usually adapted using "l" instead.- Open syllables
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Tongan words and syllables almost always end in a vowel, not a consonant.- Five vowel qualities
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Tongan has five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, each with a short and a long version.- Penultimate stress
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Word stress in Tongan typically falls on the second-to-last syllable.- F sound
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Pronounced like the English "f".- S sound
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Always a plain, voiceless "s" as in English "sun".- V sound
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Pronounced like the English "v".- Unaspirated P, T, K
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These sounds are crisper and less breathy than in English, with no puff of air released.- M and N sounds
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Standard nasal sounds, as in English "man" and "no".- L sound
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A clear, light "l" as in English "let".- Diphthong "au"
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A vowel glide as in kaumeʻa (friend), similar to the "ow" in English "cow".
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