Help:IPA/Kinyarwanda

The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Kinyarwanda pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA-sw and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.

Consonants
IPA	Examples	English approximation
b	imbwa [imbgɑ] 'dog'	bill
β	abantu [ɑβɑnhu] 'people'	somewhat like van
c	ikibwana [icibgɑnɑ] 'puppy' icyaha [icɑhɑ] 'crime' gupyonyora [gupcoɲoɾɑ] 'to scrub'	cue
ç	kubeshya [kuβeçɑ] 'to lie'	hue
d	kudoda [kudodɑ] 'to sew'	delta
f	hafi [hɑfi] 'near'	focus
g	gusa [gusɑ] 'only' imbwa [imbgɑ] 'dog'	gag
h	guha [guhɑ] 'to give' impanga [imhɑŋgɑ] 'twin' intama [inhɑmɑ] 'sheep' inka [iŋhɑ] 'cow'	ahead
j	yuko [juko] 'whether'	yellow
ɟ	igitabo [iɟitɑbo] 'book' kujya [kuɟɑ] 'to go' ibyondo [ibɟondo] 'mud'	argue
k	kugwa [kugwɑ] 'to fall' gukoropwa [gukoɾopka] 'to be mopped'	scald
m	mama [mɑmɑ] 'mom'	mocha
n	na [nɑ] 'and'	ninny
ɲ	nyuma [ɲumɑ] 'after' imyaku [imɲɑku] 'bad luck'	canyon
ŋ	kwanga [kwɑŋgɑ] 'to hate' umwana [umŋɑnɑ] 'child'	sing
p	fotokopi [fotokopi] 'photocopy'	spill
pf	gupfa [gupfɑ] 'to die'	up front
ɾ	kugura [kuguɾɑ] 'to buy'	N. Am. and Australian better, Scots three
s	isaha [isɑhɑ] 'hour'	stole
ʃ	isha [iʃɑ] 'gazelle'	shell
t	amata [ɑmɑtɑ] 'milk'	stand
ts	kotsa [kotsɑ] 'to burn'	outside
tʃ	kwica [kwiʃɑ] 'to kill'	chase
v	kumva [kumvɑ] 'to hear'	very
w	kwica [kwitʃɑ] 'to kill'	with
z	kubaza [kuβɑzɑ] 'to ask'	zoo
ʒ	ejo [eʒo] 'yesterday, tomorrow'	genre

Vowels
IPA	Examples	English approximation
ɑ	isaha [isɑhɑ] 'hour'	father
e	kubeshya [kuβeçɑ] 'to lie'	late
i	igitabo [iɟitɑbo] 'book'	meat
o	kotsa [kotsɑ] 'to burn'	bowl
u	gupfa [gupfɑ] 'to die'	fool

Suprasegmentals
IPA	Examples	Explanation

Bibliography

• Kimenyi, Alexandre (1979), Studies in Kinyarwanda and Bantu Phonology, Carbondale IL & Edmonton (Canada): Linguistic Research Inc.