Here
are the Gujarati vowels and consonants. Please click on the sound you want to
listen to. Using this material you can also practice speaking and listening
these sounds.
Vowel |
Phonetic Description |
Letter/s
|
|
i |
close,
front |
;, : |
|
u |
close,
back |
w, W |
|
e |
close-mid,
front |
Ae
|
|
o |
close-mid,
back |
Ao
|
|
E |
open-mid,
front |
Ae
|
|
Ť |
open-mid,
back |
Ao
|
|
« |
central
(between close-mid and open-mid) |
A
|
|
a |
open,
front |
Aa
|
|
«i |
combination
of « and
i |
AE
|
|
«u |
combination
of « and
u |
AO
|
i and u (;,:
and w,
W)
|
;s ‘a side piece of a bead stead’ ws
‘a kind of salty substance’ |
|
za6I
‘bush’ za6u
‘broom’ |
e and o
|
Ae5u& ‘food
left after eating’ Ao5u& ‘cover’ |
|
keXu& ‘banana’ koXu& ‘pumpkin’
|
« and a (A
and Aa)
|
Agm
‘mysterious’ Aagm
‘sacred text’ |
|
kX
‘a secret key’ kaX
‘time, death’ |
i and e (;,:
and Ae)
|
lI`
‘a small louse’ le` ‘an article’ |
|
-I`
‘begging’ -e`
‘a disguise’ |
u and o (w,W
and Ao)
|
`Ulvu& ‘to get opened’ `olvu& ‘to open’ |
|
kuk6u&
‘cock/ or hen’ neuter kok6u& ‘a complicated matter’ |
Gujarati
has the following consonantal sounds:
|
Consonants |
Phonetic
Description |
Gujarati
Letter/s |
|
k |
voiceless,
velar, stop |
k |
|
kH |
voiceless,
aspirated, velar, stop |
` |
|
g |
voiced,
velar, stop |
g |
|
gH |
voiced,
aspirated, velar, stop |
3 |
|
c |
voiceless,
palatal, stop |
c |
|
cH |
voiceless,
aspirated, palatal, stop |
2 |
|
j |
voiced,
palatal, stop |
j |
|
jH |
voiced,
aspirated, palatal, stop |
z |
|
˙ |
voiceless,
retroflex, stop |
4 |
|
˙H |
voiceless,
aspirated, retroflex, stop |
5 |
|
ę |
voiced,
retroflex, stop |
6 |
|
ęH |
voiced,
aspirated, retroflex, stop |
7 |
|
÷ |
palatal,
nasal |
8 |
|
t |
voiceless,
dental, stop |
t |
|
tH |
voiceless,
aspirated, dental, stop |
9 |
|
d |
voiced,
dental, stop |
d |
|
dH |
voiced,
aspirated, dental, stop |
0 |
|
n |
dental,
nasal |
n |
|
p |
voiceless,
bilabial, stop |
p |
|
pH |
voiceless,
aspirated, bilabial, stop |
f |
|
b |
voiced,
bilabial, stop |
b |
|
bH |
voiced,
aspirated, bilabial, stop |
- |
|
m |
bilabial,
nasal |
m |
|
y |
palatal,
semivowel |
y |
|
r |
flap,
alveolar |
r |
|
l |
lateral,
alveolar |
l |
|
w |
labial,
semivowel |
v |
|
s |
voiceless,
fricative, alveolar |
s |
|
S |
voiced,
fricative, alveolar |
=, q |
|
h |
voiceless,
fricative, glottal |
h |
|
ń |
lateral,
retroflex |
X
|
k and kH (k
and `)
|
ko4 fort `o4 loss |
|
Aa&k multiplication table Aa&` an eye |
g and gH
(g and 3)
|
gal check 3al imperative of ‘to put’ |
|
nag
cobra va3
tiger |
k and g (k
and g)
|
kaX
time gaX abusing word |
|
=k doubt =g a flame |
kH and gH (`
and 3)
|
`a4
coat (shortened form) #aa4
shape |
|
ra`
imperative of ‘to keep’ va3
tiger |
c and cH (c
and 2)
|
c4kvu&
‘to sting’ 24kvu&
‘to escape’ |
|
bUc ‘a surname’ pu2 ‘imperative of ‘to ask’ |
j and jH (j and z)
|
ja6u&
‘thick’ za6u& ‘broom’ |
|
baj ‘a hawk’ daz
‘strong sympathy’ |
c and j (c
and j)
|
cor
‘a thief’ jor
‘strength’ |
|
4oc ‘peak’ 2o2
‘impure’ |
cH and jH (2
and z)
|
2o6
‘plant’ zo6 ‘ ghost’ |
˙ and ˙H (4
and 5)
|
4kkr ‘resistance’ 5kkr ‘a surname’ |
|
pa4
‘a ritual term’ pa5
‘lesson’ |
ę and ęH (6
and 7)
|
6aX ‘branch of a tree’ 7aX
‘a slop’ |
|
va6
‘fence’ va7
‘imperative of ‘to cut’ |
˙ and ę (4
and 7)
|
4okrI ‘the tongue of a bell’ 6okrI ‘an old woman’ |
|
va4
‘a wick’ va6 ‘fence’ |
˙H and ęH (5 and 7)
|
5g ‘a cheater’ 7g
‘heap’ |
|
=5 ‘cunning’ s7 ‘the sail of a ship’ |
t and tH (t
and 9)
|
taXI
‘clap’ 9aXI ‘dish’ |
|
sat
‘seven’ sa9
‘companionship’ |
d and dH (d
and 0)
|
dam
‘price’ 0am ‘a city with temples’ |
|
md
‘ego’ m0 ‘honey’ |
t and d (t
and d)
|
tXvu&
‘to fry’ dXvu&
‘to grind’ |
|
vat ‘a talk’ vad
‘-ism’ |
tH and dH (9
and 0)
|
96
‘trunk of a tree’ 06
‘torso’ |
|
m9
‘imperative of ‘to churn’ m0
‘honey’ |
p and pH (p
and f)
|
pX ‘a moment’ fX
‘fruit’ |
|
sap
‘serpent’ saf
‘clean’ |
b and bH (b
and -)
|
bar
‘twelve’ -ar
‘weight’ |
|
rab
‘gruel’ la-
‘benefit’ |
pH and bH (f and -)
|
faX ‘a sudden dread’ -aX ‘a clue, a trace’ |
|
saf
‘clean’ la-
‘benefit’ |
l and ń (l
and X)
|
valI
‘parent’ vaXI ‘ear ring’ |
|
val
‘a kind of pulse’ vaX
‘hair’ |
ę and ń (6
and X)
|
va6I
‘a small farm’ vaXI
‘ear ring’ |
|
va6
‘fence’ vaX ‘hair’ |
l and r (l
and r)
|
lat
‘a kick’ rat
‘night’ |
|
val
‘a kind of pulse’ var ‘a day’ |
ń and r (X
and r)
|
saXI
‘sari’ sarI
‘good’ fem. |
|
vaX
‘hair’ var
‘a day’ |
4. Syllable
5. Intonation