tontonton

Inuktitut Sounds

This is a quick cheat sheet for the sounds found in Inuktitut.

The i sound

There are at least 2 i sounds in Inuktitut. In terms of all possible i sounds, there is the basic most common i sound, the secondary i sound, and the tertiary i sound, as well as long and nasal forms of each.

iiLike "ee" sound.i
i%i_Long "ee" sound.

The e sound

There are at least 2 e sounds in Inuktitut. In terms of all possible e sounds, there is the basic most common e sound, the secondary e sound, and the tertiary e sound, as well as long and nasal forms of each.

eeLike "day" sound.e
EELike "eh" in "pet".ɛ

The a sound

There are at least 2 a sounds in Inuktitut. In terms of all possible a sounds, there is the basic most common a sound, the secondary a sound, and the tertiary a sound, as well as long and nasal forms of each.

aaLike "ah" in father sound.a ɑ ä
a%a_Long "ah" sound.

The o sound

There are at least 2 o sounds in Inuktitut. In terms of all possible o sounds, there is the basic most common o sound, the secondary o sound, and the tertiary o sound, as well as long and nasal forms of each.

ooLike "oh" sound.o
1o$British oah sound.ɔ

The u sound

There are at least 2 u sounds in Inuktitut. In terms of all possible u sounds, there is the basic most common u sound, the secondary u sound, and the tertiary u sound, as well as long and nasal forms of each.

uuLike "oo" in "you" sound.u
u%u_Long "oo" sound.

The m sound

There is at least 1 m sound in Inuktitut. Notice the English m and mmm have a similar shape.

mmRegular mm

The n sound

There is at least 1 n sound in Inuktitut. Notice the English n and nnn have a similar shape.

nnRegular nn

The q sound

There is at least 1 q sound in Inuktitut.

qqRegular ngŋ ɴ

The p sound

There is at least 1 p sound in Inuktitut.

ppRegular pp

The t sound

There is at least 1 t sound in Inuktitut.

ttRegular tt

The k sound

There are at least 2 k sounds in Inuktitut.

kkRegular kk
k6KDeep guttural k (used a lot in Arabic, or Inuktitut)q

The h sound

There is at least 1 h sound in Inuktitut.

hhRegular hh

The y sound

There is at least 1 y sound in Inuktitut. Notice the English y and yyy have a similar shape, although the Tone yyy is like a Tone OOO with a tail.

yyRegular yj

The v sound

There is at least 1 v sound in Inuktitut.

vvRegular vv

The l sound

There is at least 1 l sound in Inuktitut.

llRegular ll

The s sound

There are at least 2 s sounds in Inuktitut.

ssRegular ss
s5SRough s (used a lot in Native American languages)ɬ

The r sound

There is at least 1 r sound in Inuktitut.

GGVelar r like the French r soundɣ ʁ