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Achuar Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Welcome to our Achuar alphabet page! The following charts show the pronunciation for the Achuar orthography we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites.

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Achuar Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Achuar pronunciation:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e		i	Like the i in police, only pronounced further back in the throat. If you've ever heard a Slavic language like Russian or Polish being spoken, it is the same "dark i" sound from those languages.
i		i	Like the i in police.
u		u	Like the u in flute.

Achuar Nasal Vowels

Nasal vowels don't exist in English, but you may be familiar with them from French (or from hearing people speak English with a French accent.) They are pronounced just like oral ("regular") vowels, only using your nose as well as your mouth. To English speakers, a nasal vowel often sounds like a vowel with a half-pronounced "n" at the end of it. You can hear examples of nasal vowels at the end of the French words "bon" and "Jean," or in the middle of the word "Français."

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:
ã	ą, añ	ã
ẽ	ę, eñ	ĩ
ĩ	į, iñ	ĩ
ũ	ų, uñ	ũ

Achuar Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Achuar pronunciation:
b		b	Like b in boy.
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
d		d	Like d in day.
g		g	Like g in girl.
j	h	h ~ x	Like h in hay. Sometimes it is pronounced more raspily, like the j in Spanish jalapeño.
k	c, qu	k	Like k in key.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ng		ŋ	Like ng in sing.
ñ	ny	ñ	Like ny in canyon.
p		p	Like the p in pie.
r			Like the r in Spanish pero, somewhat like the tt in American English butter.
s		s	Like s in see.
sh	x		Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
ts		ts	Like the ts in tsunami.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
y		j	Like y in yes.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Achuar Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Achuar-Spanish dictionary (Amazon affiliate link)
   Achuar words
   Achuar picture dictionary
   Jivaroan language family
   Languages in Ecuador