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Awa-Guaja Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Welcome to our Guaja alphabet page! The following charts show the pronunciation for the Guaja 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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Guaja Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Guaja pronunciation:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e		e	Like Spanish e, pronounced somewhat like the a in gate.
i		i	Like the i in police.
o		o	Like the o in note.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
y	ï, i, u	i	This sound does not exist in English. It sounds like the i in police only pronounced further back in the mouth. If you've ever heard a Slavic language like Russian or Polish being spoken, it is the same "dark i" sound from those languages.

Guaja 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	ẽ
ĩ	į, iñ	ĩ
õ	, oñ	õ
ũ	ų, uñ	ũ
ỹ	ĩ, ïñ	ĩ

Guaja Diphthongs

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Guaja pronunciation:
au	aw	aw	Like ow in English cow.
ai	ay	aj	Like English eye.

Guaja Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Guaja pronunciation:
ch	x	t	Like ch in child.
h		h	Like the h in heart.
j	ll, y	j	Like the y in yes.
k	c	k	Like the k in kite.
kw	qu	kʷ	Like the qu in queen.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
p		p	Like the p in pie.
r			Like a Spanish r, similar to the tt in English butter.
s	ç	s	Like the s in sun.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
w	u, gu, gw	w	Like the w in wind.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Guaja Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Guaja words
   Guaja picture dictionary
   Tupi Guarani languages