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Kaqchikel Maya Pronunciation and Spelling Guide (Cakchiquel)

Kaqchikel Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Kaqchikel pronunciation:
a		a	Like the a in father.
ä	a, y, i, ă, a	ə ~ i	In some dialects it is pronounced like the a in about. In others, it is pronounced higher in the mouth like the "dark i" sound of Russian or Polish.
e		e	Like the Spanish e, similar to the a in English gate.
ë	e, ĕ, e	ε ~ ə ~ e	Like e in get. Most Kaqchikel dialects pronounce this sound the same as ä or e, and even Kaqchikel speakers who do pronounce this sound distinctly often spell it as "e."
i		i	Like the i in police.
ï	i, ĭ, i	I ~ i	Like the i in hit. In some dialects this sound is pronounced the same as the i sound.
o		o	Like the o in note.
ö	o, ŏ, o	~ o	Like the au in caught. In some dialects this sound is pronounced the same as the o sound.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
ü	ŭ, v, u	U	Like the u in put.

Kaqchikel Diphthongs

Kaqchikel Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Kaqchikel pronunciation:
b'	b	б	Like b in boy, only implosive. To English speakers, it sounds as if Maya speakers are 'swallowing' the b sound, similar to the way b is pronounced in Vietnamese. At the end of a word this sound often is not pronounced at all.
ch	c	t	Like ch in chair.
ch'	chh, 'ch, c', 4h	t	Like ch, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
h	j	h ~ x	Like h in hay. Some speakers pronounce it more raspily, like the j in Spanish jalapeño.
k	c, qu	k	Like k in key.
k'	c', qu', q'u, k, , 'c, 4		Like k, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
ky	cy, ky	kj	Like c in cute.
ky'	cy', c'y, ky'	kj'	Like ky, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
l	ll	l	Like l in light.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n	ŋ, nh	n ~ ŋ	Like n in night. At the end of a word, sometimes it is pronounced like the ng in sing.
p		p	Like the p in pie.
q	k	q	Like k only pronounced further back in the throat. This is the same sound as the q in Arabic.
q'	k', , 'k, 3		Like q, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
r			Like Spanish r, somewhat like the tt in English butter.
s	z, ç	s	Like the s in sun.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
t'	tt		Like t, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
tz	ts, ¢	ts	Like ts in cats.
tz'	ts', dz, , ¢', 'tz, 4,	t	Like tz, only glottalized (pronounced with a pop of air.)
w	b, v, vu, hu	w ~ b ~ β	Usually like w in way, but in some dialects it is pronounced like b in boy or the bilabial v in Spanish navidad instead.
x	š, sh, $		Like sh in shell.
y		j	Like y in yes.
’	7		A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Kaqchikel Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

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