Tarahumara Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

˜Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
a		a	Like the a in father.
aa	a:	a	Like a only held longer.
e		e	Like the e in bet or the a in bat.
ee	e:	e	Like e only held longer.
i		i	Like the i in police.
ii	i:	i	Like i only held longer.
o		o	Like the o in note.
oo	o:	o	Like o only held longer.
u		o ~ u	Like the u in flute.
uu	u:	u	Like u only held longer.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
b	p	b ~ p	Like b in bar or p in par.
ch	c, ts	ts	Like ts in cats.
h	j	h	Like h in hay.
k	g, k, c, qu	g ~ k	Like g in gate or k in skate.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
p		p	Like the soft p in spy.
r		r ~ l	Like r in right or l in light.
s	z	s	Like s in see.
t	d	d ~ t	Like d in day or t in stay.
w		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."

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