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Tsafiki (Colorado) Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

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

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Tsafiki pronunciation:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e		e	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to 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.

Tsafiki 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	â	ã
ẽ	ê	ẽ
ĩ	î	ĩ
ĩ	î	ĩ
ũ	û	ũ

Tsafiki Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Tsafiki pronunciation:
b	p	b	Like b in boy.
ch	ĉ	t	Like the ch in child.
d	t	d	Like the d in day.
g	gu, k	g	Like the g in girl.
h	j	h	Like h in hay.
j	J, ch	d	Like j in jar.
k	c, qu	k	Like the k in king.
kw	qu	kw ~ k^w	Like the qu in queen.
l		l	Like the l in light.
m		m	Like the m in moon.
n		n	Like the n in night.
ñ	ny	n^y	Like the ny in canyon.
p		p	Like the p in pin.
r	t		Like the r in Spanish pero, somewhat like the tt in American English butter.
s		s	Like s in sun.
sh	ŝ		Like sh in shy.
t		t	Like the t in time.
v	p, b	v	Like v in vine.
w		w	Like w in way.
x	j	x	Like the raspy j in Spanish jalapeño.
y		j	Like y in yes.
z		z	Like z in zoo.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Tsafiki/Colorado Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Colorado words
   Tsachila numbers
   Barbacoan language family