Afrikaans Alphabet
Learning the structure of the Afrikaans alphabet is so important because it is used in every day conversation. Even if you know how to write the words it is still essential to be able to say the words properly so that you can be understand. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be when speaking the Afrikaans language.
Below is a table showing the Afrikaans alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
Afrikaans Alphabet English Sound Pronunciation Example
A a aa short (a) long (aa)
B b bee similar to English
C c see either s or k, e.g. sirkel
D d dee similar to English
E e ee short (a) long (aa)
F f ef similar to English
G g gee two sound possible, soft and gutteral
H h haa similar to English
I i ie short (i) long (ie), and not (ii)
J j jot like English y, e.g. jes(afr) = yes(eng)
K k kaa similar to English
L l el similar to English
M m em similar to English
N n en similar to English
O o oo short (o) long (oo)
P p pee similar to English
Q q kuu kw used, eg. kwart = 1/4
R r er similar to spanish
S s es similar to English
T t tee similar to English
U u uu short (u) long (uu)
V v vau similar to English f
W w wee unique sound
X x ex used in loan words only
Y y y like English “ay” e.g. yl(afr) = ale (eng)
Z z set s is often used
ABC Song in Afrikaans
