The Igbo Alphabet
Igbo uses Latin letters, 36 in all. Nine of the letters are two-sign pairs, and four letters carry a dot.
How It Works
The 36 letters follow the Onwu spelling, which an official committee set in 1961. Schools, books and the news still use it.
| Group | Letters |
|---|---|
| Vowels (8) | a e i ị o ọ u ụ |
| Single consonants | b d f g h j k l m n ṅ p r s t v w y z |
| Pairs (9) | ch gb gh gw kp kw nw ny sh |
A pair counts as one letter, so nkpụrụ “seed” begins with n and then kp. Try not to split a pair at the end of a line.
The dots matter. ị, ọ and ụ are letters of their own, not an i, o or u with decoration. The letter ṅ has its dot above and is rare in everyday writing.
Examples (5)
- ụlọ
house
The dotted ụ and ọ are separate letters.
- achịcha
bread
It holds the pair ch and the dotted ị.
- ọgwụ
medicine
The pair gw sits between two dotted vowels.
- nkpụrụ
seed
The pair kp is one letter.
- ṅụọ
drink
It starts with ṅ, the letter with a dot above.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- The Eight Vowels
Eight of the 36 letters are vowels.
Foundations - Writing the Dots Under ị, ọ, ụWriting the Dots
The dots are part of the spelling.
Foundations - Two-Letter Consonants
Nine consonant letters take two signs.
Foundations - The Letter ṅ
The letter ṅ is the least common of the 36.
Foundations - One Letter, One Sound
Each letter has a steady sound.
Foundations
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice The Igbo Alphabet in Bubblegum
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