Nasal Mutation

Level 2

Nasal mutation turns the first sound of a word into a sound made through the nose: tad → fy nhad (my father).

How It Works

The six changes

  • p → mh: pen → fy mhen (my head)
  • t → nh: tad → fy nhad (my father)
  • c → ngh: cath → fy nghath (my cat)
  • b → m: bara → fy mara (my bread)
  • d → n: drws → fy nrws (my door)
  • g → ng: gardd → fy ngardd (my garden)

The sounds. mh, nh and ngh are breathy: say m, n or ng with a puff of air after it. The ng sound is the ng in English sing, even at the start of a word.

What causes it

  • fy (my): fy nghar i (my car)
  • yn (in): yng Nghymru (in Wales), ym Mangor (in Bangor)

Later you will also meet it after some numbers, as in pum mlynedd (five years; see Years and Age After Numbers), and after the prefix an-, as in annheg (unfair; see Negative Prefixes).

Using a dictionary. Dictionaries list the unchanged form. If a word begins with mh, nh or ngh, look under p, t or c. If it begins with m, n or ng, it may come from b, d or g, or it may really start with m or n.

In speech. The change after fy is very steady in everyday speech. After yn (in) you will sometimes hear it left out in quick, relaxed talk, but the nasal forms are the standard ones to learn.

Compare the three mutation systems on one word: cath → gath (soft), nghath (nasal), chath (aspirate). See Initial Consonant Mutations.

Examples (6)

  1. Dyma fy nhad i.

    This is my father.

    t → nh after fy.

  2. Ble mae fy nghath i?

    Where's my cat?

    c → ngh after fy.

  3. Mae fy mhlant i'n siarad Cymraeg.

    My children speak Welsh.

    p → mh: plant → mhlant.

  4. Dyma fy mrawd i.

    This is my brother.

    b → m: brawd → mrawd.

  5. Dw i'n byw yng Nghaerdydd.

    I live in Cardiff.

    c → ngh after yn (in), and yn becomes yng.

  6. Mae fy ngwaith i'n ddiddorol.

    My work is interesting.

    g → ng: gwaith → ngwaith.

Common Mistakes

  • Using soft mutation after fy.

    fy gath i
    fy nghath i

    Fy causes nasal mutation, not soft mutation: c becomes ngh.

  • Changing a letter that nasal mutation leaves alone.

    fy fam i
    fy mam i

    M is not one of the six letters. Soft mutation would change m to f, but nasal mutation keeps m.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Nasal MutationLevel 2

Learn This First

Nasal mutation is a second mutation system.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.