The Azerbaijani alphabet with pronunciation
32 Latin letters, one letter per sound. English comparisons are approximate; confirm the exact sound with a native speaker.
| Letter | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A a | like a in father | ana — mother |
| B b | like b in bed | bala — child |
| C c | like j in jam | cavab — answer |
| Ç ç | like ch in chair | çay — tea |
| D d | like d in dog | dost — friend |
| E e | like e in bed | el — country, people |
| Ə ə | like a in cat | əl — hand |
| F f | like f in fish | fikir — thought |
| G g | soft g, before front vowels | gül — flower, rose |
| Ğ ğ | soft, lengthens the vowel | dağ — mountain |
| H h | like h in hat | həyat — life |
| X x | like ch in Scottish loch | xeyir — good |
| I ı | no English equal: like the second vowel of roses, unrounded | qız — girl, daughter |
| İ i | like i in sit | il — year |
| J j | like s in measure | jurnal — magazine |
| K k | like k in key | kitab — book |
| Q q | back g, deep in the throat | qapı — door |
| L l | like l in lamp | lal — mute |
| M m | like m in man | məktəb — school |
| N n | like n in net | nar — pomegranate |
| O o | like o in more | ot — grass |
| Ö ö | like German ö, French eu | göz — eye |
| P p | like p in pen | pay — share |
| R r | a light rolled r | rəng — colour |
| S s | like s in sun | su — water |
| Ş ş | like sh in ship | şəkər — sugar |
| T t | like t in tea | tək — single |
| U u | like oo in moon | uşaq — child |
| Ü ü | like German ü, French u | ürək — heart |
| V v | like v in van | vaxt — time |
| Y y | like y in yes | yol — road |
| Z z | like z in zoo | zaman — time |
Common traps
- c sounds like English j, not ts.
- ı (no dot) and i (dotted) are different vowels.
- q is a back g, x is a rasping h.
- ə, ö, ü have no plain English equivalent.
Stress usually falls on the last syllable: ca-VAB.
Sound is better heard than read. AzEasier lessons have audio; it is synthetic, and the Azerbaijani course has not yet been reviewed by a native speaker: check anything important with a teacher.
