If you're trying to learn the Estonian Alphabet you will find some useful resources including a course about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Estonian grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and memorize the sounds. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Estonian. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Estonian alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Without it, you will not be able to say words properly even if you know how to write those words. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be in speaking the Estonian language.
Below is a table showing the Estonian alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| Estonian Alphabet | English Sound | Pronunciation Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ä ä | a | short a as in act |
| Ö ö | e | sounds like "oo" |
| Õ õ | o | a cross between ö and the long o |
| Ü ü | ou | a cross between u and i |
| Š š | sh | sounds like sh in shoe |
| Ž ž | j | j as in jealous |
| A a | a | ah as in father |
| E e | e | short e as in bed |
| I i | ee | between i and e as in mean |
| O o | o | long o as in boat |
| U u | u | u in put and the oo in boot. |
| B b | p | like a soft p like lip, but a little softer |
| C c | c | only occurs in foreign names |
| D d | t | like a weak t like mat |
| F f | f | like the f in fat |
| G g | k | like a weak k like back, but softer |
| H h | h | usually sounded, but sometimes silent |
| J j | y | like a y yet |
| K k | k | same as king |
| L l | l | same as like |
| M m | m | same as million |
| N n | n | same as night |
| P p | p | same as please |
| Q q | q | only occurs in foreign names only occurs in foreign names |
| R r | r | same as ring |
| S s | s | same as sing |
| T t | t | same as train |
| V v | v | same as have |
| W w | w | only in foreign names |
| X x | x | only in foreign names |
| Y y | y | only in foreign names |
| Z z | z | same as zebra |
You saw how a letter is written and might be pronounced, but there is nothing better than hearing the sound of the letters in a video or audio. Below you will be able to hear how the letters above are pronounced, just press the play button:
| Estonian Pronunciation |
|---|
The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Estonian. Once you're done with Estonian alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Estonian lessons here: Learn Estonian. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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