If you're trying to learn the Latvian Alphabet you will find some useful resources including a course about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Latvian 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 Latvian. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Latvian 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 Latvian language.
Below is a table showing the Latvian alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| Latvian Alphabet | English Sound | Pronunciation Example |
|---|---|---|
| A a | [ɑ] | as in up |
| Ā ā | [ɑː] | as in father |
| B b | [b] | as in brother |
| C c | [t͡s] | as in tsar |
| Č č | [t͡ʃ] | as in chair |
| D d | [d] | as in door |
| E e | [e], [æ] | as in elephant |
| Ē ē | [eː], [æː] | as in easter |
| F f | [f] | as in finger |
| G g | [ɡ] | as in gap |
| Ģ ģ | [ɟ] | as in general |
| H h | [x], [h] | as in hockey |
| I i | [i] | as in enough |
| Ī ī | [iː] | as in each |
| J j | [j] | as in you |
| K k | [k] | as in cat |
| Ķ ķ | [c] | as in jug |
| L l | [l] | as in lamp |
| Ļ ļ | [ʎ] | as in tool |
| M m | [m] | as in male |
| N n | [n], [ŋ] | as in nail |
| Ņ ņ | [ɲ] | as in onion |
| O o | [ua̯], [o], [oː] | as in ocular |
| P p | [p] | as in peace |
| R r | [r] | as in rest |
| S s | [s] | as in sock |
| Š š | [ʃ] | as in shadow |
| T t | [t] | as in table |
| U u | [u] | as in would |
| Ū ū | [uː] | as in you |
| V v | [v] | as in vacuum |
| Z z | [z] | as in zebra |
| Ž ž | [ʒ] | as in pleasure |
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:
| Latvian Pronunciation |
|---|
The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Latvian. Once you're done with Latvian alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Latvian lessons here: Learn Latvian. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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