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| Filipino alphabet | |
|---|---|
| Script type | |
| Languages | Filipino |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
| Unicode | |
| Subset ofLatin | |
| This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. | |
Themodern Filipino alphabet (Filipino:makabagong alpabetong Filipino), otherwise known as theFilipino alphabet (Filipino:alpabetong Filipino), is the alphabet of theFilipino language, the officialnational language and one of the twoofficiallanguages of the Philippines. The modern Filipino alphabet is made up of 28 letters, which includes the entire 26-letter set of theISO basic Latin alphabet, theSpanishÑ, and theNg. The Ng digraph came from thePilipino Abakada alphabet of theFourth Republic. Today, the modern Filipino alphabet may also be used to write alllanguages of the Philippines.
In 2013, theKomisyon sa Wikang Filipino released theOrtograpiyang Pambansa ("National Orthography"), a new set of guidelines that resolved phonemic representation problems previously encountered when writing somePhilippine languages and dialects.
| Upper case | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | Ñ | Ng | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower case | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | ñ | ng | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z |
| IPAphones | a | b | k,s | d | e | f,p | g | h | i | d͡ʒ, h | k | l | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | o | p | k | ɾ | s | t | u | v,b | w | ks, z | j | z,s |
The letters C/c, F/f, J/j, Ñ/ñ, Q/q, V/v, X/x, and Z/z are not used in most native Filipino words, but they are used in proper names or a few to some native and non-native Filipino words that are and that already have been long adopted, loaned, borrowed, used, inherited and/or incorporated, added or included from the other languages of and from the Philippines, including Chavacano and other languages that have or where occurs a wider set of occurring sounds and pronunciations compared to the more limited occurring sounds and pronunciations in the Tagalog language and some of the other major local and regional languages and lingua francas or common languages, and also from foreign languages in the Philippines and beyond, that have influenced or continues to influence the languages of and from the Philippines and how Filipinos speak and pronounce the Filipino language and the other languages, which are all already long part and already have been long part of the Filipino national and official language since 1987, most especially in the varieties, variants or dialects on the other places or areas of the Philippines outside of the predominantly and only Tagalog-speaking and the predominantly or only Tagalog-based or predominantly Tagalog only-based Filipino-speaking places or areas.
The 28 letters of the Alpabeto are calledtítik orlétra, and each represents a spoken sound. These are classed either aspatínig orbokáblo (vowels) andkatínig orkonsonánte (consonants).
The letters' names are pronounced and collated in the same way as English, except for Ñ/enʲe/.
| Letter | Name | Phoneme | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ey | /a/ | Becomes[ɐ] in unstressed syllables and[ä] in stressed syllables. |
| B | bi | /b/ | |
| C | si | /k/,/s/ | For words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language,[k] applies to⟨ca, co, cu⟩, while[s] applies to⟨ce, ci⟩. Formerly used for Tagalog words under Spanish orthography. |
| D | di | /d/ | Is often allophonic with[ɾ] in intervocalic positions. |
| E | i | /e/ | Normally[e~e̞], but can become[ɛ] in emphatic speech. Sometimes pronounced as[ə] in areas with influence with other native languages. |
| F | ef | /f/ | Often indistinguishable from[p]. Exclusively written for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language. |
| G | dyi | /ɡ/,/dʒ/,/h/ | For words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language,[dʒ] often applies to those from English, while[h] applies to those from Spanish. |
| H | eyts | /h/ | Speakers fromLuzon tend to pronounce the name of the letter as[e̞t͡ʃ]. |
| I | ay | /i/ | Becomes[ɪ] in unstressed syllables and[i] in stressed syllables. |
| J | dyey | /dʒ/,/h/ | Normally rewritten as⟨dy, diy⟩ to represent[dʒ] or as⟨h⟩ to represent[h]. For words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language, the former corresponds to English, while the latter to Spanish. |
| K | key | /k/,/kʷ/ | Not to be confused with[kʰ].[kʷ] only applies to⟨kw, kuw⟩. Always unaspirated in clear speech and often unreleased in coda, eg. /aˌnak̚/ child. |
| L | el | /l/ | |
| M | em | /m/ | |
| N | en | /n/,/ɲ/ | [n.j~ɲ] only applies to⟨ny, niy⟩. |
| Ñ | enye | /ɲ/ | Exclusively written for words of Spanish origin that have not been assimilated into the language. |
| Ng | en dyi | /ŋ/ | Comparative to⟨ng⟩ in "sing," "running," etc. Not to be confused with theindirect case markerng (originallyng̃ with atilde over the g), which is[nɐŋ]. |
| O | o | /o/ | Normally[o~o̞], but can become[ɔ] in emphatic speech. |
| P | pi | /p/ | Not to be confused with[pʰ]. Always unaspirated in clear speech and often unreleased in coda, eg. /haˌrap̚/ front. |
| Q | kyu | /kʷ/ | Exclusively written for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language. Formerly used for Tagalog words under Spanish orthography. |
| R | ar | /ɾ/ | Normally[ɾ], but can become[ɹ~r] in consonant clusters. |
| S | es | /s/ | |
| T | ti | /t/ | Not to be confused with[tʰ]. Always unaspirated in clear speech and often unreleased in coda, eg. /ˌapat̚/ four. |
| U | yu | /u/ | Becomes[ʊ] in unstressed syllables and[u] in stressed syllables. |
| V | vi | /v/ | Often indistinguishable from[b]. Exclusively written for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language. |
| W | dobolyu | /w/ | |
| X | eks, ekis | /ks/,/s/ | Normally rewritten as⟨eks, ks, s⟩. Exclusively written for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language. |
| Y | way | /j/ | |
| Z | zi | /z/ | Often indistinguishable from[s]. Exclusively written for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into the language. Alternatively pronounced as[zeɪ̯]. |
The Abakada developed in the early 20th century had fewer consonants. By the middle of the century, letters (baybayin) were added and later on reduced due to its ideology which is English that is approximately radical to English alphabet with the release of the Ortograpiyang Pambansa in 2014. It was a major change to add these letters and thus modernise the writing system and to preserve sounds that are found in native Philippine languages. The digraphs and manuscripts were chosen to be placed in otherwordings for privileges and adaptations.
Examples of the added letters:
| Words | Language | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chila | Ibaloy | tongue |
| chingching | Ibaloy | wall |
| alifuffug | Itawes | whirlwind |
| safot | Ibaloy | spiderweb |
| falendag | Tiruray | a flute that is covered with a leaf when played through the mouth |
| feyu | Kalinga | a pipe made from reeds |
| jambangán | Tausug | plants |
| masjid | Tausug, Mëranaw; ultimately from Arabicمسجدmasjid | mosque |
| julúp | Tausug | bad behavior |
| avid | Ivatan | beauty |
| vakul | Ivatan | a traditional, protective woman's headdress fromBatanes woven fromPhoenix hanceana[1] |
| kuvat | Ibaloy | war |
| tokwifi | Igorot | star |
| vulan | Ibanag | moon |
| kazzing | Itawes | goat |
| zigattu | Ibanag | east |
Most languages in the Philippines share vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/. After centuries of Spanish colonisation and the standardisation of Filipino as the nationallingua franca, the vowels /e/ and /o/ became more common.[citation needed]