THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET (revised to 1993)

in Unicode

 

CONSONANTS (PULMONIC)

Bilabial
Labiodental
Dental
Alveolar
Postalveolar
Retroflex
Palatal
Velar
Uvular
Pharyngeal
Glottal

Plosive

p
b
 
 
 
 
t
d
 
 
ʈ
ɖ
c
ɟ
k
g
q
ɢ
 

ʔ

Nasal

 
m
 
ɱ
 
 
 
n
 
 
 
ɳ
 
ɲ
 
ŋ
 
ɴ

Trill

 
ʙ
 
 
 
 
 
r
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
ʀ
 
 

Tap or Flap

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ɾ
 
 
 
ɽ
 
 

 
 
 
 

Fricative

ɸ
β
f
v
θ
ð
s
z
ʃ
ʒ
ʂ
ʐ
ç
ʝ
x
ɣ
χ
ʁ
ħ
ʕ
h
ɦ

Lateral Fricative

 
 
ɬ
ɮ
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Approximant

 
 
 
ʋ
 
 
 
ɹ
 
 
 
ɻ
 
j
 
ɰ
 
 
 
 

Lateral Approximant

 
 
 
l
 
 
 
ɭ
 
ʎ
 
ʟ
 
 

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a voiced consonant. Shaded areas denote articulations judged impossible.

 

CONSONANTS (NON-PULMONIC)

Clicks

Voiced Implosives

Ejectives

ʘ

Bilabial

ɓ

Bilabial

ʼ

as in:

ǀ

Dental

ɗ

Dental/Alveolar

Bilabial

ǃ

(Post)alveolar

ʄ

Palatal

Dental/Alveolar

ǂ

Palatoalveolar

ɠ

Velar

Velar

ǁ

Alveolar Lateral

ʛ

Uvular

Alveolar Fricative

 

VOWELS

Front

Central

Back

Close

i
y

ɨ
ʉ

ɯ
u

ɪ
ʏ

ʊ

Close-Mid

e
ø

ɘ
ɵ

ɤ
o

ə

Open-Mid

ɛ
œ

ɜ
ʚ

ʌ
ɔ

æ

ɐ

Open

a
ɶ

ɑ
ɒ

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel.

 

OTHER SYMBOLS

ʍ

Voiceless Labial-Velar Fricative

ɕ ʑ

Alveolo-Palatal Fricatives

w

Voiced Labial-Velar Approximant

ɺ

Alveolar Lateral Flap

ɥ

Voiced Labial-Palatal Approximant

ɧ

Simultaneous ʃ and x

ʜ

Voiceless Epiglottal Fricative

Affricates and double articulations can be represented by two symbols joined by a tie bar if necessary.

ʢ

Voiced Epiglottal Fricative

ʡ

Epiglottal Plosive

k_p t_s

  

SUPRASEGMENTALS

"

Primary Stress

%

Secondary Stress

ː

Long

:\

Half-Long

_X

Extra-Short

.

Syllable Break

|

Minor (Foot) Group

||

Major (Intonation) Group

-\

Linking (Absence of a Break)

TONES & WORD ACCENTS

LEVEL
CONTOUR
_T

Extra High

_R

Rising

_H

High

_F

Falling

_M

Mid

_H_T

High Rising

_L

Low

_B_L

Low Rising

_B

Extra Low

_R_F

Rising-Falling

!

Downstep

<R>

Global Rise

^

Upstep

<F>

Global Fall

 

DIACRITICS

Diacritics may be placed above a symbol with a descender.

_0

Voiceless

_t

Breathy Voiced

_d

Dental

_v

Voiced

_k

Creaky Voiced

_a

Apical

_h

Aspirated

_N

Linguolabial

_m

Laminal

_O

More Rounded

_w

Labialized

~

Nasalized

_c

Less Rounded

'

Palatalized

_n

Nasal Release

_+

Advanced

_G

Velarized

_l

Lateral Release

_-

Retracted

_?\

Pharyngealized

_}

No Audible Release

_"

Centralized

_e

Velarized or Pharyngealized

_x

Mid-Centralized

_r

Raised

=

Syllabic

_o

Lowered

_^

Non-Syllabic

_A

Advanced Tongue Root

`

Rhoticity

_q

Retracted Tongue Root