Chapter 1: The Oromo Alphabet (Qubee)
The Afaan Oromo writing system is called Qubee. It's a Latin-based alphabet and is very phonetic, meaning words are pronounced as they are written.
The Alphabet
Qubee consists of 26 basic letters, with some additional combined letters (digraphs) to represent specific sounds.
Single Letters
| Letter | Pronunciation (in English) | Example Word |
|---|---|---|
| A, a | as in "father" | Abbaa (father) |
| B, b | as in "boy" | Buna (coffee) |
| C, c | a "ch" sound, as in "church" | Ciraa (wax) |
| D, d | as in "dog" | Daabboo (bread) |
| E, e | as in "bet" | Ebelu (so-and-so) |
| F, f | as in "father" | Farda (horse) |
| G, g | as in "go" | Gala (evening) |
| H, h | as in "hat" | Harka (hand) |
| I, i | as in "see" | Ija (eye) |
| J, j | as in "jump" | Jaalala (love) |
| K, k | as in "key" | Kitaaba (book) |
| L, l | as in "love" | Laga (river) |
| M, m | as in "mother" | Mana (house) |
| N, n | as in "no" | Nama (person) |
| O, o | as in "more" | Oda (sycamore tree) |
| P, p | as in "pen" (often explosive) | Paappaasii (papaya) |
| Q, q | an explosive "k" sound from the back of the throat | Qube (letter) |
| R, r | a rolled "r", like in Spanish | Roobii (Wednesday) |
| S, s | as in "see" | Saree (dog) |
| T, t | as in "top" | Tola (free/grace) |
| U, u | as in "flute" | Uffata (clothes) |
| V, v | as in "victory" (rare, mostly in loan words) | Viidiyoo (video) |
| W, w | as in "water" | Waraana (war) |
| X, x | an explosive "t" sound | Xalayaa (letter/mail) |
| Y, y | as in "yes" | Yoom (when) |
| Z, z | as in "zoo" (rare, mostly in loan words) | Zayitii (oil) |
Combined Letters (Digraphs)
| Letter | Pronunciation (in English) | Example Word |
|---|---|---|
| CH, ch | same as "C" | check |
| DH, dh | an implosive "d" sound | dhagaa (stone) |
| NY, ny | like the Spanish "ñ" | nyaachuu (to eat) |
| PH, ph | an explosive "p" sound | phaaphaasi (pope) |
| SH, sh | as in "shoe" | shakkii (doubt) |
| TS, ts | as in "cats" (rare) | Tsehay (sun - loanword) |
Vowels (Dubbachiiftuu)
There are five main vowels, but they can be short or long, which changes the meaning of a word.
- a (short, like 'a' in 'cat') vs. aa (long, like 'a' in 'father')
- e (short, like 'e' in 'bet') vs. ee (long, like 'ey' in 'they')
- i (short, like 'i' in 'sit') vs. ii (long, like 'ee' in 'see')
- o (short, like 'o' in 'hot') vs. oo (long, like 'o' in 'go')
- u (short, like 'u' in 'put') vs. uu (long, like 'oo' in 'food')
For example: Laga (river) vs. Laagaa (palate).