Introduction to Afaan Oromoo

Introduction to Afaan Oromoo

Afaan Oromoo (the Oromo language), together with Saho-Afar, Somali, Konso, and others, belongs to the Cushitic language family. It is the fourth largest language in Africa, spoken by over 40 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

Qubee: The Oromo Alphabet

The Oromo alphabet, officially adopted in 1991, is based on the Latin script. It consists of 31 letters.

Vowels (Dubbachiiftuu)

Double vowels indicate length, which changes meaning (e.g., laga "river" vs laagaa "palate").

Short: a, e, i, o, u
Long: aa, ee, ii, oo, uu

Consonants (Dubbifamaa)

Key sounds: C (explosive ch), Dh (implosive d), Ny (as in onion), Ph (explosive p), Q (guttural k), X (explosive t).