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Help:IPA/Persian

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The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Persian, Dari, and Tajik language pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA, and {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation#Entering IPA characters}}.

See Persian phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Persian.

class="wikitable"

! colspan="3" | IPA

! colspan="5" | ConsonantsPersian consonants can be geminated (doubled), especially in words from Arabic. This is represented in IPA by doubling the consonant: {{IPA|[sejjed]}}.

rowspan="2" | {{flagicon|Iran}}
Farsi

! rowspan="2" | {{flagicon|Afghanistan}}
Dari

! rowspan="2" | {{flagicon|Tajikistan}}
Tajik

! rowspan="2" | Arabic
letter

! rowspan="2" | Cyrillic
letter

! colspan="2" | Example word

! rowspan="2" | English approximation

Arabic script

! Cyrillic script

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|b}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ب}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|б}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|برادر}}

| {{lang|tg|бародар}}

| beetAlso an allophone of {{IPA|/p/}} before voiced consonants. - boy

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|d̪|d}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|د}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|д}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|د‫وست‬}}

| {{lang|tg|дӯст}}

| den - Daniel

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|dʒ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ج}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ҷ}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|جوان}}

| {{lang|tg|ҷавон}}

| jazz - joy

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|f}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ف}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ф}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|فشار}}

| {{lang|tg|фишор}}

| fast - festival

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɡ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|گ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|г}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|گروه}}

| {{lang|tg|гуруҳ}}

| gateAlso an allophone of {{IPA|/k/}} before voiced consonants. - gooseberry

rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɣ}} , {{IPAlink|q}}
{{IPAlink|ɢ}}Also an allophone of /{{IPAlink|x}}/ before voiced consonants.

| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɣ}}

| align="center" | {{lang|fa|غ}}
غ and ق denoted the original Arabic phonemes in Classical Persian, the voiced velar fricative {{IPA|[ɣ]}} and the voiceless uvular stop {{IPA|[q]}} (pronounced in Persian as voiced uvular stop {{IPA|[ɢ]}}), respectively. In the modern Tehrani accent (both colloquial and standard dialects), the phonemes of غ and ق are allophones; when {{IPA|/ɣ/}} (spelled either {{lang|fa|غ}} or {{lang|fa|ق}}) occurs at the beginning or the end of a word, after a consonant and at the end of a syllable, it is realized as a voiced uvular plosive {{IPA|[ɢ]}}. When /{{IPA|ɢ}}/ (also spelled either {{lang|fa|غ}} or {{lang|fa|ق}}) occurs intervocalically, it is realized as a voiced velar fricative {{IPA|[ɣ]}}. The allophone is probably influenced by Turkic languages like Azeri and Turkmen. The sounds remain distinct in Persian dialects of southern Iran and Eastern Persian dialects (Dari and Tajik).

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ғ}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|باغ}}

| {{lang|tg|боғ}}

| rowspan="2" | Either:

  • Spanish fuego ({{IPA|[ɣ]}}),
  • Similar to cost (but deeper in the throat) ({{IPA|[q]}}),
  • Similar to got (but deeper in the throat) ({{IPA|[ɢ]}})
colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|q}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ق}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|қ}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|قلم}}

| {{lang|tg|қалам}}

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|h}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ه}}
{{lang|fa|ح}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ҳ}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|هفت}}

| {{lang|tg|ҳафт}}

| hat

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|j}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ی}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|й}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|یا}}

| {{lang|tg|ё}}

| yard

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|kʰ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ک}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|к}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|کشور}}

| {{lang|tg|кишвар}}

| catThe unvoiced stops {{IPA|/p, t, tʃ, k/}} are aspirated much like their English counterparts: they become aspirated when they begin a syllable, but aspiration is not contrastive.

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|l}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ل}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|л}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|لب}}

| {{lang|tg|лаб}}

| land

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|m}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|م}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|м}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|مادر}}

| {{lang|tg|модар}}

| manAlso an allophone of {{IPA|/n/}} before bilabial consonants.

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|n}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ن}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|н}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|نان}}

| {{lang|tg|нон}}

| neck

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|pʰ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|‫پ‬}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|п}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|‫پدر‬}}

| {{lang|tg|пидор}}

| pen

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɾ}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ر}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|р}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|ایران}}

| rowspan="2" | {{lang|tg|Эрон}}

| Flapped or rolled RA trilled allophone {{IPAblink|r}} occurs word-initially (Spanish, Italian, or Russian r; it can be in free variation between a trill {{IPA|[r]}} and a flap {{IPA|[ɾ]}}); trill {{IPAblink|r}} as a separate phoneme occurs word-medially especially in loanwords of Arabic origin as a result of gemination (doubling) of {{IPA|[ɾ]}}. Only {{IPA|[ɾ]}} occurs before and after consonants; in word-final position it is usually a free variation between a flap or a trill when followed by a consonant or a pause, but flap is more common, only flap before vowel-initial words.

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɹ}}

|ring

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|s}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|س}}
{{lang|fa|ص}}
{{lang|fa|ث}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|с}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|سایه}}

| {{lang|tg|сойа}}

| sock

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ʃ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|‫ش‬}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ш}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|‫شاه‬}}

| {{lang|tg|шоҳ}}

| shake

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|tʰ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ت}}
{{lang|fa|ط}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|т}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|تا}}

| {{lang|tg|то}}

| tall

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|tʃʰ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|چ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ч}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|چوب}}

| {{lang|tg|чӯб}}

| chip

style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|v}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|w}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|v}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|و}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|в}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|ویژه}}

| {{lang|tg|вижа}}

| Farsi & Tajik: oven, Dari: wetWhile {{lang|fa|و}} is pronounced {{IPA|[v]}} in Iranian Persian, it is pronounced as {{IPAblink|w}} in Dari.{{IPA|[v]}} is also an allophone of {{IPA|[f]}} before voiced consonants.

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|x}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|خ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|х}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|خانه}}

| {{lang|tg|хона}}

| loch (Scottish)

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|z}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ز}}
{{lang|fa|ذ}}
{{lang|fa|ض}}
{{lang|fa|ظ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|з}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|آزاد}}

| {{lang|tg|озод}}

| jazzAlso an allophone of {{IPA|/s/}} before voiced consonants.

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ʒ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ژ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ж}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|ژاله}}

| {{lang|tg|жола}}

| visionAlso an allophone of {{IPA|/ʃ/}} before voiced consonants.

colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ʔ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ع}}
{{lang|fa|ء}}Moreover spoken before all initial vowel onsets (as in ایران [ʔiːˈɾɒːn] (Iran))

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ъ}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|معنا}}

| {{lang|tg|маъно}}

| As in water, better, Let's go! (Cockney); button (GA and RP; see T-glottalization)

colspan="8" | Marginal consonants
colspan="3" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ŋ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|نگ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|нг}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|رنگ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ранг}}

| singVelar nasal {{IPA|[ŋ]}} is an allophone of {{IPA|/n/}} before {{IPA|[g]}}, {{IPA|[k]}}, {{IPA|[ɣ]}}, {{IPA|[ɢ]}}, and {{IPA|[x]}} in native vocabulary.

colspan="8" | Stress
style="text-align: center;" colspan="4" | {{IPA|ˈ}} Stress falls on the last stem syllable of most words. For the various exceptions and other clarifications, see {{section link|Persian phonology|Word accent}}.

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|э}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|ایران}}
{{IPA|[ʔiːˈɾɒːn]}}

|{{lang|tg|Эрон}}

|about
{{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|b|aʊ|t}}

class="wikitable"

! colspan="3" | IPA

! colspan="7" | Vowels

rowspan="2" | {{flagicon|Iran}}
Farsi

! rowspan="2" | {{flagicon|Afghanistan}}
Dari

! rowspan="2" | {{flagicon|Tajikistan}}
Tajik

! rowspan="2" | Arabic
letter

! rowspan="2" | Cyrillic
letter

! colspan="2" | Example word

! colspan="3" | English approximation

Arabic script

! Cyrillic script

! Farsi

! Dari

! Tajik

colspan="10" | Monophthongs
style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|æ}} The three short or unstable vowels are actually short only in open, non-final syllables. In other environments, their length is equal to the long vowels ({{cite journal|last1=Toosarvandani|first1=Maziar Doustdar|title=Vowel Length in Modern Farsi|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society|date=9 November 2004|volume=14|issue=03|pages=241–251|doi=10.1017/S1356186304004079|url=http://people.ucsc.edu/~mtoosarv/papers/toosarvandani_2004_JRAS.pdf}}).

| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|æ}}, {{IPAlink|a}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|َ}}‎In the modern Persian script, the "short" vowels {{IPA|/æ/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/o/}} are usually not written, like in the Arabic alphabet; only the long vowels {{IPA|/ɒː/}}, {{IPA|/iː/}}, {{IPA|/uː/}} are represented in the text. That, of course, creates certain ambiguities.
{{lang|fa|ه}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|а}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|نه}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|на}}

| style="text-align: center;" colspan="3" | bat

style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|e}}{{IPA|[e]}} is also a word-final allophone of {{IPA|/æ/}} in contemporary Iranian Persian.

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɪ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|i}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ِ}}‎
{{lang|fa|ه}}Only word finally, when it forms the silent he.

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|и}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|که}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ки}}

| style="text-align: center;" | between bait and betThe Farsi {{IPA|/e/}} is different from any English vowel, but the nearest equivalents are the vowel of bait (for most English dialects) and the vowel of bet; the Persian vowel is usually between the two.

| style="text-align: center;" | bit

| style="text-align: center;" | beat

style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|o}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ʊ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|u}}

| style="text-align: center;" |Only when it forms the silent vav. {{lang|ps|ُ}}
{{lang|ps|و}}‎

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|у}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|تو}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ту}}

| style="text-align: center;" | story

| style="text-align: center;" | pull

| style="text-align: center;" | cool

style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɒː}}The level of roundedness may vary. {{harvtxt|Campbell|1995}} writes simply {{IPA|/ɔː/}}, but {{harvtxt|Majidi|Ternes|1999}} describe it as "underrounded" but write {{IPA|/ɒ/}} anyway. The vowel may be written as {{IPA|/ɑ/}} as well.[http://bamdadesari.ir/?p=4319]{{Dead link|date=January 2021}}[http://uijs.ui.ac.ir/jrl/files/site1/user_files_6120f6/admin-A-10-1-32-1d3774c.pdf]{{Dead link|date=January 2021}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɑː}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɔ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|آ}}
{{lang|fa|َا}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|о}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|تا}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|то}}

| style="text-align: center;" | off, but longer

| style="text-align: center;" | father

| style="text-align: center;" | off

rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|iː}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|eː}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|e̞}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ی}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|е}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|شیر}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|шер}}

| style="text-align: center;" | beat

| style="text-align: center;" | bait

| style="text-align: center;" | bet

style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|iː}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|i}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ِی}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|и}}, {{lang|tg|ӣ}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|شیر}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|шир}}

| style="text-align: center;" colspan="3" | beat

rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|uː}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|oː}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|ɵ̞}}, {{IPAlink|o̞}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|و}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ӯ}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|رو}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|рӯ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | cool

| style="text-align: center;" | story

| style="text-align: center;" | bet, story

style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|uː}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAlink|u}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|ُو}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|у}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|رو}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ру}}

| style="text-align: center;" colspan="3" | cool

colspan="10" | DiphthongsThe number and even the existence of diphthongs in Persian are disputed ({{cite journal|last1=Alamolhoda|first1=Seyyed Morleza|title=Phonostatistics and Phonotactics of the Syllable in Modern Persian|journal=Studia Orientalia|date=2000|volume=89|pages=14–15|url=http://ojs.tsv.fi/index.php/StOrE/issue/view/3422|issn=0039-3282}}).
style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|ej}}

| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|æj}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|َی}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ай}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|کی}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|кай}}

| style="text-align: center;" | bay

| style="text-align: center;" colspan="2" | buy

style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|ow}}{{IPA|/ou/}} becomes {{IPA|[o]}} in the colloquial Tehrani dialect but is preserved in other Western dialects and standard Eastern Persian.

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|æw}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|æʋ}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|fa|َو}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|ав}}

| style="text-align: right;" | {{lang|fa|نو}}

| style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|tg|нав}}

| style="text-align: center;" | goal

| style="text-align: center;" colspan="2" | loud

|}

See also

  • {{clc|Pages with Persian IPA|pages}}
  • {{clc|Pages with Dari IPA|pages}}
  • {{clc|Pages with Tajik IPA|pages}}

Notes

{{reflist}}

References

  • {{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=George L. |authorlink1=George L. Campbell |date=1995 |chapter=Persian |title=Concise Compendium of the World's Languages |edition=1st |location=London |publisher=Routledge |page=385 |isbn=0415160499 |oclc=31044817}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Majidi |first1=Mohammad-Reza |last2=Ternes |first2=Elmar |chapter=Persian (Farsi) |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_pes_phon-2|title=Handbook of the International Phonetic Association|date=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=124–125 |isbn=978-0521652360 |oclc=896414767}}

{{IPA keys}}