Chapter 2 of 16 · Explore the Estonian path
The script · Chapter 2 of 16
What each letter sounds like
Estonian uses the alphabet you know plus four new vowel letters. Learn what each letter sounds like, and which handful of consonants read differently from English.
≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- Estonian uses the alphabet you know, plus four vowel letters and two roofed ones it does not.
- Nothing is silent, and a letter keeps one sound almost everywhere — one softening the spelling never marks is the only exception.
- j is the y of yes, and b d g are p t k said gently.
The five vowels you already know
Estonian writes these five vowels with letters you already read. Each row gives the letter, the sound to try, and a word that uses it.
| Letter | Sound | A word |
|---|---|---|
| a | ah, as in father | maja |
| e | eh, as in bed | mets |
| i | the i of sit, but tighter | lind |
| o | oh, as in more, cut short | koer |
| u | oo, as in book | kuu |
A vowel never fades off the loud beat: the second a of maja
Four new vowels, and two letters used in borrowed words
These six letters are the ones English never asks you to read. Take them one at a time, and give õ a minute of its own.
- äa, as in catthe two dots drag the a forward to the front of your mouthjänesYA-nes“rabbit”
- öur, as in fur, said with the lips pushed roundsay the e of bed, then round your lips without moving your tongueööurr“night”
- üew, as in fewsay ee, and purse your lips as if to whistleüksewks“one”
- õnear the uh of cut, but with flat lips and the tongue held back — the hardest of the fourthe wave through the o is your lips going flat: say oh, then pull your lips wide and flat and keep the tongue backõunuhwn“apple”
- šsh, as in ship — only in borrowed wordsthe little roof over the s is the h of shšokolaadshoh-koh-LAAHD“chocolate”
- žthe s of measure — only in borrowed wordsgaraažgah-RAAHZH“garage”
õ is the one to spend a minute on; the other three are the ä ö ü of German, two of which Finnish has as well. The roofed pair turns up only in borrowed words — which is why those two examples lean on a later beat.
Consonants that surprise an English reader
A consonant is any letter that is not a vowel. These few read differently from English. Learn them and the rest sound the way they look.
| Letter | Sound to try | A word |
|---|---|---|
| j | y, as in yes — never the j of jam | maja |
| s | the s of sun, never the z of rose | vesi |
| r | tapped or rolled, as in Spanish | rebane |
| b, d, g against p, t, k | the first three are soft, unvoiced p, t, k with no buzz at all; the second three are the same sounds, longer and harder | sõber |
| h | always sounded, including between two vowels | hiir |
Everything not listed — f, l, m, n, v — reads as English, and no c, q, w, x or y appears in an Estonian word.
Try three words with the new letters
Say each one aloud, leaning on the first beat, then reveal.
- jänes
A y, then the a of cat.
Show answer +Hide answer −
jänesYA-nes “rabbit” - sõber
Flat lips, and a gentle b.
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sõberSUH-ber “friend” - vesi
The s does not buzz.
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vesiVEH-si “water”