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Alphabet Cherokee
Cherokee Syllabary
The Cherokee syllabary was invented by Sequoyah between 1809 and 1821. Each of the 85 characters represents a syllable. Within just a few years of its creation, the majority of Cherokee people had become literate — one of the fastest adoptions of a writing system in recorded history. It is the only script known to have been invented by a person who could not read any other language.
Vowel Syllables
| Caractère | Nom | Romanisation | Prononciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ꭰ | A | a | like 'a' in 'father' |
| Ꭱ | E | e | like 'e' in 'they' |
| Ꭲ | I | i | like 'ee' in 'meet' |
| Ꭳ | O | o | like 'o' in 'go' |
| Ꭴ | U | u | like 'oo' in 'moon' |
| Ꭵ | V | v | like 'u' in 'but' (nasalized) |
GA / HA Series
| Caractère | Nom | Romanisation | Prononciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ꭶ | Ga | ga | like 'ga' in 'garden' |
| Ꭸ | Ge | ge | like 'gay' |
| Ꭹ | Gi | gi | like 'gee' |
| Ꭺ | Go | go | like 'go' |
| Ꭻ | Gu | gu | like 'goo' |
| Ꭼ | Gv | gv | like 'guh' (nasalized) |
| Ꭽ | Ha | ha | like 'ha' |
| Ꭾ | He | he | like 'hey' |
| Ꭿ | Hi | hi | like 'hee' |
| Ꮀ | Ho | ho | like 'ho' |
| Ꮁ | Hu | hu | like 'hoo' |
| Ꮂ | Hv | hv | like 'huh' (nasalized) |
LA / NA / SA Series
| Caractère | Nom | Romanisation | Prononciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ꮃ | La | la | like 'la' |
| Ꮄ | Le | le | like 'lay' |
| Ꮅ | Li | li | like 'lee' |
| Ꮆ | Lo | lo | like 'lo' |
| Ꮎ | Na | na | like 'na' |
| Ꮑ | Ne | ne | like 'nay' |
| Ꮒ | Ni | ni | like 'nee' |
| Ꮓ | No | no | like 'no' |
| Ꮜ | Sa | sa | like 'sa' |
| Ꮞ | Se | se | like 'say' |
| Ꮟ | Si | si | like 'see' |
| Ꮠ | So | so | like 'so' |
DA / WA / YA Series
| Caractère | Nom | Romanisation | Prononciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ꮣ | Da | da / ta | like 'da' |
| Ꮥ | De | de / te | like 'day' |
| Ꮧ | Di | di / ti | like 'dee' |
| Ꮩ | Do | do | like 'doe' |
| Ꮹ | Wa | wa | like 'wa' |
| Ꮺ | We | we | like 'way' |
| Ꮻ | Wi | wi | like 'wee' |
| Ꮼ | Wo | wo | like 'woe' |
| Ꮿ | Ya | ya | like 'ya' in 'yard' |
| Ᏸ | Ye | ye | like 'yay' |
| Ᏹ | Yi | yi | like 'yee' |
| Ᏺ | Yo | yo | like 'yo' |