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Tamazight Alphabet
Tifinagh Script
Tifinagh is an ancient script used for Tamazight (Berber) languages across North Africa. The Libyco-Berber ancestors of this script date back over 2,500 years. The modern Neo-Tifinagh version was standardized and adopted in Morocco in 2003. It has 33 letters and is now taught in Moroccan schools.
Letters
| Character | Name | Romanization | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⴰ | Ya | a | like 'a' in 'apple' |
| ⴱ | Yab | b | like 'b' in 'book' |
| ⴳ | Yag | g | like 'g' in 'go' |
| ⴷ | Yad | d | like 'd' in 'dog' |
| ⴸ | Yadd | ḍ | an emphatic 'd' sound |
| ⴻ | Yey | e / ə | like 'e' in 'the' (schwa) |
| ⴼ | Yaf | f | like 'f' in 'fan' |
| ⴽ | Yak | k | like 'k' in 'key' |
| ⵀ | Yah | h | like 'h' in 'house' |
| ⵃ | Yahh | ḥ | a breathy 'h' from the throat |
| ⵄ | Yaɛ | ʕ | a voiced pharyngeal sound |
| ⵅ | Yakh | x / kh | like 'ch' in 'loch' |
| ⵇ | Yaq | q | a deep 'k' from the throat |
| ⵉ | Yi | i | like 'ee' in 'meet' |
| ⵊ | Yaj | j | like 's' in 'measure' |
| ⵍ | Yal | l | like 'l' in 'lamp' |
| ⵎ | Yam | m | like 'm' in 'moon' |
| ⵏ | Yan | n | like 'n' in 'night' |
| ⵓ | Yu | u / w | like 'oo' in 'moon' or 'w' in 'water' |
| ⵔ | Yar | r | a rolled 'r' |
| ⵕ | Yarr | ṛ | an emphatic rolled 'r' |
| ⵖ | Yagh | ɣ / gh | like a French 'r' |
| ⵙ | Yas | s | like 's' in 'sun' |
| ⵚ | Yass | ṣ | an emphatic 's' sound |
| ⵛ | Yash | sh | like 'sh' in 'shoe' |
| ⵜ | Yat | t | like 't' in 'top' |
| ⵝ | Yatt | ṭ | an emphatic 't' sound |
| ⵡ | Yaw | w | like 'w' in 'water' |
| ⵢ | Yay | y | like 'y' in 'yes' |
| ⵣ | Yaz | z | like 'z' in 'zebra' |
| ⵥ | Yazz | ẓ | an emphatic 'z' sound |