Somali Alphabet
The Somali alphabet consists of 26 letters using the Latin script, officially adopted in 1972.
A a
A
a
B b
Be
b
T t
Te
t
J j
Je
j
X x
Xa
h
Kh kh
Kha
kh
D d
De
d
R r
Re
r
S s
Se
s
Sh sh
She
sh
Dh dh
Dhe
dh
C c
Ce
aa
G g
Ge
g
F f
Fe
f
Q q
Qe
q
K k
Ke
k
L l
Le
l
M m
Me
m
N n
Ne
n
W w
We
w
H h
He
h
Y y
Ye
y
E e
E
e
I i
I
i
O o
O
o
U u
U
u
Download Alphabet Chart
About the Somali Alphabet
The Somali alphabet uses the Latin script with 26 letters, officially adopted in 1972. The alphabet includes some letters with unique pronunciations in Somali, such as X (pronounced as 'h') and C (pronounced as a pharyngeal sound). Somali is a Cushitic language spoken in Somalia and neighboring regions.
History
Before 1972, Somali was written in various scripts including Arabic and the indigenous Osmanya script. The Latin-based alphabet was officially adopted in 1972 and has been the standard ever since. The orthography was designed to be phonetic and easy to learn, contributing to increased literacy rates.
Key Features
- Written from left to right
- 26 letters
- Officially adopted in 1972
- Phonetic spelling
- Cushitic language
- Replaced Arabic and Osmanya scripts