Vowels Letter IPA Description A /a/ open front vowel (father) E /ɛ/ open-mid front vowel (dress) I /i/ close front vowel (machine) O /o/ mid-back rounded vowel (note) U /u/ close back rounded vowel (boot) Y (eegrek) /ɨ/ close central vowel (Russian ы) Stops Letter IPA Notes B /b/ voiced bilabial stop D /d/ voiced dental-alveolar stop G /g/ voiced velar stop K /k/ voiceless velar stop P /p/ voiceless bilabial stop Q /q/ voiceless uvular stop T /t/ voiceless alveolar stop Affricates Letter IPA Notes C /ts/ alveolar affricate Ch /tʃ/ postalveolar affricate Dz /dz/ voiced alveolar affricate Dzh /dʒ/ voiced postalveolar affricate Fricatives Letter IPA Notes F /f/ voiceless labiodental Gh /ɣ/ voiced velar fricative H /x/ voiceless velar fricative S /s/ voiceless alveolar V /v/ voiced labiodental W /w/ voiced labiovelar approximant X /ʃ/ voiceless postalveolar Z /z/ voiced alveolar Zh /ʒ/ voiced postalveolar Nasals Letter IPA Notes M /m/ bilabial nasal N /n/ alveolar nasal Nj /ɲ/ palatal nasal (similar to ñ) Liquids & Approximants Letter IPA Notes L /l/ alveolar lateral Lj /ʎ/ palatal lateral (like Serbian љ) R /r/ trilled or tapped J /j/ palatal approximant Special Letter IPA Notes ’ (mjakij) [silent] softens the previous consonant, like Russian ь