Grapheme Data for Wolof written with Arabic script
This information is based on the current orthography. It does not include obsolete characters.
In Wolof, the letter q is equivalent to x after a nasal (xonx = xonq) or at a geminate xx (ñaxx -ñaq).
Geminated consonants occur at the end of a word or before a suffix (shadda is used in both cases).
Shadda is also used over the second consonant of a final, nasal consonant pair (as in sanc).
Sukun only appears over an unreleased consonant.
Sources:
- Hartell, Rhonda. 1993. Alphabets of Africa. Dakar, Senegal. UNESCO and Summer Institute of Linguistics.
- Currah, Galen. “Wolofal Orthography.”
20 May 2011. Web. Accessed 27 July 2015. - Sawyer, Richard. “How to Make the Sounds in Wolof – Vowels.” Wolof of Senegal. Web. Accessed 27 July 2015.
Contributor: Lorna Evans
Also available for Latin script.
| Grapheme | USV | Phoneme | Status | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <آ> | 0622 | /ʌː/ | rare | آجࣷوࣷو ‘(to) depend (on)’ | word initial |
| <ا◌َ> | 0627 064E | /ʌ/ | expected | اَ | word initial,dual verb connector |
| <ا◌ُو> | 0627 064F 0648 | /uː/ | expected | اُوفࣹ ‘(to) shelter’ | word initial |
| <ا◌ُ> | 0627 064F | /u/ | expected | اُبِّ ‘to open’ | word initial |
| <ا◌ِ> | 0627 0650 | /i/ | expected | اِ ‘some’ | word initial, alternative form of “ay” |
| <ا◌ٗو> | 0627 0657 0648 | /oː/ | expected | اٗومْ ‘knee’ | word initial |
| <ا◌ࣴ> | 0627 08F4 | /ə/ | expected | اࣴتّ ‘court yard’ | word initial |
| <ا◌ࣵ> | 0627 08F5 | /a/ | rare | اࣵدِّنَ ‘world, earth’ | word initial |
| <ا◌ࣷو> | 0627 08F7 0648 | /ɔː/ | rare | اࣷوسْ ‘(fish) hook’ | word initial |
| <ا◌ࣷ> | 0627 08F7 | /ɔ/ | rare | اࣷلِوْ ‘olive’ | word initial |
| <ا◌ࣹ> | 0627 08F9 | /e/ | expected | اࣹگّ ‘to arrive’ | word initial |
| <ب◌ّ> | 0628 0651 | /bː/ | expected | مبُبّ ‘gown, costume’ | |
| <ب> | 0628 | /b/ | expected | بࣹنَّ ‘one’ | |
| <ت◌ّ> | 062A 0651 | /tː/ | expected | اࣴتّ ‘court yard’ | |
| <ت> | 062A | /t/ | expected | سࣹيتْ ‘consider’ | |
| <ج◌ّ> | 062C 0651 | /dʒː/ | expected | مُجّࣹ ‘to (do, be) last’ | |
| <ج> | 062C | /dʒ/ | expected | جࣵمّ ‘peace’ | |
| <ح> | 062D | /h/ | rare | اَحَکَيْ ‘Oh, yea!’ | |
| <خ> | 062E | /x/ | common | خࣷلْ ‘heart’ | |
| <د◌ّ> | 062F 0651 | /dː/ | expected | اࣵدِّنَ ‘world, earth’ | |
| <د> | 062F | /d/ | expected | دَوْ ‘to run’ | |
| <ر◌ّ> | 0631 0651 | /ɾː/ | expected | ݖُرّ ‘very (red)’ | |
| <ر> | 0631 | /ɾ/ | expected | فࣹرْ ‘to gather’ | |
| <س> | 0633 | /s/ | expected | سُوفْ ‘ground’ | |
| <ف◌ّ> | 0641 0651 | /fː/ | rare | فَّتَ ‘Ephatha’ | proper name from the Bible |
| <ف> | 0641 | /f/ | expected | فࣹرْ ‘to gather’ | |
| <ق> | 0642 | /q/ | common | نَقَرْ ‘regret, grief’ | |
| <ل◌ّ> | 0644 0651 | /lː/ | expected | دࣹلّࣷو ‘to return (something’ | |
| <ل> | 0644 | /l/ | expected | لࣵکّ ‘to speak a language’ | |
| <مب> | 0645 0628 | /ᵐb/ | expected | مبَامْ ‘pig’ | |
| <م◌ّ> | 0645 0651 | /mː/ | expected | جࣵمّ ‘peace’ | |
| <مݒ> | 0645 0752 | /ᵐp/ | expected | سَمݒ ‘plant, establish’ | |
| <م> | 0645 | /m/ | expected | مَرْ ‘to be thirsty’ | |
| <نت> | 0646 062A | /ⁿt/ | rare | بَنتَ ‘piece of wood’ | |
| <نج> | 0646 062C | /dʒ/ | expected | نجࣷال ‘tall’ | |
| <ند> | 0646 062F | /ⁿd/ | expected | ندِگَّمْ ‘his hip, waste’ | |
| <نق> | 0646 0642 | /q/ | common | جَنقّ ‘virgin’ | |
| <ن◌ّ> | 0646 0651 | /nː/ | expected | بࣹنَّ ‘one’ | |
| <نک> | 0646 06A9 | /ᵑk/ | expected | بَنکَ ‘to be broke’ | |
| <نگ> | 0646 06AF | /ᵑg/ | expected | نگَتࣷ ‘peanut cake’ | |
| <نݖ> | 0646 0756 | /ᶮc/ | expected | سَنݖّ ‘set, establish’ | |
| <ن> | 0646 | /n/ | expected | نࣹلَوْ ‘to sleep’ | |
| <و◌ّ> | 0648 0651 | /wː/ | expected | فࣵوّ ‘must (Fr. = Il faut…)’ | |
| <و> | 0648 | /w/ | expected | وࣷو ‘to call’ | |
| <ي◌ّ> | 064A 0651 | /jː/ | expected | بࣵيِّ ‘(to) leave, cease’ | |
| <ي> | 064A | /j/ | expected | يࣷمْ ‘to be equal’ | |
| <◌َاو> | 064E 0627 0648 | /aːu/ | expected | بَاوَانْ ‘to flow like water’ | |
| <◌َاي> | 064E 0627 064A | /aːi/ | expected | بَايْ ‘father’ | |
| <◌َا> | 064E 0627 | /ʌː/ | expected | خَارْ ‘to pass’ | |
| <◌َو> | 064E 0648 | /au/ | expected | دَوْ ‘to run’ | |
| <◌َي> | 064E 064A | /ai/ | expected | بَيْ ‘to cultivate’ | |
| <◌َ> | 064E | /ʌ/ | expected | خَرْ ‘worth’ | |
| <◌ُوي> | 064F 0648 064A | /uːi/ | expected | فُويْ ‘to be proud’ | |
| <◌ُو> | 064F 0648 | /uː/ | expected | تُورْ ‘to spill’ | |
| <◌ُي> | 064F 064A | /ui/ | expected | دُيْ ‘to draw water, to fill with water’ | |
| <◌ُ> | 064F | /u/ | expected | تُرْ ‘name’ | |
| <◌ِو> | 0650 0648 | /iu/ | expected | دِوْ ‘to lubricate’ | |
| <◌ِيو> | 0650 064A 0648 | /iːu/ | expected | سِيوْ ‘to be famous, well known’ | |
| <◌ِي> | 0650 064A | /iː/ | expected | بِيرْ ‘inside’ | |
| <◌ِ> | 0650 | /i/ | expected | بِرْ ‘to feel certain (that)’ | |
| <◌ْ> | 0652 | /∅/ | expected | خࣷولْ ‘to watch’ | |
| <◌ٗوي> | 0657 0648 064A | /oːi/ | expected | تٗويْ ‘to be clumsy, dull’ | |
| <◌ٗو> | 0657 0648 | /oː/ | expected | گٗورْ ‘(be a) man, male’ | |
| <◌ٗ> | 0657 | /o/ | expected | خٗگْ ‘to get up’ | |
| <ک◌ّ> | 06A9 0651 | /kː/ | expected | لࣵکّ ‘to speak a language’ | |
| <ک> | 06A9 | /k/ | expected | کࣴرْ ‘house’ | |
| <گ◌ّ> | 06AF 0651 | /gː/ | expected | بُگَّ ‘to want’ | |
| <گ> | 06AF | /g/ | expected | گَرَبْ ‘medicine’ | |
| <ݒ◌ّ> | 0752 0651 | /pː/ | expected | نࣷݒَّ ‘to rest, cease’ | |
| <ݒ> | 0752 | /p/ | expected | ݒࣹݒّ ‘seed, grain’ | |
| <ݖ◌ّ> | 0756 0651 | /cː/ | expected | وࣵݖّ ‘go down’ | |
| <ݖ> | 0756 | /c/ | expected | ݖَابِيْ ‘keys of’ | |
| <ݝ◌ّ> | 075D 0651 | /ŋː/ | expected | فࣵݝَّارَلْ ‘(to) show through’ | |
| <ݝ> | 075D | /ŋ/ | expected | دَݝَرْ ‘poison’ | |
| <ݧ◌ّ> | 0767 0651 | /ɲː/ | expected | مࣹݧّ ‘to bear (fruit)’ | |
| <ݧ> | 0767 | /ɲ/ | expected | ݧَوْ ‘to sew’ | |
| <◌ࣴي> | 08F4 064A | /əi/ | expected | خࣴي ‘to (do something) early’ | |
| <◌ࣴي> | 08F4 064A | /əː/ | expected | جࣴامْ ‘his forehead’ | |
| <◌ࣴ> | 08F4 | /ə/ | expected | بࣴتْ ‘eye’ | |
| <◌ࣵ> | 08F5 | /a/ | expected | لࣵکّ ‘to speak a language’ | |
| <◌ࣷوو> | 08F7 0648 0648 | /ɔːu/ | expected | سࣷووْ ‘to make noise, raw milk’ | |
| <◌ࣷوي> | 08F7 0648 064A | /ɔːi/ | expected | نࣷويْ ‘to be soft’ | |
| <◌ࣷو> | 08F7 0648 | /ɔu/ | expected | سࣷو ‘(sun) to set’ | |
| <◌ࣷو> | 08F7 0648 | /ɔː/ | expected | خࣷولْ ‘to watch’ | |
| <◌ࣷي> | 08F7 064A | /ɔi/ | expected | دࣷيْ ‘to be enough’ | |
| <◌ࣷ> | 08F7 | /ɔ/ | expected | خࣷلْ ‘heart’ | |
| <◌ࣹو> | 08F9 0648 | /ɛu/ | expected | سࣹوْ ‘to be thin’ | |
| <◌ࣹيو> | 08F9 064A 0648 | /ɛːu/ | expected | رࣹيوْ ‘impolite’ | |
| <◌ࣹيي> | 08F9 064A 064A | /ɛːi/ | expected | تࣹييْ ‘in full’ | |
| <◌ࣹي> | 08F9 064A | /ɛi/ | expected | تࣹيْ ‘today’ | |
| <◌ࣹي> | 08F9 064A | /ɛː/ | expected | سࣹيتْ ‘consider’ | |
| <◌ࣹ> | 08F9 | /ɛ/ | expected | سࣹتْ ‘clean’ | |
| <◌ࣺو> | 08FA 0648 | /eu/ | expected | دࣺوࣺنْ ‘next year’ | |
| <◌ࣺيو> | 08FA 064A 0648 | /eːu/ | expected | رࣺيوْ ‘country’ | |
| <◌ࣺيي> | 08FA 064A 064A | /eːi/ | expected | بࣺييْ ‘(to have an) infected finger’ | |
| <◌ࣺي> | 08FA 064A | /ei/ | expected | بࣺيْ ‘goat’ | |
| <◌ࣺي> | 08FA 064A | /eː/ | expected | رࣺيرْ ‘be lost’ | |
| <◌ࣺ> | 08FA | /e/ | expected | سࣺرْ ‘skirt cloth’ |