Letters
When Q, V and X are excluded, there are 32 letters in the Polish alphabet: 9 vowels and 23 consonants.
The following table lists the letters of the alphabet, their Polish names (see also Names of letters below), the Polish phonemes which they usually represent, rough English (or other) equivalents to the sounds of those phonemes, and other possible pronunciations. For more information about the sounds, see Polish phonology.
| Upper case |
Lower case |
Polish name | Usual value | Rough English (or other) equivalent |
Other values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | a | /a/ | large | |
| Ą | ą | ą | /ɔ̃/ | nasal o as French bon | /ɔn/, /ɔm/ (see Nasal vowels) |
| B | b | be | /b/ | bed | /p/ when devoiced |
| C | c | ce | /t͡s/ | pits | For ch, ci, cz see Digraphs |
| Ć | ć | cie | /t͡ɕ/ | cheap (alveolo-palatal) | |
| D | d | de | /d/ | dog | /t/ when devoiced. For dz etc. see Digraphs |
| E | e | e | /ɛ/ | bed | |
| Ę | ę | ę | /ɛ̃/ | nasal e | /ɛn/, /ɛm/ (see Nasal vowels) |
| F | f | ef | /f/ | fat | |
| G | g | gie | /ɡ/ | go | /k/ when devoiced. For gi see Digraphs |
| H | h | ha | /x/ | Scots loch | For ch and (c)hi see Digraphs |
| I | i | i | /i/ | meet | /j/, or palatization (see Spelling rules) |
| J | j | jot | /j/ | yes | |
| K | k | ka | /k/ | scant | /ɡ/ if voiced. For ki see Digraphs |
| L | l | el | /l/ | light | |
| Ł | ł | eł | /w/ | will | |
| M | m | em | /m/ | men | |
| N | n | en | /n/ | not | For ni see Digraphs |
| Ń | ń | eń | /ɲ/ | canyon (alveolo-palatal) | |
| O | o | o | /ɔ/ | British English long | |
| Ó | ó | o (or u) z kreską | /u/ | boot | |
| P | p | pe | /p/ | spot | /b/ if voiced |
| R | r | er | /r/ | trilled r | For rz see Digraphs |
| S | s | es | /s/ | sea | For sz, si see Digraphs |
| Ś | ś | eś | /ɕ/ | sheep (alveolo-palatal) | /ʑ/ (cf. Ź) if voiced |
| T | t | te | /t/ | start | /d/ if voiced |
| U | u | u | /u/ | boot | Sometimes /w/ after vowels |
| W | w | wu | /v/ | vow | /f/ when devoiced |
| Y | y | igrek | /ɨ/ | between fit and put | |
| Z | z | zet | /z/ | zoo | /s/ when devoiced. For digraphs see Digraphs |
| Ź | ź | ziet | /ʑ/ | vision, alveolo-palatal | /ɕ/ when devoiced. For dź see Digraphs |
| Ż | ż | żet | /ʐ/ | vision | /ʂ/ when devoiced. For dż see Digraphs |
The letters q, v, and x do not belong to the Polish alphabet, but are used in some foreign words and commercial names. In loanwords they are often replaced by kw, w, and ks, respectively (as in kwarc "quartz", weranda "veranda", ekstra "extra").
For digraphs and other rules about spelling and the corresponding pronunciations, see Polish orthography.
Read more about this topic: Polish Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the word letters:
“Two months dead, I wrestle with your name
Whose separate letters make a paltry sum
That is not you.”
—Howard Moss (b. 1922)
“Bolkenstein, a Minister, was speaking on the Dutch programme from London, and he said that they ought to make a collection of diaries and letters after the war. Of course, they all made a rush at my diary immediately. Just imagine how interesting it would be if I were to publish a romance of the “Secret Annexe.” The title alone would be enough to make people think it was a detective story.”
—Anne Frank (1929–1945)
“My business is stanching blood and feeding fainting men; my post the open field between the bullet and the hospital. I sometimes discuss the application of a compress or a wisp of hay under a broken limb, but not the bearing and merits of a political movement. I make gruel—not speeches; I write letters home for wounded soldiers, not political addresses.”
—Clara Barton (1821–1912)