Uyghur Alphabet

Learn all 32 Uyghur letters with their Latin equivalents, letter and example-word audio, and a pronunciation guide for sounds like é (ې), q, gh and ng.

Learn and explore all 32 letters of the Uyghur alphabet with example words

Use the letter and example-word audio controls on each card to listen and practice. Audio playback becomes available when the interactive page loads.

Complete Uyghur Alphabet
Letter	Latin	Example word	Example word pronunciation	Meaning	Sound tip
ئا	a	ئالما	alma	Apple	Open “a”, as in “father”.
ئە	e	ئەتىگەن	etigen	Morning	Open “e”, between “bed” and “cat”.
ب	b	بىلىم	bilim	Knowledge
پ	p	پاختا	paxta	Cotton
ت	t	توخۇ	toxu	Chicken
چ	ch	چاي	chay	Tea
ج	j	جان	jan	Soul
خ	x	خەت	xet	Letter	A rough “h” from the back of the throat, like “ch” in Scottish “loch”; never “ks”.
د	d	دوستلۇق	dostluq	Friendship
ر	r	رادىئو	radio	Radio
ز	z	زەيتۇن	zeytun	Olive
ژ	zh	ژۇرنال	zhurnal	Journal	Like the “s” in “measure”; found mostly in loanwords.
س	s	سۇ	su	Water
ش	sh	شاپتۇل	shaptul	Peach
غ	gh	غاز	ghaz	Goose	The voiced partner of خ (x), made in the throat, close to a French “r”.
ف	f	فىلىم	filim	Film
ق	q	قۇش	qush	Bird	A “k” made further back in the throat than ك (k).
ك	k	كالا	kala	Cow
گ	g	گۈل	gül	Flower
ڭ	ng	دەڭ	deng	Equal	As in “sing”; it never begins a word.
ل	l	لىمون	limon	Lemon
م	m	مېۋە	méwe	Fruit
ن	n	نان	nan	Bread
ھ	h	ھاۋا	hawa	Air
ئو	o	ئوت	ot	Fire	Rounded “o”, as in “more”.
ئۇ	u	ئۇسسۇل	ussul	Dance	Rounded “u”, as in “put”.
ئۆ	ö	ئۆردەك	ördek	Duck	Say “e” with rounded lips, like German “ö”.
ئۈ	ü	ئۈزۈم	üzüm	Grape	Say “i” with rounded lips, like German “ü”.
ۋ	w	ۋەتەن	weten	Homeland	Between English “w” and “v”.
ې	é	ئېيىق	éyiq	Bear	At the start of a word: ئې Closed “e”: between ئە (e) and ى (i), like French “é”.
ى	i	ئىت	it	Dog	At the start of a word: ئى Like “ee” in “see” or “machine”, but shorter.
ي	y	ياز	yaz	Summer

Pronunciation Guide

Uyghur uses a modified Arabic script with special characters for unique sounds:

Vowels:

Special Vowels:

Special Consonants:

How to pronounce ې (é)

ې is a closed “e”. Your tongue is higher than for ئە (e) but lower than for ى (i), much like French “é”. In Uyghur Latin script it is written é.

At the start of a word it is written ئې; inside a word it is written ې.

Compare ئە (e), ې (é) and ى (i)

Words with ې

Learning Tips

Script Direction

Uyghur is written from right to left, like Arabic. This can be challenging for learners used to left-to-right scripts, but becomes natural with practice.

Letter Forms

Many Uyghur letters change their shape depending on their position in a word (beginning, middle, end, or isolated). Focus on recognizing these variations.

Practice Strategy

Begin by learning the basic shapes of letters, then practice reading simple words. Use flashcards with the letters and example words to build recognition.