Yoruba Alphabet Chart | Ìtònà Yorùbá

Understanding Yoruba Letters

Yoruba is written with a Latin-based alphabet that includes special letters like ẹ, ọ, and ṣ, plus the digraph gb. These are not decorative variants; they represent key Yoruba sound distinctions.

Yoruba is also a tonal language, and tone marks can be used to show pitch differences. Even when tones are not fully marked in everyday writing, the dotted vowels remain essential for clear spelling.

Use the chart as a clean reference. Learning the special letters early is one of the fastest ways to improve Yoruba reading accuracy.

Reading Yoruba Spelling Patterns

Read Yoruba by keeping vowels consistent and treating dotted vowels as separate letters. Do not “simplify” them into plain e/o in your head.

Watch for gb. It behaves like a single sound unit and should be read as a unit, not as two separate English-like letters.

Practice reading short syllables and short word-like strings from the chart. Consistent decoding builds confidence quickly.

How to Write Yoruba Letters Properly

Yoruba is written left to right and uses uppercase and lowercase. Your writing goal is clear underdots and clear tone marks when you use them.

Write the base letter first, then add the underdot or accent second. This reduces missed marks and keeps handwriting cleaner.

Practice ẹ/ẹ, ọ/ọ, and ṣ/ṣ deliberately so they stay distinct in your notes. Small marks carry meaning.

Use the worksheet for repetition and recall. Copy a small set today, then rewrite it tomorrow from memory.

Learning Tips for Yoruba Alphabet

Master the dotted vowels early. This single step improves reading accuracy dramatically.

Keep practice short and daily. Ten minutes per day is enough to build stable recognition.

When two vowels confuse you, do contrast practice until the difference feels automatic.

Practice Yoruba With Downloads

Use the PDF as a printable reference, the image for quick checks, and the worksheet for handwriting drills. A clean chart nearby helps you keep underdots consistent.

Pick a small set of letters today, include dotted vowels and gb, and expand gradually. Yoruba becomes easier once the special letters feel normal.