Appendix:Hungarian pronunciation
The charts below show how the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is used to represent Hungarian pronunciations in Wiktionary entries.
Consonants
| IPA | Letter | Example | Audio | English approx. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | b | baj [ˈbɒj] (trouble) |
|
bean | ||
| t͡s [1] | c | cím [ˈt͡siːm] (address) |
|
cats | ||
| t͡ʃ | cs | csap [ˈt͡ʃɒp] (faucet; to strike) |
|
church | ||
| ds | zöldség [ˈzølt͡ʃeːɡ] (vegetable) |
| ||||
| d | d | dob [ˈdob] (drum; to throw) |
|
dog | ||
| d͡z | dz | brindza [ˈbrind͡zɒ] (bryndza) | kids | |||
| d͡ʒ | dzs | dzsessz [ˈd͡ʒɛsː] (jazz) |
|
jazz | ||
| f | f | fa [ˈfɒ] (tree) |
|
fall | ||
| ɡ | g | gép [ˈɡeːp] (machine) |
|
get | ||
| ɟ | gy | gyár [ˈɟaːr] (factory) |
|
duty (UK) | ||
| dj | mindjárt [ˈmiɲɟaːrt] (right away) | |||||
| h | h | haj [ˈhɒj] (hair) |
|
hair | ||
| ɦ[2] | soha [ˈʃoɦɒ] (never) |
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| x | potroh [ˈpotrox] (abdomen) |
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| j | j | jól [ˈjoːl] (well) |
|
yes | ||
| ç[3] | rakj [ˈrɒkç] (put) |
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| ʝ[4] | férj [ˈfeːrʝ] (husband) |
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| j[5] | óriási [ˈoːrijaːʃi] (huge) |
|
yes | |||
| k | k | kis [ˈkiʃ] (small) |
|
skip | ||
| l | l | lap [ˈlɒp] (sheet) |
|
lab | ||
| j | ly | hely [ˈhɛj] (place) |
|
yes | ||
| m | m | már [ˈmaːr] (already) |
|
mint | ||
| ɱ | szemfog [ˈsɛɱfoɡ] (eye tooth) | tromf | ||||
| n | n | nép [ˈneːp] (people) |
|
neat | ||
| ɱ [6] | tanfolyam [ˈtɒɱfojɒm] (course) |
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| ŋ [7] | hang [ˈhɒŋg] (voice) |
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| ɲ | ny | nyugat [ˈɲugɒt] (west) |
|
new (UK) | ||
| p | p | pénz [ˈpeːnz] (money) |
|
speak | ||
| kv | q | Aquincum [ˈɒkviŋkum] (Aquincum) | ||||
| r | r | rész [ˈreːs] (part; piece) |
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| ʃ | s | sem [ˈʃɛm] (neither) |
|
show | ||
| s | sz | szól [ˈsoːl] (to say) |
|
sit | ||
| t | t | több [ˈtøbː] (more) |
|
stop | ||
| c | ty | tyúk [ˈcuːk] (hen) |
|
tube (UK) | ||
| tj | kertje [ˈkɛrcɛ] (his/her/its garden) | |||||
| v | v | vés [ˈveːʃ] (to carve) |
|
veal | ||
| w | watt [ˈvɒtː] (watt) | |||||
| ks | x | xenon [ˈksɛnon] (xenon) | ||||
| j | y | York [ˈjork] (York) | ||||
| z | z | zöld [ˈzøld] (green) |
|
zeal | ||
| ʒ | zs | zseb [ˈʒɛb] (pocket) |
|
pleasure |
- ^ [t͡s] and [ts] are not the same. The latter represents two phonemes, t and sz.
- ^ [ɦ]: Voiced glottal fricative: 1. Between two non-identical vowels 2. Between a sonorant (m, n, ny, l, j, r) and a vowel (in this order).
- ^ [ç]: At the end of the word after f, k, p. Examples: döfj, rakj, kapj.
- ^ [ʝ]: At the end of the word after b, v, g, r, m. Examples: dobj, óvj, égj, férj, szomj.
- ^ [j]: A weak glide pronounced within a word (or a compound element) between two adjacent vowels (where one of them is i or í) to fill the hiatus. Since there is only a minor difference between the regular [j] and the weaker glide [j], the same IPA symbol is used for both.
- ^ [ɱ]: n and m in the nf, nv, mf, mv consonant combinations.
- ^ [ŋ]: n in the ng and nk consonant combinations.
Long consonants
| IPA | Letters | Example | Audio | English approx. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bː | bb | szebb [ˈsɛbː] (more beautiful) |
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| pb | alapbér [ˈɒlɒbːeːr] (basic salary) | |||||
| t͡sː | cc | vicc [ˈvit͡sː] (joke) |
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| dsz | tudsz [ˈtut͡sː] (you can) |
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| dc | nádcukor [ˈnaːt͡sːukor] (cane sugar) | |||||
| tsz | játszik [ˈjaːt͡sːik] (he/she plays) |
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| tssz | látssz [ˈlaːt͡sː] (you should be visible) |
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| t͡ʃː | ccs | meccs [ˈmɛt͡ʃː] (match) |
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| ts | szövetség [ˈsøvɛt͡ʃːeːɡ] (alliance) |
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| ds | fáradság [ˈfaːrɒt͡ʃːaːɡ] (effort) | |||||
| dː | dd | addig [ˈɒdːiɡ] (until) |
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| td | tiszteletdíj [ˈtistɛlɛdːiːj] (royalty payment) | |||||
| d͡zː | dz | edző [ˈɛd͡zːøː] (coach) |
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| d͡ʒː | dzs | menedzser [ˈmɛnɛd͡ʒːɛr] (manager) | ||||
| ddzs | briddzsel [ˈbrid͡ʒːɛl] (with bridge) | |||||
| fː | ff | blöff [ˈbløfː] (bluff) |
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| vf | évfolyam [ˈeːfːojɒm] (class) | |||||
| ɡː | gg | agg [ˈɒɡː] (aged) |
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| kg | mákgubó [ˈmaːɡːuboː] (poppy head) |
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| ɟː | ggy | poggyász [ˈpoɟːaːs] (luggage) |
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| gyj | nagyjából [ˈnɒɟːaːboːl] (roughly) |
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| dj | adjál [ˈɒɟːaːl] (give me) |
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| d+gy | hadgyakorlat [ˈhɒɟːɒkorlɒt] (military exercise) | |||||
| xː | hh | |||||
| ch | pech [ˈpɛxː] (bad luck) |
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| jː | jj | éjjel [ˈeːjːɛl] (at night) |
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| lj | teljesen [ˈtɛjːɛʃɛn] (totally) |
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| llj | állj [ˈaːjː] (stop) | |||||
| lly | süllyed [ˈʃyjːɛd] (to sink) |
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| ly+j | folyjon [ˈfojːon] (let it flow) | |||||
| kː | kk | mekkora [ˈmɛkːorɒ] (what size) |
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| gk | megkap [ˈmɛkːɒp] (to receive) | |||||
| lː | ll | hallott [ˈhɒlːotː] (he/she heard) |
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| mː | mm | semmi [ˈʃɛmːi] (nothing) |
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| nm | önmagam [ˈømːɒɡɒm] (myself) | |||||
| nː | nn | tenni [ˈtɛnːi] (to do) |
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| ɲː | nny | amennyi [ˈɒmɛɲːi] (as much as) |
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| ny+j | anyja [ˈɒɲːɒ] (his/her mother) | |||||
| nj | menj [ˈmɛɲː] (go) |
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| pː | pp | nappali [ˈnɒpːɒli] (daytime) |
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| bp | zabpehely [ˈzɒpːɛhɛj] (rolled oats) | |||||
| rː | rr | erre [ˈɛrːɛ] (this way) |
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| lr | balra [ˈbɒrːɒ] (to the left) |
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| ʃː | ss | kissé [ˈkiʃːeː] (slightly) |
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| sz+s | egészség [ˈɛɡeːʃːeːɡ] (health) |
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| z+s | igazság [ˈiɡɒʃːaːɡ] (truth) |
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| sː | ssz | messze [ˈmɛsːɛ] (far) |
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| z+sz | vízszintes [ˈviːsːintɛʃ] (horizontal) | |||||
| tː | tt | láttam [ˈlaːtːɒm] (I saw it) |
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| dt | maradt [ˈmɒrɒtː] (stayed) |
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| cː | tty | petty [ˈpɛcː] (dot) |
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| ty+j | atyja [ˈɒcːɒ] (his/her father) | |||||
| tj | látja [ˈlaːcːɒ] (he/she sees it) |
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| vː | vv | évvel [ˈeːvːɛl] (with year) |
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| zː | zz | azzal [ˈɒzːɒl] (with that) |
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| sz+z | gyászzene [ˈɟaːzːɛnɛ] (funeral music) | |||||
| ʒː | zzs | garázzsal [ˈɡɒraːʒːɒl] (with garage) |
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| s+zs | sertészsír [ˈʃɛrteːʒːiːr] (lard) |
Vowels
| IPA | Letter | Example | Audio | English approx. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ɒ | a | agy [ˈɒɟ] (brain) |
|
awe (but short) | ||
| aː | á | ágy [ˈaːɟ] (bed) |
|
father | ||
| ɛ | e | eke [ˈɛkɛ] (plow) |
|
less | ||
| eː | é | ép [ˈeːp] (intact) |
|
café | ||
| i | i | irt [ˈirt] (to eradicate) |
|
bit | ||
| iː | í | írt [ˈiːrt] (he/she wrote) |
|
bee | ||
| o | o | ok [ˈok] (cause, reason) |
|
force | ||
| oː | ó | ó [ˈoː] (old) |
|
hole | ||
| ø | ö | öt [ˈøt] (five) |
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| øː | ő | őt [ˈøːt] (him/her) |
|
early | ||
| u | u | un [ˈun] (to be bored of) |
|
bull | ||
| uː | ú | út [ˈuːt] (road) |
|
tool | ||
| y | ü | ül [ˈyl] (to sit) |
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| yː | ű | űr [ˈyːr] (space) |
|
Vowel variants
| IPA | Letter | Example | Audio | English approx. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ɒː[1] | a | arra [ˈɒːrɒ] (that way) | ||||
| a[2] | a | halló? [ˈhaloː] (hello?) | ||||
| ɛː | e | erre [ˈɛːrɛ] (this way)[3] | ||||
| u̯[4] | au | autó [ˈɒu̯toː] (car) |
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Other symbols
A stress mark is placed before the syllable that is stressed.
| IPA | indicates |
|---|---|
| ˈ (ˈa) | primary stress |
| ˌ (ˌa) | secondary stress |
| / / | phonemes, as in /ˈinformɒtikɒ/ |
| [ ] | speech sounds, as in [ˈiɱformɒtikɒ] |
References
- Hungarian phonology
- Appendix:Hungarian pronunciation assimilation
- Forró Orsolya: Hangtan II (in Hungarian)
- Gósy Mária: A palatális közelítőhang kétféle funkcióban
- Page 59 (65 in the PDF) and page 66–67 (72–73 in the PDF) in Optimális esszék a magyar fonológiáról by Siptár, Péter and Szilárd Szentgyörgyi