Pronunciation

In Setswana, the vowels are pronounced as in the following English words:

• 'a' as in 'car'
• 'e' as in 'let'
• 'i' as in 'meet'
• 'o' as in 'go'
• 'u' as in 'school'

There are also a few combinations of consonants which are pronounced very differently from English:

• 'g' = an 'h' sound deep in your throat, like the end of "loch"
• 'kg' = k + an 'h' sound deep in your throat
• 'kh' = k + some air
• 'ph' = p + some air
• 'th' = t + some air (NOT like English "th")
• 'ny' = think of isolating the 'ny' in 'canyon'
• 'tl' = think of isolating the 'tl' in 'Atlanta'
• 'tlh' = 'tl' + some air
• 'ts' - think of isolating the 'ts' in 'itself'
• 'tsh' = 'ts' + some air
• 'nts' = n + 'ts' sound
• 'š' = sh

Examples

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kereke	church	test1
terekere	tractor	test1
tsela	road	test1
go bona	to see/get	test1
phologolo	animal	test1
diphala	impalas	test1
thata	very much/hard/difficult/brave	test1
tlhapa	wash	test1
tsala	friend	test1
ga ka	test1	test1
sekgoa	English	test1
mma	woman/mother	test1
ntlo	house	test1
ngaka	doctor	test1

Accents in written Setswana

You will occasionaly see accents (eg ê) in written Setswana. š is regularly used, but the others are not.

In some dictionaries and learning texts (such as Heinmann "Setswana ya Mophato" by Emang Butale, Mpho Mmopi, Dimakatso Mahlanza ISBN 0-7962-0156-0) circumflex accents are used on ô ê to indicate low toned o and e (????)

Because use of accents makes it difficult to search for words, (eg searching for "yone" will not produce a result for "yônê") in this wiki, no accents other than š should be used (unless a non accented form is also given). However, both forms are used in the dictionary.

Vowel Sounds

Front unrounded							Back rounded
High	i						u
Mid		e				o
			ê		ô
Low				a