The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Ukrainian language pronunciations in Wikipedia articles.
Ukrainian makes contrasts between palatalized "soft" and unpalatalized "hard" consonants. Palatalized consonants, denoted by a superscript ‹j› / ʲ /, are pronounced with the body of the tongue raised toward the hard palate, in a manner similar to the ‹y› sound in yes. All Ukrainian consonants except /j/ have a soft and hard variant, however this distinction is phonemic for only nine pairs—for the others the distinction can be ignored.
See Ukrainian phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Ukrainian.
| Consonants
|
|---|
| IPA |
Examples |
English equivalents
|
|---|
| b
|
б
|
boot; beautiful
| | d
|
д
|
do
| | dʲ
|
д
|
dew
| | dz
|
дз
|
pads
| | dzʲ
|
дз
| | dʒ
|
дж
|
jump; ridge
| | f
|
ф
|
fool; few
| | ɡ
|
ґ
|
goo; ague
| | ɦ
|
г
|
| | k
|
к
|
cooper; cute
| | l
|
л
|
pill
| | lʲ
|
л
|
least
| | m
|
м
|
moot; mute
| | n
|
н
|
noon
| | nʲ
|
н
|
new
| | p
|
п
|
poo; pew
| | r
|
р
|
trilled r, like in Spanish
| | rʲ
|
р
| | s
|
с
|
soup
| | sʲ
|
с
|
super
| | ʃ
|
ш
|
shop
| | t
|
т
|
tool
| | tʲ
|
т
|
tune
| | ts
|
ц
|
cats
| | tsʲ
|
ц
| | tʃ
|
ч
|
choose
| | x
|
х
|
bach; huge
| | z
|
з
|
zoo
| | zʲ
|
з
|
azure
| | ʒ
|
ж
|
measure; garage
|
|
| Vowels
|
|---|
| IPA
|
Examples
|
English equivalent
|
|---|
| Stressed
|
|---|
| ɑ
|
а, я
|
palm
| | ɛ
|
е, є
|
met
| | i
|
і, ї
|
meat
| | ɪ
|
и, ї
|
bit
| | ɔ
|
о
|
born
| | u
|
у, ю
|
choose
| | Unstressed
|
|---|
| o
|
о
|
|
| Other symbols
|
|---|
| IPA |
Explanation
|
|---|
| ˈ
|
Stress (placed before the stressed syllable)
| | ː
|
Gemination[2] (doubled consonant)
|
|
- ↑ The "soft" vowel letters ‹є, ї, ю, я› represent a /j/ plus a vowel when initial or following other vowels.
- ↑ In Ukrainian, geminates are found between vowels: багаття /bɑɦɑtʲːɑ/ bonfire, подружжя /pɔdruʒʲːɑ/ married couple, обличчя face. Geminates also occur at the start of a few words: лляний /lʲːɑnɪj/ flaxen, forms of the verb лити to pour (ллю /lʲːu/, ллєш /lʲːɛʃ/ etc.), ссати /sːɑtɪ/ to suck and derivatives.
