X-SAMPA

Uppercase symbols

X-SAMPA	IPA	IPA image	Description	Example
A			open back unrounded vowel Open back unrounded vowel The open back unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is A....	English father ["fA:D@(r\)] (RP and Gen.Am.)
B			voiced bilabial fricative Voiced bilabial fricative The voiced bilabial fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is B....	Spanish lavar [la"Ba4]
B\			bilabial trill Bilabial trill The bilabial trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is B....	Reminiscent of shivering ("brrr")
C			voiceless palatal fricative Voiceless palatal fricative The voiceless palatal fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is C....	German ich [IC], English human ["Cjum@n] (broad transcription uses [hj-])
D			voiced dental fricative Voiced dental fricative The voiced dental non-sibilant fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound, eth, is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is D....	English then [DEn]
E			open-mid front unrounded vowel Open-mid front unrounded vowel The open-mid front unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is E....	French même [mEm], English met [mEt] (RP and Gen.Am.)
F			labiodental nasal Labiodental nasal The labiodental nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is F....	English emphasis ["EFf@sIs] (spoken quickly, otherwise uses [Emf-])
G			voiced velar fricative Voiced velar fricative The voiced velar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in various Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , not to be confused with , the IPA symbol for a close-mid back unrounded vowel), and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is G....	Greek ????a [Go"nia], Danish vælge ["vElG@]
G\			voiced uvular plosive Voiced uvular plosive The voiced uvular plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is G....	Inuktitut nirivvik [niG\ivvik]
G\_<			voiced uvular implosive Voiced uvular implosive The voiced uvular implosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , a small capital letter G with a rightward pointing hook extending from the upper right of the letter....	G\_]
H			labial-palatal approximant Labial-palatal approximant The labial-palatal approximant, actually a labialized palatal approximant, is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages....	French huit [Hit]
H\			voiceless epiglottal fricative Voiceless epiglottal fricative The voiceless epiglottal fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is H....
I			near-close near-front unrounded vowel Near-close near-front unrounded vowel The near-close near-front unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is I....	English kit [kIt]
I\			Near-close central unrounded vowel Near-close central unrounded vowel The near-close central unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The International Phonetic Alphabet can represent this sound as or ....	Polish ryba [rI\bA]
J			palatal nasal Palatal nasal The palatal nasal is a type of consonant, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is J....	Spanish año ["aJo], English canyon ["k:t]
1			close central unrounded vowel Close central unrounded vowel The close central unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 1....	Welsh tu [t1], American English rose's ["r\oUz1z]
2			close-mid front rounded vowel Close-mid front rounded vowel The close-mid front rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 2....	Danish købe ["k2:b@], French deux [d2]
3			open-mid central unrounded vowel Open-mid central unrounded vowel The open-mid central unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 3....	English nurse [n3:s] (RP) or [n3`s] (Gen.Am.)
3\			open-mid central rounded vowel Open-mid central rounded vowel The open-mid central rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 3....	Irish tomhail[t3\:l']
4			alveolar flap	Spanish pero ["pe4o], American English better ["bE4@`]
5			velarized alveolar lateral approximant Velarized alveolar lateral approximant The velarized alveolar lateral approximant, which may actually be pharyngealized, also known as dark l, is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages.... ; also see _e	English milk [mI5k]
6			near-open central vowel Near-open central vowel The near-open central vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 6....	German besser ["bEs6], Australian English mud [m6d]
7			close-mid back unrounded vowel Close-mid back unrounded vowel The close-mid back unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. Its symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet is , called "ram's horns"....	Estonian kõik [k7ik], Vietnamese mo [m7_M]
8			close-mid central rounded vowel Close-mid central rounded vowel The close-mid central rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 8....	Swedish buss [b8s]
9			open-mid front rounded vowel Open-mid front rounded vowel The open-mid front rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 9....	French neuf [n9f], Danish drømme [dR9m@]
&			open front rounded vowel Open front rounded vowel The open front rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is &....	Swedish skörd [x\&d`]
?			glottal stop Glottal stop The glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound which is used in many Speech communication languages....	Danish stød [sd2?], Cockney English bottle ["bQ?l]
?\			voiced pharyngeal fricative Voiced pharyngeal fricative The voiced pharyngeal approximant/fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents it is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is ?....	Arabic ?? (`ayn) [?\Ajn]
*			undefined escape character, SAMPA's "conjunctor"
/			indeterminacy in French vowels
<			begin nonsegmental notation (e.g., SAMPROSA)
<\			voiced epiglottal fricative Voiced epiglottal fricative The voiced epiglottal approximant/fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is <....
>			end nonsegmental notation
>\			epiglottal plosive Epiglottal plosive The epiglottal plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is >....
^			upstep Upstep (phonetics) In phonetics, upstep is a phoneme or phonetic upward shift of tone between the syllables or words of a tonal language. Upstep is much rarer as a phoneme than its opposite, downstep ....
!			downstep Downstep (phonetics) In phonetics, downstep is a phoneme or phonetic downward shift of tone between the syllables or words of a tonal language. It is best known in the tonal languages of West Africa, but the pitch accent of Japanese language is quite similar to downstep in Africa....
!\			postalveolar click Postalveolar click The alveolar or postalveolar clicks are a family of click consonants found only in Africa and in the Damin ritual jargon of Australia.The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents the forward articulation of these sounds is ....
|			minor (foot) group
|\			dental click Dental click The dental clicks are a family of click consonants found, as constituents of words, only in Africa and in the Damin ritual jargon of Australia....
||			major (intonation) group
|\|\			alveolar lateral click
=\			palatal click Palatal click The palato-alveolar clicks are a family of click consonants found only in Africa. They are commonly called palatal clicks.The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents the forward articulation of these sounds is ....
-\			linking mark Liaison (linguistics) In French language, most written word-final consonants are silent in most contexts. Liaison is the pronunciation of such a consonant immediately before a following vowel sound....

Diacritics

X-SAMPA	IPA	IPA image	Description
_"			centralized
_+			advanced
_-			retracted
_/			rising tone
_0			voiceless
_<			implosive Implosive consonant Implosive consonants are stop consonant with a mixed glottalic ingressive and pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism. That is, the airstream is controlled by moving the glottis downward in addition to expelling air from the lungs....  (IPA uses separate symbols for implosives)
= (or _=)			syllabic
_>			ejective Glottalic consonant A glottalic consonant is a consonant produced with some important contribution of the glottis .Glottalic sounds may involve motion of the larynx upward or downward, producing an egressive or ingressive glottalic airstream mechanism respectively....
_?\			pharyngealized Pharyngealisation Pharyngealization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the pharynx or epiglottis is constricted during the articulation of the sound....
_\			falling tone
_^			non-syllabic
_}			no audible release Unreleased stop An unreleased stop or unreleased plosive is a plosive consonant without an audible release burst. That is, the oral tract is blocked to pronounce the consonant, and there is no audible indication of when that occlusion ends....
`			rhotacization R-colored vowel In phonetics, vocalic r refers to the phenomenon of a rhotic segment such as or occurring as the syllable nucleus. This is a feature of a number of Slavic languages such as Czech language, Macedonian language and Serbo-Croatian language, as well as some western Bulgarian language dialects....  in vowels, retroflexion in consonants (IPA uses separate symbols for consonants, see t` for an example)
~ (or _~)			nasalization Nasalization In phonetics, nasalization is the production of a sound while the soft palate is lowered, so that some air escapes through the nose during the production of the sound by the mouth....
_A			advanced tongue root Advanced tongue root In phonetics, advanced tongue root and retracted tongue root, abbreviated ?ATR, are contrasting states of the root of the tongue during the pronunciation of vowels in some languages, especially in West Africa....
_a			apical Apical Apical, from the Latin apex meaning to be at the apex or tip, may refer to:*Apical consonant, a consonant produced with the tip of the tongue...
_B			extra low tone
_B_L			low rising tone
_c			less rounded
_d			dental Dental consonant In linguistics, a dental consonant or dental is a consonant that is articulated with the tongue against the upper teeth, such as , , , and in some languages....
_e			velarized or pharyngealized; also see 5
<F>			global fall Intonation (linguistics) In linguistics, intonation is variation of pitch while speaking which is not used to distinguish words. Intonation and stress are two main elements of linguistic prosody ....
_F			falling tone
_G			velarized Velarization Velarization is a secondary articulation of consonants by which the back of the tongue is raised toward the Soft palate during the articulation of the consonant....
_H			high tone
_H_T			high rising tone
_h			aspirated Aspiration (phonetics) In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of Earth's atmosphere that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents....
_j (or ')			palatalized Palatalization Palatalization or palatalisation generally refers to two phenomena:*As a process or the result of a process, the effect that front vowels and the palatal approximant frequently have on consonants;...
_k			creaky voice Creaky voice In linguistics, creaky voice , is a special kind of phonation in which the arytenoid cartilages in the larynx are drawn together; as a result, the vocal folds are compressed rather tightly, becoming relatively slack and compact....
_L			low tone
_l			lateral release Lateral release (phonetics) In phonetics, a lateral release is the release of a plosive consonant into a lateral consonant. Such sounds are transcribed in the IPA with a superscript el, for example as ....
_M			mid tone
_m			laminal Laminal consonant A laminal consonant is a Phone produced by obstructing the air passage with the blade of the tongue, which is the flat top front surface just behind the tip of the tongue on the top....
_N			linguolabial Linguolabial consonant Linguolabials or apicolabials are consonants articulated by placing the tongue tip or blade against the upper lip, which is drawn downward to meet the tongue....
_n			nasal release Nasal release In phonetics, a nasal release is the release of a plosive consonant into a nasal consonant. Such sounds are transcribed in the IPA with superscript nasal letters, for example as ....
_O			more rounded Roundedness In phonetics, vowel roundedness refers to the amount of rounding in the lips during the articulation of a vowel. That is, it is vocalic labialization....
_o			lowered Relative articulation In descriptions of phonetics and phonology, the manner of articulation and place of articulation of articulation of a speech sound may be specified relative to some point of comparison....
_q			retracted tongue root
<R>			global rise Intonation (linguistics) In linguistics, intonation is variation of pitch while speaking which is not used to distinguish words. Intonation and stress are two main elements of linguistic prosody ....
_R			rising tone
_R_F			rising falling tone
_r			raised Relative articulation In descriptions of phonetics and phonology, the manner of articulation and place of articulation of articulation of a speech sound may be specified relative to some point of comparison....
_T			extra high tone
_t			breathy voice Breathy voice Breathy voice is a phonation in which the vocal cords vibrate, as they do in normal voicing, but are held further apart, so that a larger volume of air escapes between them....
_v			voiced
_w			labialized Labialisation Labialisation is a Secondary articulation feature of sounds in some languages. Labialized sounds involve the lips while the remainder of the mouth produces another sound....
_X			extra-short
_x			mid-centralized

Charts

Consonants

• Daggers (†) mark IPA symbols that have recently been added to Unicode
  Unicode
  
  Unicode is a computing industry standard allowing computers to consistently represent and manipulate Character expressed in most of the world's writing systems....
  . Since April 2008, this is the case of the labiodental flap
  Labiodental flap
  
  The labiodental flap is a speech sound found primarily in languages of Central Africa, such as Kera language and Mangbetu. It has also been reported in the Austronesian languages language Sika language....
  , symbolized by a right-hook v in the IPA: A dedicated symbol for the labiodental flap does not yet exist in X-SAMPA.

Vowels

See also

• CXS
  Conlang XSAMPA
  
  CXS is an unofficial extension of the X-SAMPA that is used by members of the Conlang Mailing List with the intention of improving the system for use in constructed language....
  , an unofficial, extended version of X-SAMPA used for language construction
  Constructed language
  
  A planned or constructed language?known Colloquialism or informally as a conlang?is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary have been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved natural languagely....
  
• International Phonetic Alphabet
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic....
   (IPA)
• International Phonetic Alphabet for English
• Kirshenbaum
  Kirshenbaum
  
  Kirshenbaum, sometimes called ASCII-IPA or erkIPA, is a system used to represent the International Phonetic Alphabet in ASCII. It was developed for Usenet, notably the newsgroups sci.lang and alt.usage.english....
   and WorldBet
  WorldBet
  
  WorldBet is an ASCII encoding of the International Phonetic Alphabet with additional symbols....
  , similar systems.
• List of phonetics topics
  List of phonetics topics
  
  A * Acoustic phonetics* Active articulator* Affricate* Airstream mechanism* Alfred C. Gimson* Allophone* Alveolar approximant* Alveolar consonant...
  
• SAMPA
  SAMPA
  
  The Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet is a computer-readable phonetic script using 7-bit printable American Standard Code for Information Interchange characters, based on the International Phonetic Alphabet ....
  , a language-specific predecessor of X-SAMPA.
• SAMPA chart for English
  SAMPA chart for English
  
  See also*International Phonetic Alphabet for English*IPA chart for English*X-SAMPA*Received Pronunciation...
  

External links

• Produces Unicode text, XML text, PostScript, PDF, or LaTeX TIPA.
• from the Laboratory of Experimental Phonetics, University of Turin, Italy