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
|
d͡z
|
дз
|
pads
|
d͡zʲ
|
дз
|
d͡ʒ
|
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
|
t͡s
|
ц
|
cats
|
t͡sʲ
|
ц
|
t͡ʃ
|
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.