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Unit 6 · ա, մ, ն and ի · Meet

ա, մ, ն and ի

Read four lowercase letters in short words.

About this unit

Your first four letters already make real words. Read a word by joining its sounds from left to right.

  • Աաmama
    a, as in “father”
    մամա · mama
    i

    Open a, as in father.

  • մ
    m, as in “mother”
    մի · one / a
    i

    In lowercase մ, the tall stroke is on the right.

  • նdish
    n, as in “no”
    աման · dish
    i

    In lowercase ն, the tall stroke is on the left; compare it with մ.

  • Իի
    ee, as in “see”
    իմ · my
    i

    A clear ee sound.

Join the soundsWord
մ + ա + մ + ամամա · mama
ա + մ + ա + նաման · dish

Look at the tall stroke: on the right in մ, on the left in ն.

Reading tips

Armenian runs from left to right, with spaces between words. Each letter has a capital and a small form.

Read a word by joining its sounds. Try մ + ա + մ + ա. In a word with more than one full vowel, stress normally falls on the last: ma-MA, a-MAN.

Reading practice

Letters in words

Match each letter to the highlighted letter.

Find the sound

Match the sounds to the letters.

A familiar capital outline

Match the related capital and lowercase shapes.

Read with support

Match the words to their pictures.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their pictures.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

աման

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

իմ

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

mama

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

dish

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Finish practice to save this unit.

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Read four lowercase letters in short words.

Next unit
mama

մամա

mama
dish

աման

dish

մի

one / a

իմ

my
Use a Armenian keyboard

On your phone, add Armenian in Settings → Languages or Keyboards. On a computer, add an Armenian input language in the operating system settings.

Use the on-screen letters whenever you prefer. The ու key inserts its two written characters together; spaces and punctuation have their own keys.

All letters

Ա ա
i

a. Open a, as in father.

մ
i

m. In lowercase մ, the tall stroke is on the right.

ն
i

n. In lowercase ն, the tall stroke is on the left; compare it with մ.

Ի ի
i

i. A clear ee sound.

Ու ու
i

Capital form: Ու. In an ALL-CAPITAL word, write ՈՒ: the second part becomes Ւ. Both forms spell u.

է
i

e. A clear e, as in bed.

ըshort ə, as in “about”
i

ə. A short neutral vowel, like the first sound of about.

Լ լ
i

l

Ս ս
i

s

հ
i

h

յ
i

y. The consonant y of yes, not the vowel in my.

Վ վ
i

v

Ր րone quick tap
i

ր is a brief tongue tap. The isolated recording includes a short helping vowel; that vowel is separate from the consonant. Compare the stronger rolled ռ, and listen to ր inside the words below.

արևսար
Օ օ
i

o. A plain o vowel, including at the start.

Ֆ ֆ
i

f. Often in borrowed words.

ե
i

At the start of a word, ե usually sounds ye, as in ես. Inside a word it sounds e, as in մեր.

եսմերInside a word: e in մեր · մեր
Ո ո
i

At the start of a word, ո usually sounds vo, as in որ. Inside a word it sounds o, as in տոմս. ով (who) is an exception: it begins with plain o.

որտոմսովInside a word: o in տոմս · տոմս
և
i

և is a joined letter (a ligature), spelling the sequence e + v, not one consonant. It sounds yev at word start and ev inside a word, as in արև. Its capital spelling Եվ uses two letters; all capitals use ԵՎ.

ևարևInside a word: ev in բարև · բարև
բthroat buzzes
i

b. Voiced b.

պno puff of air
i

p. Plain p, with little breath.

Փ փpuff of air
i

pʰ. p with a puff of air.

դthroat buzzes
i

d. Voiced d.

Տ տno puff of air
i

t. Plain t, with little breath.

թpuff of air
i

tʰ. t with a puff of air; never English th.

գthroat buzzes
i

g. Voiced g, always hard.

կno puff of air
i

k. Plain k, little breath.

Ք քpuff of air
i

kʰ. k with a puff.

Խ խair rubs, no buzz
i

kh / x. Friction like ch in Scottish loch.

ղthroat buzzes
i

gh / ʁ. Voiced back-of-mouth friction; not g + h.

զthroat buzzes
i

z

ժthroat buzzes
i

zh / ʒ. The middle sound in measure.

շair rubs, no buzz
i

sh / ʃ. As in ship.

ռrolled
i

rolled r. A stronger rolled r; compare the short tap ր.

ձthroat buzzes
i

dz. Voiced d + z released as one joined sound.

Ծ ծno puff of air
i

ts. Plain ts, little breath.

Ց ցpuff of air
i

tsʰ. ts with a puff.

ջthroat buzzes
i

j / dʒ. Voiced, as in jam.

ճno puff of air
i

ch / tʃ. Plain ch, little breath.

չpuff of air
i

chʰ / tʃʰ. ch with a puff.