CHEROKEE SYLLABARY

Ꭰ a Ꭱ eᎢ Ꭳ i o Ꭴ u Ꭵ
v

Ꭶ ga Ꭷ ka Ꭸ geᎩ Ꭺ gi go Ꭻ
gu Ꭼ gv

Ꭽ ha Ꭾ heᎯ Ꮀ hi ho Ꮁ
hu Ꮂ hv

Ꮃ la Ꮄ Ꮅ
le Ꮆ li lo Ꮇ lu Ꮈ lv

Ꮉ ma Ꮊ Ꮋ Ꮌ
me mi mo Ꮍmu Ᏽ mv

Ꮎ na Ꮏ Ꮐ
hna nah Ꮑ Ꮒ Ꮓ
ne ni no Ꮔnu Ꮕ nv

Ꮖ qua Ꮗ Ꮘ Ꮙ
que qui quo Ꮚ quu Ꮛ quv

Ꮜ sa Ꮝ s Ꮞ seᏏ Ꮠ si so Ꮡsu Ꮢ sv

Ꮣ da Ꮤ ta Ꮥ Ꮦ Ꮧ Ꮨ Ꮩ
de te di ti do Ꮪ
du Ꮫ dv

Ꮬ dla Ꮭtla Ꮮ Ꮯ
tle Ꮰ tli tlo Ꮱ tlu Ꮲ tlv

Ꮳ tsa Ꮴ Ꮵ
tse Ꮶ tsi tso Ꮷ
tsu Ꮸ tsv

Ꮹ wa Ꮺ Ꮻ Ꮼ
we wi wo Ꮽ
wu Ꮾ wv

Ꮿ ya Ᏸ yeᏱ Ᏺ yi yo Ᏻ yu Ᏼ yv

SOUNDS REPRESENTED BY VOWELS

a, as a in father, or short as a in rival o, as o in note, approaching aw in law
e, as a in plate, or short as e in met u, as oo in fool, or short as u in pull
i, as i in pique, or short as i in pit v, as u in but, nasalized
CONSONANT SOUNDS
‘g’ is nearly as in English, but approaching ‘k’. ‘d’ nearly as in English, but approaching to t.
‘h,’ ‘k,’ ‘l,’ ‘m,’ ‘n,’ ‘q,’ ‘s,’ ‘t,’ ‘w,’ and ‘y’ as in English. Syllables beginning with ‘g’ except
‘ga’ have sometimes the power of ‘k.’ ‘go,’ ‘du,’ and ‘dv’ are sometimes sounded ‘to,’ ‘tu,’ and
‘tv,’ and syllables written with ‘tl’ except ‘tla’ sometimes vary to ‘dl.’

Cherokee Nation ᏣᎳᎩ�ᎠᏰᎵ�ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ

Education Services Group ᏗᏂᏍᏕᎵᏍᎩ�ᎤᎾᏓᎷᎬ
Cherokee Language Program ᏣᎳᎩ�ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ�ᎤᏙᏢᏒ
language@cherokee.org language@cherokee.org
www.cherokee.org www.cherokee.org