LEARN INDONESIAN PRONUNCIATION
To learn Indonesian pronunciation is fairly easy, as it is a phonetic language, with each single letter representing one sound. With a couple of exceptions the sounds are the same every time and require equal emphasis. Generally, the second-to-last syllable in a word is stressed, and in sentences, stress is on the most important word.
Vowels
a like the ‘u’ in ’hut’ or ‘up’
e a short sound, like the ‘e’ in ‘earn’, when it is unstressed, in which case it is hardly pronounced at all, or like the ‘e’ in ‘café’ when it is stressed. A stressed
e at the end of a word is a little longer, but the stress can also fall on other syllables.
i like the ‘i’ in ‘unique’. The length of the sound doesn’t alter
o similar to the ‘o’ sound in either ‘hot’ or ‘cold’
u is in the ‘oo’ in ‘too’, only shorter
Diphthongs
There are also three vowel combinations;
al,
au and
ua. The first two sounds are true diphthongs; the
ua is a combination of sounds
al sounds like ‘i’ in ‘like’
au sounds like a drawn out ‘ow’ like ‘cow’
ua begins with the sound of ‘oo as in ‘too’ and ends with the ‘ah’ sound in’hut’, with a glide, like a slight ‘w’ sound
Consonants
The pronunciation of consonants is very straightforward. Each is pronounced consistently, and most sound like English
b as in the ‘b’ in ‘better’ at the beginning or middle of a word and as in the ‘b’ in ‘rub’ (almost a ‘p’ sound) at the end of a word
p as in the ‘p’ in ‘lip’
c ‘ch’ as in ‘cheese’
g always pronounced hard, as in the ‘g’ in ‘garden’
ng always prounced as the ‘ng’ in ‘sing’
j pronounced as ‘dj’. It’s the sound you hear at the beginning of ‘join’
r pronounced very clearly and distinctly. It is always slightly trilled
h is always pronounced. It is stressed a little more strongly than in English.
k pronounced the same as the English ‘k’, unless it appears at the end of a word, when you should soften it, stopping just short of actually saying the ’k’
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