Romanian flashcards
for vocabulary learning

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The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provides a standardized set of symbols to represent the sounds of spoken language. Below are the IPA symbols for Romanian pronunciation, with examples and descriptions, including the pronunciation of these sounds in English.

Romanian Vowels

• /a/ - as in mamă, pronounced /ˈmamə/ (like "a" in father /ˈfɑːðər/)
• /e/ - as in mere, pronounced /ˈmere/ (like "e" in bed /bɛd/)
• /i/ - as in mic, pronounced /mik/ (like "ee" in see /siː/)
• /o/ - as in om, pronounced /om/ (like "o" in not /nɒt/)
• /u/ - as in lup, pronounced /lup/ (like "oo" in boot /buːt/)
• /ɨ/ - as in vânt, pronounced /vɨnt/ (like "i" in roses /ˈroʊzɪz/)
• /ə/ - as in pădure, pronounced /pəˈdure/ (like "a" in sofa /ˈsoʊfə/)

Romanian Diphthongs

• /e̯a/ - as in seară, pronounced /ˈse̯arə/ (like "ea" in bear /bɛər/)
• /o̯a/ - as in boală, pronounced /ˈbo̯alə/ (like "oa" in broad /brɔːd/)
• /i̯e/ - as in fier, pronounced /fi̯er/ (like "ye" in yes /jɛs/)

Romanian Consonants

• /p/ - as in pat, pronounced /pat/ (like "p" in pen /pɛn/)
• /b/ - as in bat, pronounced /bat/ (like "b" in bat /bæt/)
• /t/ - as in tata, pronounced /ˈtata/ (like "t" in top /tɒp/)
• /d/ - as in da, pronounced /da/ (like "d" in dog /dɒɡ/)
• /k/ - as in car, pronounced /kar/ (like "k" in cat /kæt/)
• /ɡ/ - as in gară, pronounced /ˈɡarə/ (like "g" in go /ɡoʊ/)
• /f/ - as in fată, pronounced /ˈfatə/ (like "f" in fun /fʌn/)
• /v/ - as in vacă, pronounced /ˈvakə/ (like "v" in voice /vɔɪs/)
• /s/ - as in soare, pronounced /ˈso̯are/ (like "s" in see /siː/)
• /z/ - as in zebra, pronounced /ˈzebra/ (like "z" in zebra /ˈzɛbrə/)
• /ʃ/ - as in șarpe, pronounced /ˈʃarpe/ (like "sh" in shoe /ʃuː/)
• /ʒ/ - as in joc, pronounced /ʒok/ (like "s" in measure /ˈmɛʒər/)
• /t͡ʃ/ - as in ceai, pronounced /t͡ʃaj/ (like "ch" in chess /tʃɛs/)
• /d͡ʒ/ - as in geam, pronounced /d͡ʒam/ (like "j" in jam /dʒæm/)
• [ŋ] - as in bancă, pronounced [ˈbaŋkə] (roughly like "ng" in sing /sɪŋ/)
• /l/ - as in lup, pronounced /lup/ (like "l" in leaf /liːf/)
• /r/ - as in râu, pronounced /rɨw/ (a trilled "r", like in Italian or Spanish)
• /m/ - as in mama, pronounced /ˈmamə/ (like "m" in man /mæn/)
• /n/ - as in noapte, pronounced /ˈno̯apte/ (like "n" in net /nɛt/)

Unique Features of Romanian Pronunciation

Romanian pronunciation shares similarities with other Romance languages, but it also has unique features that are important for learners to understand.

• The vowel ă: Romanian ă represents /ə/, a vowel in its own right that can occur in stressed or unstressed syllables. In pădure /pəˈdure/, it is unstressed; this is not simply a full vowel reduced in rapid speech.
• Trilled R: The /r/ sound in Romanian is a trilled "r", similar to the "r" in Italian or Spanish.
• Palatalization: Some consonants can be palatalized when followed by "i" or "e", producing a softer sound.
• Diphthongs and Triphthongs: Romanian has diphthongs and triphthongs within a single syllable. The pronoun eu is pronounced /jew/, with a vowel between two glides. ouă /ˈo.wə/ has two syllables and is not a triphthong.
• Consonant Clusters: Romanian allows for a variety of consonant clusters, which can be challenging for non-native speakers. For example, stradă /ˈstradə/ (street).
• Stress: Romanian word stress can fall on different syllables and should be learned with each word. Changing the stressed syllable can change a word's meaning.