Welsh orthography facts for kids

The Welsh language uses its own version of the Latin alphabet. It traditionally has 28 letters. Eight of these are special pairs of letters called "digraphs" that are treated as single letters when you put words in alphabetical order.

The letters are:

• a, b, c, ch, d, dd, e, f, ff, g, ng, h, i, (j), l, ll, m, n, o, p, ph, r, rh, s, t, th, u, w, y

The letter "j" is now often included in the alphabet. It sits between "i" and "l". This is because "j" is used in many words borrowed from English. A common example is the surname Jones.

Other letters like "k", "v", "x", and "z" are sometimes used. You might see them in technical words such as kilogram or volt. However, in Welsh, these words can often be written using Welsh letters instead. For example, kilogram becomes cilogram, and volt becomes folt. The letter "k" was used a lot until the 16th century. It was removed when the New Testament was published in Welsh.

The Welsh Alphabet: Your Guide

The Welsh alphabet helps people read and write in Welsh. It's a bit different from the English alphabet, especially with its unique letters. Learning these letters is the first step to understanding Welsh words.

Special Letters and Sounds

The Welsh alphabet has some letters that are actually two letters combined. These are called digraphs. Even though they are two letters, they make one sound. They are also treated as a single letter when you sort words alphabetically.

Here are the eight digraphs:

• ch (like the "ch" in Scottish "loch")
• dd (like the "th" in "this")
• ff (like the "f" in "fox")
• ng (like the "ng" in "sing")
• ll (a unique sound, often described as "thl" or "chl")
• ph (like the "f" in "phone")
• rh (a rolled "r" sound with a breath)
• th (like the "th" in "thin")

These digraphs are very important for speaking Welsh correctly.

Extra Marks: The Circumflex

Sometimes, you will see a special mark above a vowel in Welsh. This mark looks like a little hat (^) and is called a circumflex.

• The circumflex is used to show that a vowel sound is long.
• For example, the word tân (meaning "fire") has a long "a" sound because of the circumflex. Without it, tan would mean "under" and have a short "a" sound.

This small mark helps you know how to pronounce words correctly.

Images for kids

• 

  A 19th century Welsh alphabet printed in Welsh

See also

In Spanish: Ortografía galesa para niños