The Albanian Alphabet
The Albanian alphabet has 36 letters - 7 vowels and 29 consonants - written in Latin script and standardised at the Congress of Manastir in 1908. The best part for learners: it is almost perfectly phonetic. Learn the 36 letters once and you can read and pronounce almost any Albanian word on sight.
The full alphabet, letter by letter
Each letter maps to one consistent sound. Nine of the 36 are digraphs - dh, gj, ll, nj, rr, sh, th, xh, zh - two written characters that count as a single letter and represent a single sound. Two letters carry diacritics: ç and ë.
The "closest English sound" column is an approximation to get you started; hear them spoken in the video above and in the flashcards to fine-tune.
| Letter | Closest English sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A a | a in "father" | ata (they) |
| B b | b in "boy" | bukë (bread) |
| C c | ts in "cats" | cigare (cigarette) |
| Ç ç | ch in "church" | çaj (tea) |
| D d | d in "dog" | dorë (hand) |
| Dh dh | th in "this" (voiced) | dhomë (room) |
| E e | e in "bed" | erë (wind) |
| Ë ë | a in "about" (often silent at word end) | nënë (mother) |
| F f | f in "fish" | fjalë (word) |
| G g | g in "go" (hard) | gur (stone) |
| Gj gj | soft g, near "d" in "verdure" | gjumë (sleep) |
| H h | h in "hat" | hënë (moon) |
| I i | ee in "see" | ishull (island) |
| J j | y in "yes" | jam (I am) |
| K k | k in "kite" | kokë (head) |
| L l | l in "leaf" (clear) | lule (flower) |
| Ll ll | l in "ball" (dark) | mollë (apple) |
| M m | m in "man" | mace (cat) |
| N n | n in "no" | natë (night) |
| Nj nj | ny in "canyon" (Spanish ñ) | një (one / a) |
| O o | o in "or" (pure) | orë (hour / clock) |
| P p | p in "pen" | punë (work) |
| Q q | soft ch, near "t" in British "tune" | qen (dog) |
| R r | tapped r (Spanish "pero") | rërë (sand) |
| Rr rr | rolled/trilled r (Spanish "perro") | rrugë (street) |
| S s | s in "sun" | sot (today) |
| Sh sh | sh in "shoe" | shtëpi (house) |
| T t | t in "top" | ti (you) |
| Th th | th in "think" (voiceless) | thikë (knife) |
| U u | oo in "moon" | ujë (water) |
| V v | v in "van" | vëlla (brother) |
| X x | dz in "adds" | xixë (spark) |
| Xh xh | j in "jump" | xhami (mosque / glass) |
| Y y | French u / German ü (rounded "ee") | yll (star) |
| Z z | z in "zoo" | zog (bird) |
| Zh zh | s in "measure" | zhurmë (noise) |
The sounds English speakers should practise first
Most of the alphabet is intuitive. A handful of sounds have no exact English match and are worth a few minutes of focused practice:
- ëA soft, neutral vowel like the "a" in "about". At the end of a word it is often barely pronounced - nënë sounds close to "nën".
- q vs çBoth are "ch"-like. ç is the firm "ch" in "church"; q is a softer, more palatal version with the tongue higher.
- gj vs xhxh is the English "j" in "jump". gj is its softer, palatal cousin - the same relationship as q to ç.
- r vs rrr is a single tap (Spanish "pero"); rr is a full rolled trill (Spanish "perro"). The difference changes meaning.
- yRound your lips as if to say "oo", then say "ee" instead - the French u or German ü.
Why the Albanian alphabet is easy to learn
Unlike English, Albanian spelling is consistent: one letter, one sound, almost without exception. There are no silent letters to memorise and no "-ough" traps. Once you know the 36 letters, reading is essentially solved - the work that remains is vocabulary and grammar, not decoding.
A practical first path: watch the alphabet video, then drill the letters and their example words as flashcards until reading feels automatic.
Ready to start learning?
Practice with free spaced-repetition flashcards, find your CEFR level, or work 1:1 with a native Albanian speaker.