The Hungarian Alphabet - Learn Hungarian Anywhere

Many language learners struggle with Hungarian pronunciation because they skip the fundamentals of grammar.

Sok nyelvtanuló küzd a magyar kiejtéssel, mert átugorja az alapokat.

You might be able to memorize Hungarian vocabulary and grammar rules, but without proper pronunciation, native speakers may have difficulty understanding you.

Lehet, hogy meg tudod jegyezni a magyar szókincset és nyelvtani szabályokat, de megfelelő kiejtés nélkül a magyar anyanyelvűek nehezen érthetnek meg.

The good news? Hungarian has one of the most consistent pronunciation systems among European languages. Each letter always makes the same sound, and once you learn the rules, you'll be able to pronounce any Hungarian word correctly.

A jó hír? A magyarnak van az egyik legkövetkezetesebb kiejtési rendszere az európai nyelvek között. Minden betű mindig ugyanazt a hangot adja, és ha egyszer megtanulod a szabályokat, bármilyen magyar szót helyesen ki tudsz majd ejteni.

The Complete Hungarian Alphabet

A, Á, B, C, Cs, D, Dz, Dzs, E, É, F, G, Gy, H, I, Í, J, K, L, Ly, M, N, Ny, O, Ó, Ö, Ő, P, Q, R, S, Sz, T, Ty, U, Ú, Ü, Ű, V, W, X, Y, Z, Zs

Vowels (Magánhangzók) - A Deep Dive

Short Vowels:

1. a - like 'o' in "hot" but shorter

Example: alma (apple) - [ol-ma]

Practice word: akar (want) - [o-kar]

2. e - like 'e' in "bed"

Example: ember (person) - [em-ber]

Practice word: este (evening) - [esh-te]

3. i - like 'i' in "bit" but shorter

Example: itt (here) - [it]

Practice word: kicsi (small) - [ki-chi]

4. o - like 'o' in "oh" but shorter

Example: sok (many) - [shok]

Practice word: pohár (glass) - [po-har]

5. u - like 'u' in "put"

Example: utca (street) - [ut-tsa]

Practice word: kutya (dog) - [ku-tya]

6. ö - like 'uh' sound but rounded

Example: öt (five) - [ut]

Practice word: körte (pear) - [kör-te]

7. ü - like German 'ü' (purse lips while saying 'ee')

Example: üveg (glass) - [ü-veg]

Practice word: sütemény (pastry) - [shü-te-mény]

Long Vowels (the importance of vowel length, as this can change word meanings in Hungarian)

1. á - like 'a' in "father"

Example: ház (house) - [haz]

Practice word: család (family) - [cha-lad]

2. é - like 'ay' in "say"

Example: kérem (please) - [kay-rem]

Practice word: szép (beautiful) - [sayp]

3. í - like 'ee' in "see"

Example: víz (water) - [veez]

Practice word: írni (to write) - [eer-ni]

4. ó - like 'o' in "go"

Example: jó (good) - [yoh]

Practice word: óra (clock/hour) - [oh-ra]

5. ú - like 'oo' in "boot"

Example: út (road) - [oot]

Practice word: húsz (twenty) - [hoosz]

6. ő - like 'ö' but held longer

Example: kő (stone) - [kő]

Practice word: első (first) - [el-shő]

7. ű - like 'ü' but held longer

Example: fű (grass) - [fű]

Practice word: tűz (fire) - [tűz]

Consonants (Mássalhangzók) - Detailed Guide

Single Consonants:

1. b - like English 'b'

2. d - like English 'd'

3. f - like English 'f'

4. g - like English 'g' in "go"

5. h - like English 'h'

6. j - like English 'y' in "yes"

7. k - like English 'k'

8. l - like English 'l'

9. m - like English 'm'

10. n - like English 'n'

11. p - like English 'p'

12. r - rolled 'r' or 'er'

13. s - like English 'sh'

14. t - like English 't'

15. v - like English 'v'

16. z - like English 'z'

Compound Consonants:

1. cs [ch] - like 'ch' in "church"

Example: csak (only) - [chak]

Practice word: csirke (chicken) - [chir-ke]

2. gy [dy] - like 'd' in "duke" but softer

Example: nagy (big) - [nodj]

Practice word: magyar (Hungarian) - [mo-dyar]

3. ly [y] - identical to 'j' in modern Hungarian

Example: lyuk (hole) - [yuk]

Practice word: gólya (stork) - [go-ya]

4. ny [ny] - like 'n' in "new"

Example: nyár (summer) - [nyar]

Practice word: kenyér (bread) - [ke-nyér]

5. sz [s] - like 's' in "see"

Example: szép (beautiful) - [sayp]

Practice word: szoba (room) - [so-ba]

6. ty [ty] - like 't' in "tube"

Example: tyúk (hen) - [tyook]

Practice word: ponty (carp) - [ponty]

7. zs [zh] - like 's' in "pleasure"

Example: zseb (pocket) - [zheb]

Practice word: rózsa (rose) - [ro-zha]

Part 2: Essential Pronunciation Rules

 Vowel Harmony

Hungarian words follow vowel harmony, meaning they typically contain either:

- Front vowels: e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű

- Back vowels: a, á, o, ó, u, ú

Dig deeper into vowels in our beginner's Hungarian guide.

Examples:

- Front vowel words: szép (beautiful), ember (person)

- Back vowel words: magyar (Hungarian), asztal (table)

- Mixed (rare): béka (frog), király (king)

Learn more in our article on grammar

2. Stress Rules

- Primary stress ALWAYS falls on the first syllable

- Secondary stress may occur on odd-numbered syllables

- Length is independent of stress

Examples:

- ÁL-lat (animal)

- KÖ-szö-nöm (thank you)

- ÉT-te-rem (restaurant)

Essential Letter Combinations & Word Endings

Common Letter Patterns:

Double Consonants

• When you see double letters (bb, dd, ff, gg, etc.), hold the sound longer
• Examples:
• kettes (double) = [ket-tesh]
• egész (whole) = [e-gays]
• össze (together) = [ös-se]

Word Endings to Master:

-ban/-ben (in)
házban (in the house) = [haz-ban]
kertben (in the garden) = [kert-ben]
Remember: Use -ban after back vowels, -ben after front vowels

-val/-vel (with)
kávéval (with coffee) = [ka-vay-val]
tejjel (with milk) = [tey-yel]
Note: The v changes to match the final consonant of the word

-ság/-ség (creates nouns)
szabadság (freedom) = [sa-bad-shaag]
szépség (beauty) = [sayp-shayg]
Key tip: -ság for back vowel words, -ség for front vowel words

Common Word Beginnings:

egy- (one, single)
egyszerű (simple) = [edge-se-rű]
együtt (together) = [edge-ütt]
meg- (completion prefix)
megáll (stops) = [meg-all]
meglát (sees) = [meg-laat]
Remember: Always stress the meg-
fel-/föl- (up)
felmegy (goes up) = [fel-medge]
följön (comes up) = [föl-yön]
Note: fel- and föl- mean the same thing

 "meg-" often indicates completion of an action, not just that it's a completion prefix.

Homework for this lesson

Exercise 1: Single Vowel Sounds

Practice these minimal pairs:

- kar (arm) vs. kár (damage)

- ver (beat) vs. vér (blood)

- kor (age) vs. kór (disease)

Exercise 2: Compound Consonants

Practice these words:

- gyerek (child) - [dye-rek]

- nyuszi (bunny) - [nyu-si]

- csiga (snail) - [chi-ga]

Exercise 3: Word Stress

Practice emphasizing the first syllable:

- TE-le-fon (telephone)

- AU-tó-busz (bus)

- IS-ko-la (school)

Daily Practice Routine

1. Morning (10 minutes):

- Practice individual sounds

- Read simple words aloud

2. Afternoon (15 minutes):

- Practice dialogue

- Record yourself speaking

3. Evening (5 minutes):

- Review difficult sounds

- Practice new vocabulary

Listen to our podcast on how to say the Hungarian Vowels: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ZVT2CnJNcOb

Listen to our podcast on how to say the Hungarian Alphabet: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/FIDHS9bRcOb

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