Master the Hungarian Alphabet: Pronunciation Guide for Beginners
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Introduction
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.
Part 1: The Hungarian Alphabet in Detail
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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