Աա
«a»
name: այբ (ayb)
Like a in father, kept short and steady.
Three little legs joined together. Picture an apron with three folds: a is an open ah sound.
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1
Step 1 of 6
Your first words
Start with eight useful letter shapes and read real words straight away. Armenian stress usually falls on the last syllable: mamÁ, anÚn. In our hints, a is ah, i is ee, u is oo, and an acute accent marks stress. These hints are a reading aid, not English spelling or IPA. Read the individual sound tips before trying the words.
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Watch the look-alikes: ս looks like u but sounds like s; ո looks like n but usually sounds like vo or o. Treat each shape as a new letter.
- Look at the letters below: sound, name, how to remember
- Flashcards learn to recognise the letters, 0/8Start
- Handwriting write each one from memory, 0/8Start
The next step opens after flashcards and writing from memory for every letter in this step.
Letters
Մմ
«m»
name: մեն (men)
A small cup with a curl at the top right. Imagine a mouse peeking out of a mug: m.
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Նն
«n»
name: նու (nu)
A cup with a curl at the top left, like a teapot spout. Notice which side the curl is on: this one is n.
Watch out: մ curls on the right; ն curls on the left.
Watch out: մ curls on the right; ն curls on the left.
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Սս
«s»
name: սե (se)
It looks like English u, but sounds like s. Imagine an open bowl of sand: sss as you pour.
Watch out: The shape is u; the sound is s, as in sun.
Watch out: The shape is u; the sound is s, as in sun.
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Տտ
«t»
name: տյուն (tyun)
A t with little puff of air, like t after s in stop. Keep it distinct from թ.
Two little arches joined together, like twins holding hands: t.
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Ոո
«vo / o»
name: ո (vo)
Compare ոչ (vochʰ, no) and նոր (nor, new). There are exceptions to the initial vo rule.
It looks like English n, but it is a vowel spelling. At the start of a word it is usually vo; inside a word, o.
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Րր
«r»
name: րե (re)
A single tap of the tongue, like Spanish r in pero. It is not the usual English r. The rolled ռ comes in step 4.
An arch whose left leg drops below the line. Think of one quick tap on a drum: r.
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Ււ
«u (in ու)»
name: վյուն (vyun)
In modern reformed spelling, ու is treated as a letter. We practise its two shapes separately here.
Learn this shape as part of the pair ու. Together they spell the oo sound in food.
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Try reading
Read the word first, then tap it to check the reading hint and meaning.
Practice
- Can read: 0 of 8 letters
- Can write from memory: 0 of 8
The next step opens after flashcards and writing from memory for every letter in this step.
Pronunciation recordings are not available yet. Reading hints are approximate and cannot replace listening.