VOWELS
The vowel system comprises 14 phonemes, as follows:
SYMBOL WORD TRANSCRIPTION
i hit hit
i: szít si:t
E vet vEt
e: méz me:z
O hat hOt
A: láb la:b
o sok sok
o: pók po:k
2 köt k2t
2: sőt S2:t
u fut fut
u: kút ku:t
y süt Syt
y: fűt fy:t
CONSONANTS
The consonant system comprises 24 phonemes, as follows:
| SYMBOL | WORD | TRANSCRIPTION | |
| p | Pál | pa:l | |
| b | bál | ba:l | |
| t | tár | ta:r | |
| d | dán | da:n | |
| t' | tyúk | t'u:k | |
| d' | gyár | d'a:r | |
| k | kád | ka:d | |
| g | gát | ga:t | |
| ts | cél | tse:l | |
| dz | bodza | bodza | |
| tS | cső | tS2: | |
| dZ | dzsem | dZEm |
| SYMBOL | WORD | TRANSCRIPTION | |
| f | fát | fa:t | |
| v | vád | va:d | |
| s | szép | se:p | |
| z | zár | za:r | |
| S | só | So: | |
| Z | zsír | Zi:r | |
| m | már | ma:r | |
| n | nád | na:d | |
| J | nyom | Jom | |
| r | rák | ra:k | |
| l | láp | la:p | |
| j | jön, lyuk | j2n, juk | |
| h | hát | ha:t | |
| x | achát | Oxa:t |
It is convenient for some purposes to symbolise separately the
following salient allophones:
| F | kámfor | ka:Ffor | |
| N | ing | iNg |
Consonant length is distinctive in Hungarian. All consonants may be phonemically short or long (geminate); this contrast operates in intervocalic and final-postvocalic positions.