Sounds and Spelling
Dothraki 1
Course 1 · Chapter 2 · Sounds and Spelling
Dothraki is spelled with the Latin alphabet, and the spelling is very regular: almost every letter has one sound. That makes it far easier to read aloud than English. This chapter gives you the four vowels, the consonants and digraphs, the effect of doubled letters, the rolled r and the stress rule, with the traps that catch learners. You will be able to say every phrase from Chapter 1 correctly.
The Four Vowels
Dothraki has four vowels. Each is a pure sound, held steady; none glides into another, and there are no diphthongs, so two vowels written next to each other are two separate syllables (as in shieraki, shi-e-ra-ki).
| Letter | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | "ah", as in "father" | anni "of me" |
| e | "eh", as in "bed" | nem |
| i | "ee", as in "machine" | anni |
| o | "oh", as in "more" (without the glide) | qoy |
Two refinements: next to q the vowels move a little further back in the mouth (so qoy sounds different from a plain koy), and o can sound close to "oo" after k, g or kh. You do not need to hunt for these at first; just say each vowel cleanly and let them move naturally.
Consonants You Already Know
Most consonants sound as they do in English: b, d, f, g (always hard, as in "go"), h, k, l, m, n, p, s, t, v, y and z. Dothraki has about twenty-two consonants in all, counting the digraphs below.
Digraphs and Special Letters
A digraph is two letters that together stand for one sound. Dothraki has several, and one letter that English does not use at all.
| Spelling | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kh | the rough "ch" of Scottish "loch" or German "Bach" | khal, shekh |
| sh | English "sh" in "ship" | shekh, shieraki |
| zh | the "s" in "measure" | (a rarer sound) |
| th | "th" in "thin", not "this" | atthirari |
| ch | "ch" in "check", always with a puff of air | (see the vocabulary in Chapter 3) |
| q | a "k" made further back, at the very back of the mouth (a uvular stop) | qoy, qoyi |
Doubled Letters
A doubled consonant is pronounced for longer; it is not the same as a single one, and it can change the meaning. Two words from the sources make the point: jelli "cheese" and jeli "lemon" differ only in the l. For the digraphs, doubling is written by doubling the first letter and keeping the second: kkh, ssh, zzh, tth and cch.
The Rolled R
Dothraki r is not the English "r". The Living Language-style description is that it is trilled (rolled, like Spanish perro) when doubled, at the end of a word, or at the start of a word before a vowel, and tapped (a quick flick, like the "tt" in American "butter") elsewhere. If you cannot roll your r yet, use the tap everywhere: it is understood, and the trill comes with practice.
Where the Stress Falls
Stress is predictable, according to one learner guide:
- Words ending in a consonant are stressed on the last syllable: lajak is said la-JAK.
- Words ending in a vowel are stressed on the first syllable: khaleesi is said KHA-lee-si.
Reading the Phrases from Chapter 1
The stress marks on these phrases come from applying the rule above to each word, so treat them as the standard pattern, not a recording of a particular actor.
Hands-On Exercises
Say each word aloud, then say which letters are digraphs or doubled: khal, shekh, qoy, anni, atthirari, jelli.
📄 View solutionApply the stress rule to these words and mark the stressed syllable in capitals: lajak, khaleesi, khalasar, nesa. Then say which rule you used for each.
📄 View solutionExplain, in your own words, why jeli and jelli are different words, and why q in qoy is not the English "kw".
📄 View solutionChapter 2 Quick Reference
- Vowels: a e i o, pure sounds, no diphthongs
- Digraphs: kh (loch), sh (ship), zh (measure), th (thin), ch (check, with a puff); q is a back-of-the-mouth "k"
- Doubling: say double letters for longer; doubled digraphs are kkh ssh zzh tth cch
- R: trilled when doubled, final, or word-initial before a vowel; tapped elsewhere
- Stress: last syllable if the word ends in a consonant; first syllable if it ends in a vowel