Officially, the Italian alphabet has only 21 letters. However, if we include the non-Italian letters, this number increases to 26.
This is because there are 5 foreign letters in Italian: J, K, W, X, and Y. In this lesson, you’re going to see how they are pronounced depending on the loanword in which they appear.
Iniziamo! Let’s get started!
Foreign letters in Italian
J – i lunga
The J letter is called i lunga or gei in Italian and can be pronounced either as the J in Jack or as the French J (/ʒ/) as in toujours.
J (i lunga, gei)
Jackpot, jeans, joystick, jazz
Jackpot, jeans, joystick, jazz
The soccer team Juventus is pronounced as Iuventus!
K – kappa
The letter K is called kappa in Italian and it is always pronounced as the C in scowl or the K in key. It’s never aspirated.
K (kappa)
Karate, karaoke, koala
Karate, karaoke, koala
W – vu doppia, doppia vu
The letter W is called vu doppia or doppia vu in Italian and its pronunciation, like that for the letter J, depends on the source language of the loanword.
In loanwords from English, such as webcam, it’s pronounced as a U vowel. In loanwords from German, it’s pronounced as the V in vase.
W (vu doppia, doppia vu)
Würstel, watt, wafer, wireless, weekend, windsurf
Würstel, watt, wafer, wireless, weekend, windsurf
X – ics
The letter X is always pronounced as the X in taxi. When it starts a word, make sure the sound is similar to “eeks”, with a clear i as in tea.
X (ics)
Xilofono, taxi, boxe, taglia XXL, xenofobia
Xylophone, taxi, boxing, size XXL, xenophobia
Y – ipsilon
The letter Y inherits the pronunciation of the source language of the loanword.
Y (ipsilon)
Yogurt, yacht, yoga, nylon
Yogurt, yacht, yoga, nylon
And that’s it for the foreign letters in Italian! If you still have any doubts about them, feel free to leave a comment.
What next?
Aiuta Lingookies con un 👍!
Now that you’ve seen the foreign letters in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
- Useful Italian Words Series
- Common Italian Phrases Series
- Italian grammar lessons and tricks
- Italian idiomatic expressions
Or you might also want an excellent offline Italian grammar resource to take with you at all times (Amazon).
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
Learn to speak Italian like a native? Easy.
Italian All-in-One For Dummies appeals to those readers looking for a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to mastering the Italian language. It contains content from all For Dummies Italian language instruction titles, including Italian For Dummies, Intermediate Italian For Dummies, Italian Verbs For Dummies, Italian Phrases For Dummies, Italian Grammar For Dummies, and Italian For Dummies Audio Set.
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