How to Read Yoruba: A Simple Guide for Parents and Kids

If you grew up hearing Yoruba but were never taught to read it, the dots and accent marks can look intimidating. The good news: Yoruba is written almost exactly as it sounds. Once you know a handful of rules, you (and your child) can sound out nearly any word.

The Yoruba alphabet: 25 letters

A B D E Ẹ F G GB H I J K L M N O Ọ P R S Ṣ T U W Y

Compared with English:

• No C, Q, V, X or Z.
• Three letters with a dot (or line) underneath: Ẹ, Ọ and Ṣ.
• One letter written with two characters: GB.

The sounds that are different

Most consonants sound as they do in English. These are the ones to learn first:

• Ẹ sounds like the e in “bed”. Plain E is closer to the ay in “day”, without the glide.
• Ọ sounds like the o in “pot” (British) or “caught”. Plain O is like the o in “go”, without the glide.
• Ṣ is sh, as in “shop”.
• GB is one sound: g and b said at the same time. Try saying “g” with your lips closed.
• P is the same trick with k and p: not quite the English p.

Yoruba also has nasal vowels, written with an n after the vowel: an, ẹn, in, ọn, un. The n isn't pronounced on its own. It tells you to let the vowel come through your nose.

Tones: the accent marks

Yoruba has three tones, and the marks above the vowels tell you which one to use:

• High tone: acute accent, like á. Say it higher.
• Low tone: grave accent, like à. Say it lower.
• Mid tone: no mark, like a. Your normal speaking pitch.

Tones change meaning completely. The classic example uses almost the same letters:

This is why children need to hear Yoruba, not just see it. Reading the marks becomes easy once the sounds are already in their ears.

Teaching your child to read Yoruba, step by step

Yoruba syllables are simple: usually a consonant and a vowel, or a vowel on its own. That makes it a friendly language for early readers. Go in this order:

1. Speak first. Children read words they already know far more easily. Build up spoken words (greetings, family, food) before any reading.
2. Learn the seven oral vowels. a, e, ẹ, i, o, ọ, u. Sing them, clap them, write them big on the fridge.
3. Add consonants to make syllables. ba, bẹ, bi, bo, bọ, bu, then da, dẹ… Children love “reading” these sound strings.
4. Introduce tones with hand signs. Hand up for high, hand down for low, flat for mid. Say a syllable three ways and let your child copy the hand.
5. Read two-syllable words they know. ilé (house), omi (water), ajá (dog), ológbò (cat).
6. Move to short sentences. Labels around the house, a short story, a greeting card for Grandma.

Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Saturday. Keep it playful, and stop while it's still fun.

Common questions

Do I need to know the tone marks myself? It helps, but you can learn alongside your child. Many adults who speak Yoruba fluently were never taught the written marks, and they pick them up quickly once they see the pattern.

Why do some Yoruba texts have no accent marks? Everyday writing, like text messages and social media, often leaves them out, and fluent readers fill in the tones from context. Learners, especially children, should learn with the marks.

How do I type Yoruba letters on my phone? Most phone keyboards let you press and hold a letter to choose ẹ, ọ, ṣ and the accents. Some keyboards, like Gboard, also offer a Yoruba layout in their language settings.

What age can my child start? Listening and speaking can start from the very beginning. Reading Yoruba usually comes easily once a child has started reading in their first language, because the letter-to-sound rules are so regular.

Where to go next

If your child is just beginning, start with Yoruba greetings and good morning to good night, then come back to reading. And if you're raising your child outside Nigeria, our guide to raising bilingual kids in the diaspora has plenty of everyday ideas.