This chart displays the phonemes of Polish (Poland) – pl-PL using both IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and X-SAMPA notation. Each phoneme is accompanied by an example word and its full transcription in both systems.
Polish phonology is notable for its wide range of sibilants and affricates, nasal vowels, and contrastive palatalization. The language also includes both alveolar and retroflex consonants, which are phonemically distinct. This chart is designed for learners, linguists, educators, and developers working with Polish pronunciation and phonetic modeling. At the end, you’ll find a quick reference for stress markers and syllable boundaries.
Polish (Poland) – pl-PL
| X-SAMPA | IPA | Example Word | X-SAMPA Transcription | IPA Transcription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| p | p | popiół | "pO%pjuw | ˈpɔˌpjuw |
| b | b | kupże | "kub%z`E | ˈkubˌʐɛ |
| t_d | t̪ | bródka | "bru%t_dka | ˈbruˌt̪ka |
| d_d | d̪ | dudek | "d_du%d_dEk | ˈd̪uˌd̪ɛk |
| k | k | kurka | "kur%ka | ˈkurˌka |
| g | g | także | "t_da%gz`E | ˈt̪aˌgʐɛ |
| f | f | wsunąć | "fs_du%n_dO~ts\ | ˈfs̪uˌn̪ɔ̃tɕ |
| v | v | główny | "gwu%vn_d1 | ˈgwuˌvn̪ɨ |
| s_d | s̪ | wóz | "vus_d | ˈvus̪ |
| z_d | z̪ | rozbić | "rOt%z_dbits\ | ˈrɔtˌz̪bitɕ |
| s` | ʂ | szyszka | "s1%sa | ˈʂɨˌʂa |
| z` | ʐ | rzecz | "zEts | ˈʐɛtʂ |
| s\ | ɕ | śmiech | "s\mjEx | ˈɕmjɛx |
| z\ | ʑ | źrebię | "z\rE%bjE~ | ˈʑrɛˌbjɛ̃ |
| x | x | hak | "xak | ˈxak |
| ts_d | t̪s̪ | rydz | "r1ts_d | ˈrɨt̪s̪ |
| dz_d | d̪z̪ | dzwon | "dz_dvOn_d | ˈd̪z̪vɔn̪ |
| ts` | tʂ | czacza | "tsa%tsa | ˈtʂaˌtʂa |
| dz` | dʐ | dżdżu | "dzdzu | ˈdʑdʑu |
| ts\ | tɕ | ciocia | "ts\O%ts\a | ˈtɕɔˌtɕa |
| dz\ | dʑ | dźwięk | "dz\vjE~k | ˈdʑvjɛ̃k |
| m | m | mama | "ma%ma | ˈmaˌma |
| n_d | n̪ | noga | "n_dO%ga | ˈn̪ɔˌga |
| J | ɲ | nieść | "JEs\ts\ | ˈɲɛɕtɕ |
| l | l | lalka | "lal%ka | ˈlalˌka |
| r | r | radar | "ra%d_dar | ˈraˌd̪ar |
| j | j | jajo | "ja%jO | ˈjaˌjɔ |
| w | w | łapa | "wa%pa | ˈwaˌpa |
| a | a | lalka | "lal%ka | ˈlalˌka |
| E | ɛ | niewielkie | JE%"vjElkjE | ˈɲɛˌvjɛlkjɛ |
| i | i | kit | "kit_d | ˈkit̪ |
| O | ɔ | lot | "lOt_d | ˈlɔt̪ |
| u | u | buk | "buk | ˈbuk |
| 1 | ɨ | krzyk | "ks`1k | ˈkɕɨk |
| E~ | ɛ̃ | pędzę | "pE~%dz_dE~ | ˈpɛ̃ˌd̪z̪ɛ̃ |
| O~ | ɔ̃ | siąść | "s\O~s\ts\ | ˈɕɔ̃ɕtɕ |
Stress Symbols
| Function | IPA | X-SAMPA |
|---|---|---|
| Primary stress | ˈ | " |
| Secondary stress | ˌ | % |
| Syllable boundary | . | . |