Efik Alphabet

Efik is written in the Latin alphabet, in this order: A B D E F G Gh H I K Kp Kw M N Ny Ñ Ñw O Ọ P R S T U W Y, with a capital and small form for each entry. Ñ ñ is also written n̄ in older spellings, and Ọ ọ is o with a dot below. C, J, L, Q, V, X and Z are not part of standard Efik spelling; they turn up in names and words borrowed from English.

Some sounds are written with two letters. kp is made at the lips and the back of the mouth at once, the sound at the start of Ekpe and Ekpo; ny is the sound of Spanish ñ in año, as in enyene; and ñw starts the word ñwed (book). These graphemes are typed as two letters, so the grid lists single characters.

Efik is a tonal language, like its neighbours: the pitch of a syllable can change the word. Everyday spelling often omits tone marks, so readers may rely on context; accents can also be added to show tone when needed.

What ọ and ñ (n̄) do

ọ is the open o, close to the vowel of British law, while plain o is a closer o. You see it in the commonest words, such as ufọk (house) and ọnọ (gives), so leaving the dot off is a spelling mistake, not a style choice. It is the same character as the Yoruba ọ, U+1ECD, so a Yoruba keyboard types it too.

ñ is the ng of English sing. The Efik Bible and many church books print it n̄, an n with a short bar on top, while modern writing often uses ñ, a single character that is easier to type: Ñwed Abasi and N̄wed Abasi are the same words. In English-style spellings the same sound becomes ng, which is why the title Obọñ is written Obong, as in the Obong of Calabar, and the word for thank you, sọsọñọ, is often written sosongo.

Unicode has no single character for n̄: it is plain n followed by the combining macron U+0304, which you can copy from the grid. Ñ, on the other hand, is one character, U+00D1 and U+00F1, the same letter Spanish uses. Church and literary books also print ẹ and ị with a dot below; you will find them in the grid too, under “Also seen in Efik print”.

How to type ñ and ọ on a keyboard and phone

On most phone keyboards, long-press n and pick ñ. For ọ, add a Yoruba or Igbo keyboard, where it is usually behind a long-press of o, or copy it straight from this page.

On Windows, hold Alt and type 164 on the number pad for ñ, 165 for Ñ (or Alt+0241 and Alt+0209). In Microsoft Word, type the code and press Alt+X: 1ECD gives ọ, 1ECC Ọ, and 0304 straight after an n gives n̄. On a Mac, Option+N and then n gives ñ; with the ABC Extended input source, Option+X then o gives ọ, and Option+A then n gives n̄.

In HTML, write ñ and Ñ for ñ and Ñ, ọ for ọ and Ọ for Ọ, and n̄ for n̄. The naira sign ₦ is 20A6 then Alt+X in Word, or ₦ in HTML.

Where the Efik language is spoken

Efik is the language of the Efik people of Calabar, the capital of Cross River State in south-eastern Nigeria, and of the towns along the Calabar and Cross rivers such as Creek Town. CLDR estimates about 3.3 million speakers; counts vary a lot, because Efik is also understood by many speakers of its close relatives.

Those relatives are Ibibio and Annang, spoken next door in Akwa Ibom State; together they form one cluster of the Lower Cross languages, and speakers of one can largely follow the others. Because Presbyterian missionaries settled in Calabar in the 1840s and wrote their dictionary, grammar and Bible in Efik, it became the written and church language of the whole area, and the Efik Bible and Efik hymn book are still used in churches in and around Calabar.

For money, Efik speakers use the Nigerian naira, written ₦500. For the letters of Nigeria’s other languages see the Ibibio, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Tiv collections, and for the flag, the naira and the country’s emoji see Nigeria.

Ekpe, carnival and Calabar food in emoji

A few emoji belong to Efik culture as naturally as its letters. 🐆 stands for Ekpe, the leopard society that has long held authority in Calabar and whose masquerades come out on its great days; 🎭 fits both those masquerades and the Calabar Carnival, which fills the city every December.

🥁 is for Ekombi and the other dances of Efik celebrations, and 🥬🍲 for Calabar’s famous soups, Edikang Ikong and Afang, rich with leafy greens. 🛶 recalls the canoes of Old Calabar, the river trading town the Efik built. Add 🇳🇬 and the message is complete.