Ibibio Alphabet

Ibibio is written in the Latin script. Its standard orthography includes A B D E Ǝ F GH H I Ị K KP M N Ñ ÑW NY O Ọ Ʌ P R S T U Ụ W Y, with lowercase forms a b d e ǝ f gh h i ị k kp m n ñ ñw ny o ọ ʌ p r s t u ụ w y. Some older books write ñ and ñw as n̄ and n̄w. C, J, L, Q, V, X and Z are not standard letters; G appears in the digraph gh rather than as a separate letter.

Some sounds are written with two letters. kp is made at the lips and the back of the mouth at once, the sound in Ekpo, the name of the masquerade; ny is the sound of Spanish ñ in año; and nw begins words such as nwed (book). You type them as two letters one after the other, so the grid lists only single letters.

Ibibio is a tonal language: the pitch of a syllable can change the word. Everyday spelling does not mark tone, so the alphabet needs no accented letters. Dictionaries and language textbooks add acute and grave accents over vowels and syllabic n and m to show high and low tone.

Ibibio alphabet sounds: what ị, ọ and ñ do

ị is a vowel Efik does not write: an i said further back in the mouth, between the i of machine and the u of rule. It is what most clearly sets Ibibio spelling apart from Efik spelling, and it is the same character as the Igbo ị, U+1ECB, so an Igbo keyboard types it.

ọ is the open o, close to the vowel of British law, while plain o is a closer o. It is the same character as the Yoruba and Igbo ọ, U+1ECD.

ñ is the ng of English sing. In English-style spellings it turns into ng, which is why the word for thank you, sọsọñọ, is usually written sosongo, and the title Obọñ is written Obong. Some older books print the same sound as n̄, n with a bar on top, and some grammars and school books also use ʌ for the vowel close to English cup; both are in the grid under “Also seen in Ibibio writing”.

How to type Ibibio letters on a keyboard and phone

On a phone, long-press n on the standard keyboard and pick ñ. For ị and ọ, add an Igbo keyboard (Gboard has one), which offers them, or copy them 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: 1ECB gives ị, 1ECA Ị, 1ECD ọ and 1ECC Ọ. On a Mac, Option+N and then n gives ñ; with the ABC Extended input source, Option+X then i or o gives ị or ọ.

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

Where the Ibibio language is spoken

Ibibio is the language of the Ibibio people of Akwa Ibom State in south-eastern Nigeria, centred on the state capital, Uyo. CLDR estimates about 3.3 million speakers; other counts differ a lot, partly because Ibibio, Efik and Annang are so close that the line between them is drawn differently from source to source.

Efik, spoken next door in Calabar, was the first of the three to be written: missionaries printed its Bible and hymn book in the 19th century, and for a long time Ibibio readers used Efik books in church and school. Ibibio has its own written standard, school books and Bible. It shares many letters with Efik, and its orthography includes other letters and digraphs as well.

The name of the state itself is Ibibio: Akwa Ibom comes from Akwa Abasi Ibom, Ibom’s great God. For money, Ibibio speakers use the Nigerian naira, written ₦500. For the letters of Nigeria’s other languages see the Efik, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa collections, and for the flag and the country’s emoji see Nigeria.

Masks, drums and Afang soup in emoji

A few emoji fit Ibibio culture as naturally as its letters. 🎭 stands for Ekpo, the masquerade of the ancestors that comes out in Ibibio and Annang villages, and for the carved wooden masks that Ibibio carvers make and that museums around the world collect. 🥁 is for the drums of dances and festivals.

🥬🍲 is Afang soup, the dish of wild afang leaves and waterleaf that Akwa Ibom is proudest of, and Edikang Ikong, its rich vegetable cousin. 🌴 is the oil palm, the tree that feeds the region with palm oil and palm wine. Add 🇳🇬 and the message is complete.