Auxiliary signs

Three small signs round out the official orthography. None is a full letter, but they are essential for resolving ambiguities or marking specific Arabic-origin sounds.

The last lesson of Module 1 — short but useful.

It marks the elision of a vowel. Typical example: n'emwana is the contraction of na (« and ») + emwana (« the child »), giving « and the child ».

Mostly found between short particles (na, ya, wa) and vowel-initial words.

In the 1988 notation it also marked an Arabic-origin strong onset (the hamza), as in kur'ani (« the Koran ») vs kurani (« in the courtyard »). In 2019 this role is mostly handled by the dieresis.

It marks a sharp vocalic onset on certain vowels, mostly in Arabic loanwords. Example: suäla (« question ») where the ä signals a clean attack on that a, without gliding from the previous vowel.

A relatively new mark in 2019, absent in 1988. Mostly seen in formal or scholarly texts.

In the 1988 notation, the circumflex marked nasalization on Arabic loanwords (e.g. taâbu for « problem »). In 2019 that role is now played by the standalone nasal vowels â, ê, î, ô, û (cf. lesson 1.2).

The lone circumflex is no longer standard — but it remains legible and frequent in older texts. If you read a pre-2009 tale or poem, expect to meet it.

You now know the 56 graphic units of official shikomori:

• 5 oral vowels + 5 nasal + 2 semi-vowels
• 19 simple consonants (including 2 implosives ɓ ɗ)
• 10 digraphs + 15 pre-nasals
• 3 auxiliary signs

Module 2 dives into thematic word reading: everyday, numbers, colours, body, nature, family, food, time, modern loanwords.