The 5 nasal vowels
Lesson 2 of 8≈ 10 min
English nasalizes too — but not in writing
Good news for French speakers: you already produce all of shikomori's nasal vowels — daily. English speakers will need a bit more ear training but can rely on French analogues. The main effort is in writing: nasals carry a mandatory circumflex accent.
These 5 vowels are a 2019 innovation (in 1988, the circumflex was non-systematic). They show up almost exclusively in Arabic loanwords, where they often transcribe the letter ع (ʿayn).
The 5 nasal vowels
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example | Meaning | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| â | « an » as in French « blanc » | âda | custom | ar. عادة |
| ê | « ain » as in French « pain » | êhê ! | yes! right! | interjection |
| î | nasalized « in » | îdî | religious festival | ar. عيد |
| ô | « on » as in French « bon » | ɓô | good | (literal sense) |
| û | close « on », nasalized /oo/ | ûdî | oriental lute | ar. عود |
Listening
Listen to each nasal vowel. Compare with its oral counterpart.
- âda (custom)
- îdî (festival)
- ûdî (lute)
- ɓô (good)
Why the accent is mandatory
The circumflex is typographically strict. Without it, the word becomes identical to its oral counterpart — and changes meaning, or becomes unintelligible.
- îdî (festival) ≠ idi (no such word)
- âda (custom) ≠ ada (no such word)
- ûdî (lute) ≠ udi (no such word)
Lesson: if you type shikomori on a keyboard, set up shortcuts for â, ê, î, ô, û. As essential as accents in French.
Practice
Which nasal vowel do you hear in âda?
âda contains the vowel ___.
Write the word « festival » in shikomori (with accents).
Mini-quiz
ô is pronounced as in which French word?
ô sounds like in ___.
On to the semi-vowels
The next lesson introduces w and y — two semi-vowels with a subtle rule: only written when their absence would create ambiguity.