Spelling System – Tujia Language Project

Tujia Language Spelling System

Based on the Draft Phonetic Scheme for the Tujia Language (1984), published by the Ethnic Studies Laboratory, Jishou University.

Tujia has two dialects: Northern (Longshan, Yongshun, Baojing, Guzhang) and Southern (Luxi). This scheme takes Longshan as the standard pronunciation point and the Northern dialect as the base.
The scheme uses exclusively Latin letters, aligned as closely as possible with the Chinese Pinyin system. Words are written as units.
Modern Chinese loanwords in Tujia are romanized according to local Southwestern Mandarin pronunciation, also kept close to Hanyu Pinyin conventions.

Tujia has 21 consonants (initials):

Click any row to see more example words.

Letter	IPA	Example	Meaning
b	[p]	bav	look 看
bax 粘贴 stick bar 山坡 mountainside baf 茶盘 tea tray
p	[pʰ]	pox	put; marry (of a woman) 放置；嫁
paf 住 live pif 吐 spit
m	[m]	mor	cat 猫
mef 天 sky miv 火 fire
d	[t]	daf	wear 穿
div 要 want, need diex 慢 slow
t	[tʰ]	taf	burn 烧
tax 不 not tief 摘 pick, pluck
l	[l]	lav	road 路
lir 脚 foot lof 眼 eye
g	[k]	gar	crow 乌鸦
gav 挖 dig gof 他 he
k	[kʰ]	kax	pass 过
kar 苦 bitter kuf 口 mouth
ng	[ŋ]	ngaf	I / me 我
ngar 牛 cow ngov 鱼 fish
h	[x]	har	hit 打
hav 看 look hof 火 fire
hx	[ɣ]	hxaf	write 写
hxar 话 speech hxov 活 live
j	[tɕ]	jier	shout 喊
jianf 容易 easy jir 脚 foot
q	[tɕʰ]	pief	kick 踢
qiaxpaix 麻雀 sparrow qiv 鼻 nose
n	[ȵ]	nix	look for 找
nif 你 you niex 斜 slant
x	[ɕ]	xief	have 有
xinfgax 绿 green xar 冷 cold
z	[ts]	zav	take 拿
zar 左 left zof 坐 sit
c	[tsʰ]	cav	spinning wheel 纺车
car 草 grass cof 粗 coarse
s	[s]	sav	cold 冷
sar 话 word sax 劳 labour
v	[z]	rax	fly 飞
rav 挂 hang rar 鸡 chicken
y	[j]	yir	see 见
yav 有 have yof 用 use
w	[w]	wuf	cow 牛
wav 弯 bend wor 挖 dig

Note: n and l are allophones; n before the vowel i is read as [ȵ].

Tujia has 21 finals:

Click any row to see more example words.

Final	IPA	Example	Meaning
i	[i]/[ɨ]/[ɿ]	jir	foot 脚
nix 找 look for xief 有 have
u	[u]	wuf	cow 牛
kuf 口 mouth huf 虎 tiger
a	[a]	daf	wear 穿
bav 看 look taf 烧 burn sax 劳 labour
ia	[ia]	qiaxpaix	sparrow 麻雀
jianf 容易 easy bixtiaox 平坝 flatland
o	[o]	gof	he 他
pox 放 release mor 猫 cat
e	[e]	mef	sky 天
sef 你 you (formal) jiev 追 chase
ie	[ie]	jiev	chase 追
xief 有 have pief 踢 kick
ai	[ai]	baiv	child 小孩
paix 雀 sparrow taif 摆 arrange
uai	[uai]	kuaiv	chair 椅子
guaif 怪 strange huair 花 flower
ei	[ei]	anxbeix	uncle 叔叔
meir 没 not have peiv 陪 accompany
ui	[uai]	gofguix	cousin 表姐
kuiv 贵 expensive suir 随 follow
ao	[au]	baofqir	pheasant 野鸡
taov 讨 ask gaox 高 tall
iao	[iau]	bixtiaox	flatland 平坝
jiaov 叫 call xiaof 小 small
ou	[ɔu]	axkoux	corner 角落
gouv 狗 dog touf 头 head
iu	[iɔu]	biuf	daughter 女儿
liuv 流 flow jiux 久 long time
an	[ã]	banf	eagle 鹰
janv 站 stand tanr 谈 talk
ian	[iã]	jianf	easy 容易
tianv 甜 sweet nianr 年 year
uan	[uã]	suanv	small 小
guanr 关 close huanf 欢 happy
en	[ẽ]	enxqiv	nose 鼻子
menr 闷 stuffy benf 笨 clumsy
in	[ĩ]	xinfgax	green 绿
jinv 近 near linr 邻 neighbour
ong	[ũ]	rongv	younger sister 妹妹
gongv 共 together longr 龙 dragon

Note: Final i after initials z, c, s, r is pronounced [ɿ].

Tujia has 4 basic tones. Tones are marked by a letter placed immediately after the vowel:

Tone	Type	Contour	Marker	Example
1	High-level	˥55	x	rax 飞 fly
2	Low-falling	˨˩21	r	rar 鸡 chicken
3	High-falling	˥˧53	v	rav 挂 hang
4	High-rising	˧˥35	f	raf 跑 run

Note:

Tones are entirely marked using tone letters. The letters placed immediately after the final (rhyme) indicate the tone.
In disyllabic words, when two high-level tones (Tone 1, pitch value 55) occur consecutively, the tone of the last syllable changes to a mid-level tone (pitch value 33), which is not part of the basic tone system. This is called tone sandhi. E.g., mixmax (蜜蜂 bee) is pronounced [mi˥ ma˧].

The following is an excerpt from a folk song, demonstrating the spelling system in use:

Tujia	Chinese 中文	English
Arkov (哥 elder brother):
Partair partair kaxpuv tav,	扒台扒台织土花，	Weaving brocade at the loom,
Ngaf Sef Covnier lixhongx gav.	我在你后檐把土挖。	I dig earth beneath your eave.
Lofpux curcur Iaxniex bav,	两眼直望到日西斜，	Eyes gazing until the sun sets west,
Ongvkar der Iavsuv sifdix tav.	中饭都不来送一下。	You didn't even bring lunch.
Rongv (妹 younger sister):
Partair partair kaxpuv tav,	扒台扒台织土花，	Weaving brocade at the loom,
Nif anx covnier lixhongx gav.	你在我后檐把土挖。	You dig earth beneath my eave.
Nif ngaf dav pirweir tavlanr huaf,	千万莫把脾气发，	Please don't lose your temper,
Nif enrjief qivmor Sar axdav tav?	你来怎不把信捎？	Why didn't you send word you were coming?

Note: "Partair" is an onomatopoeia for the sound of the loom when Tujia girls weave "Xilankapu" (西兰卡布) brocade.