Baybayin Alphabet
Learn the ancient Philippine writing system with interactive character charts
Baybayin Alphabet
Click any character to add it to the practice area
Vowels
Consonants
Special Marks
Practice Area
ᜊᜌ᜔ᜊᜌᜒᜈ᜔
Click characters to add them here
How the Baybayin Alphabet Works
Baybayin is an abugida (syllabic script), not a traditional alphabet. This means each consonant character carries an inherent /a/ sound, and you modify it with marks called kudlit to change the vowel.
1️⃣Default Vowel Sound
Every Baybayin consonant carries the vowel /a/ by default.
ᜊ
ba (not just "b")
The character ᜊ represents "ba", not standalone "b"
2️⃣Kudlit Marks
Use kudlit (a small mark) above or below to change the vowel sound.
ᜊ
ba
→
ᜊᜒ
bi (kudlit above)
ᜊ
ba
→
ᜊᜓ
bu (kudlit below)
3️⃣Virama Sign
The virama (᜔) cancels the inherent /a/ vowel, leaving just the consonant sound.
ᜐ᜔
s (not "sa")
The virama removes the "a" sound, introduced during Spanish colonization
Complete Example: The Word "Baybayin"
ᜊᜌ᜔ᜊᜌᜒᜈ᜔
bay-ba-yin
ᜊᜌ᜔
bay
ᜊ (ba) + ᜌ (ya) + ᜔ (virama to remove "a")
ᜊᜌᜒ
ba-yi
ᜊ (ba) + ᜌᜒ (yi with kudlit above)
ᜈ᜔
n
ᜈ (na) + ᜔ (virama to get just "n")
Baybayin Vowels and Consonants
The Baybayin alphabet consists of 3 independent vowels and 14 consonants. Each consonant can be modified with kudlit marks to change its vowel sound.
Independent Vowels (3)
ᜀ
a
as in "father"
ᜁ
i / e
as in "machine" / "met"
ᜂ
u / o
as in "rule" / "no"
Consonants (14)
ᜃ
ka
ᜄ
ga
ᜅ
nga
ᜆ
ta
ᜇ
da
ᜈ
na
ᜉ
pa
ᜊ
ba
ᜋ
ma
ᜌ
ya
ᜍ
ra
ᜎ
la
ᜏ
wa
ᜐ
sa
ᜑ
ha
Traditional vs. Modern Baybayin
Traditional Baybayin
- •No virama mark (᜔)
- •Consonants always carry /a/ sound
- •Simpler, pre-colonial writing system
- •Context determines final consonants
Modern/Reformed Baybayin
- •Uses virama (᜔) to cancel vowels
- •Can represent standalone consonants
- •Introduced during Spanish colonial period
- •More precise phonetic representation
Frequently Asked Questions
The Baybayin Alphabet is an ancient Philippine writing system with 3 vowels and 14 consonants. It is classified as an abugida or syllabic script, where each consonant carries an inherent /a/ vowel that can be modified using kudlit marks. You can also try our Baybayin Translator tool to see how it works in practice.
Baybayin has 3 independent vowels (ᜀ a, ᜁ i/e, ᜂ u/o) and 14 consonants (ᜃ ka, ᜄ ga, ᜅ nga, ᜆ ta, ᜇ da, ᜈ na, ᜉ pa, ᜊ ba, ᜋ ma, ᜌ ya, ᜍ ra, ᜎ la, ᜏ wa, ᜐ sa, ᜑ ha), totaling 17 basic characters. Additionally, there are kudlit marks (ᜒ and ᜓ) and virama sign (᜔) used to modify these base characters.
A kudlit is a diacritical mark used in Baybayin to change the inherent /a/ vowel of a consonant. A kudlit placed above a character changes the vowel to /i/ or /e/ (ᜒ), while a kudlit placed below changes it to /u/ or /o/ (ᜓ). For example, ᜊ (ba) becomes ᜊᜒ (bi) with kudlit above, or ᜊᜓ (bu) with kudlit below.
Traditional Baybayin does not use the virama mark, so all consonants carry their inherent /a/ vowel and final consonants are understood from context. Modern Baybayin, influenced by Spanish colonization, uses the virama sign (᜔) below a consonant to cancel the inherent /a/ vowel, allowing for more precise representation of consonant-ending words. Learn more in our Baybayin Translator homepage.
Yes! You can write any name using the Baybayin Alphabet by transliterating the sounds into Baybayin characters. Each sound in your name can be represented using the vowels, consonants, and kudlit marks. Use our Baybayin Translator Name tool to instantly convert your name to Baybayin script.
The best way to learn Baybayin is to start with the 3 vowels, then learn the 14 consonants, and finally practice with kudlit marks and virama. Use our interactive alphabet chart above to click on characters and build practice words. Copy the characters and try writing simple Filipino words like "kamusta" or your own name. You can also use our main Baybayin Translator to see how complete phrases look in Baybayin.