This is a working proposal for a Roman-based alphabet for Burushaski proposed by research assistants Piar Karim and Tyler Utt and modified by Dr. Sadaf Munshi. The proposed Roman symbols are accompanied by a phonetic description and examples for illustration.
| Symbol | Phonetic description | Example |
| VOWELS | ||
| a |
Low Central Short Vowel | bar ‘talk (n.)’ |
| ā |
Low Central Long Vowel | bāsr ‘language’ |
| i |
High Front Short Vowel | ime ‘his tooth’, bik Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| ī |
High Front Long Vowel | dīmi ‘he came’, bīk |
| e |
Mid High Front Short Vowel |
bes ‘why’ |
| ē |
Mid High Front Long Vowel | mēn |
| o |
Mid High Back Round Short Vowel | mos |
| ō |
Mid High Back Round Long Vowel | mōq ‘smile’, ōs ‘keep; Imperative’ |
| u |
High Back Round Short Vowel | bur ‘hair’ Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. , urk ‘wolf’ Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. , ume ‘their teech’, jumu ‘gown’ |
| ū |
High Back Round Long Vowel | būr |
| Diphthongs | ||
| ai |
[ai] *(marginal) | bai ‘he is’ |
| au |
[au] *(marginal) | SB. baum ‘mare’ (<Shina baum), qau |
| CONSONANTS | ||
| Stops: | ||
| p |
Voiceless Unaspirated Bilabial Stop | pūn ‘jar’, paqo ‘(type of) bread’ |
| ph |
Voiceless Aspirated Bilabial Stop | phitti ‘(type of) bread; food’ (Dial. Var.), phallo |
| b |
Voiced Bilabial Stop | bar ‘talk (n.)’ |
| t |
Voiceless Unaspirated Dental Stop | tili ‘walnut’ (YB. telle) |
| th |
Voiceless Aspirated Dental Stop | tham ‘king’ |
| d |
Voiced Dental Stop | dan ‘stone’ |
| tt |
Voiceless Unaspirated Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | ttam ‘close’ |
| tth |
Voiceless Aspirated Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | tthām ‘broom’, thang ‘push’ |
| dd |
Voiced Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | ddauddo ‘(kind of) soup’ |
| k Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
Voiceless Unaspirated Velar Stop | kāko ‘brother (honorific)’, kaman ‘a little’ |
| kh Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
Voiceless Aspirated Velar Stop | khapun ‘spoon’, kharetti ‘basket’ |
| g Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
Voiced Velar Stop | gar ‘marriage’, YB. gamburi ‘flower’ |
| q |
Voiceless Unaspirated Uvular Stop | qarqāmuts ‘hens’ |
| qh, x |
Voiceless Aspirated Uvular Stop *(marginal) | qhurma ‘date’ (SB. xurma) |
| Affricates: | ||
| ch |
Voiceless Unaspirated Palatal Affricate | chagha ‘talk (n.)’ |
| chh |
Voiceless Aspirated Palatal Affricate | chhap ‘meat’ |
| j |
Voiced Palatal Affricate | jott ‘small’ |
| ts |
Voiceless Unaspirated Dental Affricate | tsatt ‘hole’ |
| tsh |
Voiceless Aspirated Dental Affricate | tshil ‘water’ (YB. tshell) |
| cr |
Voiceless Unaspirated Retroflex Affricate | cruk ’embroidery; act of inserting (a needle)’ |
| crh |
Voiceless Aspirated Retroflex Affricate | crhin ‘sparror’ (YB. crhen) |
| Fricatives: | ||
| f |
Voiceless Labio-dental fricative *(marginal) | faraq ‘difference’ (<Ur. farq) |
| v |
Voiced Labio-dental fricative *(marginal) | valto ‘four’ |
| x |
Voiceless Velar Fricative (varies with <qh> or <q> in HB) | xurma ‘dates’ |
| gh |
Voiced Velar Fricative | ghashu ‘onion’ |
| h |
Voiceless Glottal Fricative | hun ‘wood’ |
| s |
Voiceless Alveolar Fricative | sar ‘thread’ |
| z |
Voiced Alveolar Fricative | zizi ‘mother (address term)’ |
| sr |
Voiceless Retroflex Fricative | sri ‘eat (Imperative)’, busray ‘cultivated land’ |
| zr |
Voiced Retroflex Fricative | zruk ‘kidney’, zrakun ‘donkey’ |
| sh |
Voiceless Palatal Fricative | shuqa ‘woollen coat’ (YB. shoqa), bush ‘cat’ |
| Nasals: | ||
| m |
Bilabial Nasal | mamu ‘milk’ |
| n Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
Alveolar Nasal | SB. nimas ‘story’ |
| ng |
Velar Nasal (occurs only in non-initial positions) | shangali ‘(door) chain’ |
| ny |
Palatal Nasal *(marginal) | YB. nyuh ~ nyu ‘elder’ |
| Approximants: | ||
| l Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
Voiced Lateral Liquid/Approximant | leel ‘knowledge’ |
| lh |
Voiceless Lateral Liquid *(Yasin dialect) | YB. baalht ‘apple’ |
| ll Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
Velarized/Pharyngealized l “Dark l” *(Yasin) | YB. mall ‘field’ |
| r |
Voiced Alveolar Liquid/Approximant | yar ‘early’, varts ‘right’, SB. rax ‘desire’ |
| rh |
Voiceless Alveolar Liquid/Approximant *(Yasin) | YB. sharhphat ‘promptly’ |
| w |
Labio-velar Approximant *(marginal; may vary with <v> | waw (etas) ‘shout’ |
| y Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
Palatal Glide | ya ‘beer’, yar ‘early’ |
| yr |
Retroflex Glide | yrayr ‘fast’ |