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.)’ , dan |
| ā |
Low Central Long Vowel | bāsr ‘language’ , dāri |
| i |
High Front Short Vowel | ime ‘his tooth’, bik , bis |
| ī |
High Front Long Vowel | dīmi ‘he came’, bīk |
| e |
Mid High Front Short Vowel |
bes ‘why’ , men ‘who’ |
| ē |
Mid High Front Long Vowel | mēn , tēle ‘there’, bezēle ‘how’ |
| o |
Mid High Back Round Short Vowel | mos , tol , toq ‘mud’, thalo ‘seven’ |
| ō |
Mid High Back Round Long Vowel | mōq ‘smile’, ōs ‘keep; Imperative’ |
| u |
High Back Round Short Vowel | bur ‘hair’ , urk ‘wolf’ , ume ‘their teech’, jumu ‘gown’ |
| ū |
High Back Round Long Vowel | būr , mūl ‘her belly’, YB. ūll ‘belly’ |
| Diphthongs | ||
| ai |
[ai] *(marginal) | bai ‘he is’ , SB. hukaints ‘dogs’ |
| 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 , phulghu |
| b |
Voiced Bilabial Stop | bar ‘talk (n.)’ , bāsr ‘language’ |
| 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’ , ttingan ‘egg’ |
| tth |
Voiceless Aspirated Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | tthām ‘broom’, thang ‘push’ |
| dd |
Voiced Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | ddauddo ‘(kind of) soup’ , ddaddang ‘drum’ |
| k |
Voiceless Unaspirated Velar Stop | kāko ‘brother (honorific)’, kaman ‘a little’ |
| kh |
Voiceless Aspirated Velar Stop | khapun ‘spoon’, kharetti ‘basket’ |
| g |
Voiced Velar Stop | gar ‘marriage’, YB. gamburi ‘flower’ |
| q |
Voiceless Unaspirated Uvular Stop | qarqāmuts ‘hens’ , qaw ‘call (n.)’ |
| 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’ , tsaka ‘prop supporting a (wooden) beam’ |
| 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’ , varaq ‘page’ (YB. waraq) |
| x |
Voiceless Velar Fricative (varies with <qh> or <q> in HB) | xurma ‘dates’ , xurxamas ‘garbage’ , SB. rax ‘desire’ (HB. raq), YB. xat ‘mouth’ |
| gh |
Voiced Velar Fricative | ghashu ‘onion’ , haghur ‘horse’ |
| h |
Voiceless Glottal Fricative | hun ‘wood’ , har ‘ox’ |
| s |
Voiceless Alveolar Fricative | sar ‘thread’ , sa ‘sun’ |
| z |
Voiced Alveolar Fricative | zizi ‘mother (address term)’ , bezēle ‘how’ |
| sr |
Voiceless Retroflex Fricative | sri ‘eat (Imperative)’, busray ‘cultivated land’ , sraqal ‘bee’ |
| zr |
Voiced Retroflex Fricative | zruk ‘kidney’, zrakun ‘donkey’ |
| sh |
Voiceless Palatal Fricative | shuqa ‘woollen coat’ (YB. shoqa), bush ‘cat’ , shughulu ‘friend’ |
| Nasals: | ||
| m |
Bilabial Nasal | mamu ‘milk’ , muk ‘pearl’ |
| n |
Alveolar Nasal | SB. nimas ‘story’ , dan ‘stone’, chuuni ‘wood’ |
| ng |
Velar Nasal (occurs only in non-initial positions) | shangali ‘(door) chain’ , thating ‘cold’, hing ‘door’, ingi ‘in-front’ |
| ny |
Palatal Nasal *(marginal) | YB. nyuh ~ nyu ‘elder’ , YB. minyas ‘story’ |
| Approximants: | ||
| l |
Voiced Lateral Liquid/Approximant | leel ‘knowledge’ , tshil ‘water’, baalt ‘apple’ |
| lh |
Voiceless Lateral Liquid *(Yasin dialect) | YB. baalht ‘apple’ , YB. alhtan ‘two’ |
| ll |
Velarized/Pharyngealized l “Dark l” *(Yasin) | YB. mall ‘field’ , YB. llamaan ‘hem of shirt’, tshell ‘water’ |
| 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’ , walimi ‘(it) fell (down)’ |
| y |
Palatal Glide | ya ‘beer’, yar ‘early’ , yaare ‘below’ |
| yr |
Retroflex Glide | yrayr ‘fast’ , YB. crayrayra ‘flying roach’ |