Igbo Village Square: Igbo Tones and Tone Markings

Igbo is a tonal language. One word could mean more than one thing, depending on the tones. A statement and a question could also have the same wordings, so tones are used to differentiate them. There are three tones in Igbo language; high tone (acute accent), low tone (grave accent), and midtone (macron). The midtone is usually left unmarked. The tones are carried by the vowels sounds, therefore, the tone markings are applied to vowels and pseudo-vowels (a, e, i, ị, o, ọ, u, ụ, m, n).

In general, tone marks are only used where there is likelihood for confusion. If the reader can read a text in context, without ambiguity, then there is no need for tone marks for that word, sentence, or text.

Tone Markings
Small Letters	Capital Letters	Tones
á	Á	high
à	À	low
ā	Ā	mid
é	É	high
è	È	low
ē	Ē	mid
í	Í	high
ì	Ì	low
ī	Ī	mid
ị́	Ị́	high
ị̀	Ị̀	low
ị̄	Ị̄	mid
ó	Ó	high
ò	Ò	low
ō	Ō	mid
ọ́	Ọ́	high
ọ̀	Ọ̀	low
ọ̄	Ọ̄	mid
ú	Ú	high
ù	Ù	low
ū	Ū	mid
ụ́	Ụ́	high
ụ̀	Ụ̀	low
ụ̄	Ụ̄	mid
ḿ	Ḿ	high
m̀	M̀	low
m̄	M̄	mid
ń	Ń	high
ǹ	Ǹ	low
n̄	N̄	mid

Examples
íré - tongue
ìrè - effective/efficacious
írē - to sell
írè - to prescribe/to tax

éké - python
ékè - creator (Chineke - God the creator)
èké - one of the days of the Igbo week
èkē - to tie

ísí - head
ìsì - blindess
ísī - to cook
ísì - smell

ázụ̀ - fish
àzụ́ - back

óké - male
ókè - boundary
òkè - share/portion
òké - rat

àkwá - egg
àkwà - bed/bridge
ákwà - cloth
ákwá - cry

ọ́kụ́ - fire
ọ́kụ̀ - wealth
ọ̀kụ̀ - food bowl

ọ́ ǹa-àkwā ákwá - she is crying
ọ́ ǹa-àkwā ákwà - she is sewing cloth/she sews cloth

ọ̀ ńa-àkwá ákwá - is she crying?
ọ̀ ńa-àkwá ákwà - is she sewing cloth/does she sew cloth?