A syllable in Igbo language is a unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound, with or without a consonant, forming the whole or a part of a word. The Igbo term for syllable is 'nkejiokwu'. Given that Igbo is a tonal language, syllable is an important part of the language, as each syllable carries the tone.
There are two syllable types in Igbo language:- Vowel or syllabic nasal (pseudovowel). This is one vowel sound, where the syllable is one letter (a, e, i, ị, o, ọ, u, ụ, m, n).
- Consonant + vowel. This is one consonant and one vowel, where the consonant must precede the vowel (nye, re, kwu, nya, bu, ka, ga, ra, etc.).
Examples of syllables in Igbo language
O nyere m ego (She gave me money).
| O | nye | re | m | e | go |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Ọ gara akwụkwọ (She went to school).
| Ọ | ga | ra | a | kwụ | kwọ |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Nneka mara mma (Nneka is beautiful).
| N | ne | ka | ma | ra | m | ma |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Ọ hụrụ m n'anya (She loves me).
| Ọ | hụ | rụ | m | n' | a | nya |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Aha m bụ Emeka (My name is Emeka).
| A | ha | m | bụ | E | me | ka |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |