Maltese language
After Malta become independent in 1964 both English and Maltese were given official status and Maltese became the national language of Malta. Today Maltese is used in most sectors of public life, including parliament, the church, the press and other media, and in general conversation. English is generally the preferred medium of instruction in schools, especially at the higher levels of the educational system.

The Maltese Alphabet

A a	B b	Ċ ċ	D d	E e	F f	Ġ ġ	G g	Għ għ	H h
Ħ ħ	I i	Ie ie	J j	K k	L l	M m	N n	O o	P p
Q q	R r	S s	T t	U u	V v	W w	X x	Ż ż	Z z

Pronunciation

Vowel	Pronunciation	Example
A	short, like 'u' in 'shut' long, like 'a' in 'far'	raba sala	fourth chamber, hall
E	short, as e in 'shed' long, as ai in 'hair'	dell gelu	shade icing
I	short, as i in 'fit' long, as ee in 'jeep'	fitt ilu	pushy, tedious, tiresome; ago
O	short, like o in got long, like aw in law	bott sod	taunt stiff, sturdy
U	short, like u in 'full' long, like oo in 'fool’	pulptu hut	Pulpit Fish

Consonants	Pronunciation	Example
B	like Eng. b	blu
C	like ch in 'church'	coff	bow, tie
D	like Eng. d	demm	blood
F	like Eng. f	frott	fruit
G	like j in 'join'	gbejna
Ä	like g in 'great'	gardell
H	silent within a word; pronounced like h in hen when at the end of a word	fehem fih	understand, realize
H	like h in 'house’	hamsa	five
J	like y in 'yes'	jannar	January
K	like k in 'kit'	kelma	word
L	like l in 'life'	landa	tin
M	as in Eng. m	mans	domestic
N	as in Eng. n	nisel	origin
GH	mostly silent (*)	boghod	remote
P	as in Eng. p	patata	potato
Q	glottal plosive sound produced by the closure of the vocal chords followed by their sudden separation	dqiq	flour
R	trilled like Scottish	marsus	tight (-clothes)
S	like s in 'sea'	sinjur	gentlemen, sir
T	like t in French 'tante	tfajla
V	as in Eng.	iva	yes
W	like w in 'war'	werwer	to terrify
X	like sh in 'sheep'	xadina
Z	voiced, like z in 'fuzz'	zunzan
Z	unvoiced, like ts in 'hats'	pinzell	paintbrush

Notes:

• għ is silent but pharygealizes and lengthens vowels
• h has a similar function to għ
• għ and h at the end of a word are both pronounced as ħ
• għ = ħħ
• Final consonants are devoiced: b=[p], d=[t], Ä¡=[t∫], g=[k], v=[f], ż=[s]
• i before għ, h, ħ or q = [i:]
• m followed by a consonant at the beginning of a word is pronounced im, e.g. mnejn = [imnejn]