Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "سنگ" in Farsi?

Say 'sang' just like the English word 'sang' (past tense of 'sing'), with the same nasal 'ng' ending.

سنگ [sæŋ]

sang

A one-syllable word; the final نگ is a single nasal sound, not a separate 'n' followed by a hard 'g'.

Listen: سنگ

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Sound it out

سن Pronounced 'sa' plus the start of a nasal — an English 's' plus a short front vowel that glides into a nasal sound.

گ Pronounced together with the preceding ن to form 'ng' — a single nasal sound at the back of the mouth, exactly like the end of English 'sang' or 'sing', not a separate hard 'g'.

Hear it in a sentence

روی سنگ نشستم.

Ruye sang neshastam.

I sat on a stone.

Listen: روی سنگ نشستم.

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Ruye sang neshastam. — 'I sat on a stone.' Neshastam ('I sat') is the simple past of neshastan, conjugated for 'I'; note again there's no separate word for 'a' — the indefinite sense of 'a stone' comes across from context alone here, since -i wasn't added.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers often pronounce the ending as a full 'n' followed by a hard 'g' (like 'san-g' in two distinct pieces). It should be one smooth nasal sound, exactly like the -ng at the end of English 'sang', with no separate hard g release.