Tongue twisters are a fun way to practise your pronunciation in languages you're learning, as well as in your native language. They're also handy to know if you're asked to say something in a language you're learning.
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أَلَمٌ أَلَمَّ أَلَمْ أُلِمَّ بِدَائِهِ ... إِنْ آنَ آنٌ آنَ آنُ أَوَانِهِ
(Alamun alamma alam ulimma bida'ih ... In aana aanun aana aanu awaanih)
I've got pain, but I don't know the disease ... If it hurts me, it should be healed
by Abu at-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi (AD 915-965)
Târiq tag Taqi
Tariq hit Taqi
Khamees kumash khashim Habash
Khamees caught the nose of Habash
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C'hwec'h merc'h gwerc'h war c'hwec'h sac'h kerc'h war c'hwec'h marc'h kalloc'h o vond d'ar marc'hallac'h.
Six virgin girls on six sacks of oats on six stallions going to the market-place
- submitted by Steve Hewitt
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Na vrh brda vrba mrda.
On the top of the riverbank the willow is swaying.
Hrvoje sa Hvara hrani hrčka
Hrvoje from Hvar island is feeding a hamster
Cvrči cvrči cvrčak na čvoru crne smrče.
A cricket sings and sings on a knobby branch of a black spruce.
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Ĉu ŝi scias, ĉu ĉi-scene la sklavo ŝtelas la sceptron?
Does she know if the slave steals the sceptre during this scene?
Serpo servu cin por ĉerpo el cerbo de serba cervo.
May a billhook serve thee to scoop out a Serbian deer's brain.
Saŝa serĉas saĝan ŝercon.
Sasha looks for a wise joke.
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Bûter, brea en griene tsiis, wa't dat net sizze kin is gjin oprjochte Fries.
Butter, rye bread and green cheese, whoever can't say that is no genuine Frisian.
Al tsien jier gie Pier ier mei it iepenbier ferfier.
For ten years Pier went early by public transport.
Yn ien ear in earbel.
In one ear an earring.
Rea rikke rierreljirre
Red smoked (smoked) beef from a heifer
Lytse Ljouwerter strjitstientsjes
Small street bricks from Leeuwarden
West Frisian tongue twiters provided by Robin van der Vliet
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კაპიკი გაკაპიკებულა (k’ap’ik’i gak’ap’ik’ebula)
Kopeck became a kopeck
ჭრიჭინა ჭრიჭინებს (ch’rich’ina ch’rich’inebs)
The cricket is chirping
ბაყაყი წყალში ყიყინებს (baq’aq’i ts’q’alshi q’iq’inebs)
A frog is croaking in the water
You can hear these tongue twisters on Memrise.
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Qaqqap qaani kumak qarrakoq.
Squashed flea on top of a mountain
Taskeqakataqaanga
I'm tired of holding this backpack
Araabiamiuarangavunga?
Do I look a little Arab?
Sakkutuut Sallutuut Sakkortuut
Strong lying soldiers
Eqeqqukikequtima Kukikequtaa
The reason for my small nail in my pinky
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(Nachash nashach nachash)
נָחָשׁ נָשַׁךְ נָחָשׁ
a snake bit a snake
(titita tata? - lo tititi tata, tetate oto ata!)
טיאטאת
ת'תא? - לא טאטאתי
ת'תא, תטאטא
אותו אתה!
Did you clean the locker? - I didn't clean the locker, you clean it!
(Sarah shara shir same'ach)
שָׂרָה שָׁרָה שִׂיר שָׁמְחַ
Sarah is singing a happy song
(bakbuk bli pkak)
בַּקְבּוּק בְּלִי פְּקָק
a bottle without a cork
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Ular melingkar-lingkar di pagar bundar-bundar.
A snake rounds on the fence really circularly.
Saya sebal sama situ sebab situ suka senyum-senyum sama suami saya sehingga sekarang
suami saya suka senyum-senyum sendiri sembari sama saya.
I hate you because you used to smile at my husband; now he likes to smile for
no obvious reason when he is with me.
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豚は豚の歌を歌う。
Buta wa buta no uta o utau.
The pig sings the pig's song.
にわの庭には、二羽の鶏はにわかにわにを食べた
Niwa no niwa ni wa, niwa no niwatori wa niwaka ni wani o tabeta.
In (Mr) Niwa's garden, two chickens suddenly ate a crocodile.
生麦生米生卵
Nama mugi, nama gome, nama tamago
Raw wheat, raw rice, raw egg
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Kala kula kelas kalih, kula kilak kalo kalih kuli-kuli kula, kalo kula
kéli, kali kilén kula, kalo kula kampul-kampul, kula kelap
kelip kala-kala keling-keling.
When I was in the 2nd grade, I bought kalo* with my servant, my kalo's down
to the river, the river west of my home, my kalo's flowing in the river,
I use my eyes when the kalo is looking.
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Sada koruk sada turongou, Nokogoruk no korongou po, Sumulok sinsilog
koruba turongou, Kada kogoruk haro korongou.
A climbing perch and a Sultan fish, it has been snoring but it still
hears, the eel comes upstream and meets a Sultan fish, don't snore because
there is someone listening.
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Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiarii?
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
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Maziņš eža puskažociņš uz
šaursliežu dzelzsceļa.
A little half-length, hedgehog fur coat on a narrow-gauge railroad track.
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Šešios žąsys su šešiais žąsyčiais.
Six geese with six little geese.
Geri vyrai geroj girioj gerą girą gėrė, gerdami gyrė "geroj girioj gerą girą gera gerti".
Recordings: fast / slow
Good men in good forest drank a good kvass, while drinking praised "it is good to drink good kvass in a good forest".
Recordings by Dainius Petravicius
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le crisa srasu cu rirci crino
the summer grass is unusually green
mi na djuno le du'u klama fa makau la makaus. makau makau makau
I don't know who came to Macao, nor whence, which way or by which means
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Ti che te tacchet i tacch, taccum i tacch. Mi taccatt i tacch a ti che te tacchet i tacch? Taccheti ti i to tacch, ti che te tacchet i tacch!
You who stick heels, stick my heels. Me sticking heels to you who stick heels? Stick your heels yourself, you who stick heels!
Dü öi indüíi in du aqua du Ona
Two eggs hardened in the water of Olona (river)
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Amazzi gakulukutira gye gali gakulukutidde.
Water flows where it has flown before.
Singa ssenga y'asenga Essingo, singa sesiimye.
If aunt would move to Essingo, I wouldn't be happy.
Omusomesa abuuza abaana ebibuuzo ebibuzaabuza ne bibabuzaabuza.
The teacher asks the students confusing questions and they (the questions) confuse them (the students).
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Toni tagħna tani tina talli tajtu tuta tajba
Our Tony gave a fig because I gave him a good berry.
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Ta'n bear gaih gee burgeyr
The teddy bear is eating a burger
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Dii dii thii Billy Lee bilii.
These four horses are Billy Lee's horses.
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Ibsens ripsbærbusker og andre buskevekster.
The redcurrant bushes of Ibsen and other bushy trees. (bokmål)
Pappa pakker pappesker fort.
Dad's packing cardboard boxes fast.
Høyesterettsjustitiarius.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
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Capra neagră-n piatră sare, piatra crapă-n patru,
crapă capul caprei negre precum piatra crapă-n patru. Piatra
crapă capul caprei în patru, cum a crăpat și
capra piatra-n patru.
The chamois jumps on the stone, the stone splits in four, may the chamois'
head split as the stone splits in four. The stone splits the chamois' head in
four, as the chamois had split the stone in four too.
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Cha robh laogh ruadh luath a-riamh, is cha robh laogh luath a-riamh reamhar.
A brown calf was never swift, and a swift calf was never fat.
Ged a mholadh tu am mol, chan fhàs am mol molach.
Even though you praise the shingle beach, the shingle beach won't become hairy.
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Бела кера
пролајала
(Bela kera prolajala)
White dog started to bark.
Чокањчићем ћу те, чокањчићем ћеш ме
(Čokanjčićem ću te, čokanjčićem ćeš me)
I hit you with a čokanj, you hit me with a čokanj.
(a čokanj is a small bottle used for serving serbian brandy)
На врх брда врба мрда
(Na vrh brda vrba mrda)
On top of the hill a willow is moving
Риба риби гризе реп
(Riba ribi grize rep)
A fish is biting another fish's tail
Горе горе горе горе!
(Gore gore gore gore!)
Forest fire is much worse uphill
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Ľaľa Paľo, na poli je tela.
Look Pavol, there is calf on the field.
Odideologizovany deziluzionizmus.
deideologised desilusionism.
Rozprostovlasatila sa dcéra
kráľa Nabuchodonozora, alebo nerozprostovlasatila sa dcéra
kráľa Nabuchodonozora.
Did daughter of king Nebuchadnezzar make herself bareheaded, or didn't
daughter of king Nebuchadnezzar make herself bareheaded.
V našej peci myši
pištia, v našej peci psík spí.
Mice are squeeking in the oven, a little dog is sleeping in the oven.
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Škof v škaf skoči
The bishop jumps into a tub
Iz Jež'ce čez cesto v Stož'ce po rož'ce
From Jež'ca across the road to Stož'ce to get some flowers
- Jež'ca and Stož'ce are a parts of the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana
MarkoMarkoMarkoMarkoMarkoMarkoMar
- this one is the name Marko repeated rapidly and becoming komar (mosquito) at the end
Ta suhi škafec pušča
- This little (wooden) pail is leaking
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Paqama ke o qoqele moqoqo o qabolang.
Ke tla o qalla qalong ke o qetelle qetellong.
Ke tla o qalla ka Qabane oa Quthing ke o qetelle ka Nqoko oa Qoqolosing.
Lie back and let me tell you a funny story.
I'll start from the beginning and stop at the end.
I'll start with Qabane of Quthing and finish with Nqoko of Qoqolosing.
Watu wale wawili wa Watu wala wali.
Those two people from Watu habitually eat boiled rice.
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ยักษ์ใหญ่ไล่ยักษ์เล็ก ยักษ์เล็กไล่ยักษ์ใหญ่
(yák yài lâi yák lék yák lék lâi yák yài)
a big ogre chases a small ogre, a small ogre chases a big ogre
เช้าฝาดผัดฟัก เย็นฟาดฟักผัด
(cháo-fàat-pàt-fák yen-fâat-fák-pàt)
eat stir-fried pumpkin in the morning, eat pumpkin stir-fried in the late afternoon
ชาม เขียวคว่ำเช้า ชามขาวคว่ำค่ำ
(chaam kĭeow kwâm cháo chaam kăao kwâm kâm)
The green bowl is turned upside down in the morning,
The white bowl is turned upside down in the evening
ไหมใหม่ไม่ไหม้ ใช่ไหม
(măi mài mâi mâi châi măi)
New silk doesn't burn, does it?
Transliterated using thai2english.com
More Thai tongue twisters
http://www.thai-language.com/id/206563
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Галасливі ґави й галки в гусенят взяли скакалки. Гусенята їм ґелґочуть, що й вони скакати хочуть.
(Galaslyvi gavy y galky w goosenyat vzyaly scacalky. Goosenyata yim gelgochutj, scho y wony scacaty hochutj.)
Noisy crows and jackdaws took the skipping-ropes from goslings. Goslings cackles that they want to jump (over the skipping rope).
Не турбуйте курку - клює курка крупку.
(Ne tourbuyte courcu - cluye courca croupcu.)
Don't disturb the hen - she is pecking the cereals.
На узліссі довелося наполохать Лесі лося. Лось - у ліс, а з лісу - лис.
Na uzleessi dovelosya napolokhatj Lessi losya. Losj - u lees, a z leesu lis.
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’t Is e ruute uut ’t huus en o’t ’t rin’t, rin’t ’t ’t(e)r in.
The glass is out of the window of the house, and if it rains, it rains in it.
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Iqaqa lazi qikaqika eqikeni lazi laqhawuka uqoqoqo.
The skunk rolled down the hill and broke his windpipe.
Qaqambile likuqale nini iqhakuva emqaleni? Gqhirha iqhakuva emqaleni lindiqale ngomqhibelo ndaqonda ukuba mandiqale kuwe kuqala.
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People who have contributed to this section
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Collections of tongue twisters in many languages
http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/
http://www.alphadictionary.com/fun/tongue-twisters
https://ivypanda.com/tongue-twisters
Chinese tongue twisters
http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/topics/tongue/douying.html
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