Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 20, 2026

Mid back rounded vowel

The mid back rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. While there is no dedicated symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents the exact mid back rounded vowel between close-mid and open-mid, it is normally written ⟨o⟩. If precision is desired, diacritics may be used, such as ⟨o̞⟩ or ⟨ɔ̝⟩, the former being more common.

Last revised
Jul 20, 2026
Read time
≈ 10 min
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Citations
71
Source
Mid back rounded vowel
ɔ̝
IPA number307 430
Audio sample
Encoding
Entity (decimal)o​̞
Unicode (hex)U+006F U+031E
Braille⠕ (braille pattern dots-135)⠠ (braille pattern dots-6)⠣ (braille pattern dots-126)

The mid back rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. While there is no dedicated symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents the exact mid back rounded vowel between close-mid [o] and open-mid [ɔ], it is normally written ⟨o⟩. If precision is desired, diacritics may be used, such as ⟨⟩ or ⟨ɔ̝⟩, the former being more common.

Multiple para-IPA alternative symbols also exist for this vowel. The Swedish Dialect Alphabet uses the symbol ⟨⟩ (an o with low ring), while Sinological notation uses the symbol ⟨⟩ (an o with cedilla). The symbol ⟨⟩ (a small capital omega) was proposed for Americanist notation, but was never implemented.

Just because a language has only one non-close non-open back vowel, it still may not be a true-mid vowel. Tukang Besi is a language in Sulawesi, Indonesia, with a close-mid [o]. Taba, another language in Indonesia, in the Maluku Islands, has an open-mid [ɔ]. In both languages, there is no contrast with another mid (true-mid or close-mid) vowel.

Kensiu, in Malaysia and Thailand, is highly unusual in that it contrasts true-mid vowels with close-mid and open-mid vowels without any difference in other parameters, such as backness or roundedness.

Some of the vowels listed in the table below may phonetically be more front than typical back vowels, as near-back vowels. If precision is required, this may instead be called a mid near-back rounded vowel.

Features

  • Its vowel height is mid, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a close vowel and an open vowel.
  • Its vowel backness is back, which means the tongue is positioned back in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
  • Its roundedness is protruded, which means that the corners of the lips are drawn together, and the inner surfaces exposed.

Occurrence

Language Word IPA Meaning Notes
Afrikaans Standard1 bok [bɔ̝k] 'goat' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɔ⟩. The height varies between mid [ɔ̝] and close-mid [o].1 See Afrikaans phonology
Arabic Hejazi2 لـون [lo̞ːn] 'color' See Hejazi Arabic phonology
Bengali তোমার [to̞mɐr] ˈyour' May be closer to close-mid [o]. See Bengali phonology
Breton3 Possible realization of unstressed /ɔ/; can be open-mid [ɔ] or close-mid [o] instead.3
Chinese Mandarin4 / [wo̞ɔː˨˩˦] 'I' See Standard Chinese phonology
Shanghainese5 /kò [kö̞¹] 'tall' Near-back. Realization of /ɔ/ in open syllables and /ʊ/ in closed syllables.5
Czech67 oko [ˈo̞ko̞] 'eye' In Bohemian Czech, the backness varies between back and near-back, whereas the height varies between mid [o̞] and close-mid [o].6 See Czech phonology
Danish Standard89 måle [ˈmɔ̽ːlə] 'measure' Near-back;89 typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɔː⟩. See Danish phonology
Dutch Amsterdam10 och [ɔ̝̈χ] 'alas' Near-back;10 corresponds to open-mid [ɔˤ] in standard Dutch. See Dutch phonology
Orsmaal-Gussenhoven dialect11 mot [mɔ̝t] 'well' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɔ⟩.
English Cultivated South African12 thought [θɔ̝ːt] 'thought' Close-mid [] for other speakers. See South African English phonology
Maori13 Near-close [o̝ː] in General New Zealand English.1314
Scouse15 Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɔː⟩.
Some Cardiff speakers16 Other speakers use a more open, advanced and unrounded vowel [ʌ̈ː].16
General American17 Cambodia [kʰɛəmˈbö̞diə] 'Cambodia' Near-back; often diphthongal: [ö̞ʊ].17 Some regional North American varieties use a vowel that is closer to cardinal [o]. See English phonology
Yorkshire18 [kʰamˈbo̞ːdjə] Corresponds to /əʊ/ in other British dialects. See English phonology
Faroese19 toldi [ˈtʰɔ̝ltɪ̞] 'endured' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɔ⟩. See Faroese phonology
Finnish2021 kello [ˈke̞lːo̞] 'clock' See Finnish phonology
French Parisian22 pont [pɔ̝̃] 'bridge' Nasalized; typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɔ̃⟩. See French phonology
German Southern accents23 voll [fɔ̝l] 'full' Common realization of /ɔ/ in Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Open-mid [ɔ] in Northern Standard German.24 See Standard German phonology
Western Swiss accents25 hoch [ho̞ːχ] 'high' Close-mid [] in other accents.26 See Standard German phonology
Greek Modern Standard2728 πως / pos [po̞s̠] 'how' See Modern Greek phonology
Hebrew29 שלום/shalom/šɔlom [ʃäˈlo̞m] 'peace' Hebrew vowels are not shown in the script. See Niqqud and Modern Hebrew phonology
Ibibio30 do [dó̞] 'there'
Icelandic31 loft [ˈlɔ̝ft] 'air' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɔ⟩. The long allophone is often diphthongized to [oɔ].32 See Icelandic phonology
Inuit West Greenlandic33 Maniitsoq [maniːtsːo̞q] 'Maniitsoq' Allophone of /u/ before and especially between uvulars.33 See Greenlandic phonology
Italian Standard34 forense [fo̞ˈrɛnse] 'forensic' Common realization of the unstressed /o/.34 See Italian phonology
Northern accents35 bosco [ˈbo̞sko̞] 'forest' Local realization of /ɔ/.35 See Italian phonology
Japanese36 /ko [ko̞] 'child' See Japanese phonology
Korean37 보리 / bori [po̞ˈɾi] 'barley' See Korean phonology
Limburgish Hasselt dialect38 mok [mɔ̝k] 'mug' May be transcribed IPA with ⟨ɔ⟩.38 See Hasselt dialect phonology
Malay Standard ڤوكوق / pokok [po̞.ko̞ʔ] 'tree' See Malay phonology
Johor-Riau
Norwegian Urban East3940 lov [lo̞ːʋ] 'law' Also described as close-mid [].41 See Norwegian phonology
Romanian42 acolo [äˈko̞lo̞] 'there' See Romanian phonology
Russian43 сухой/sukhoy/sukhoj [s̪ʊˈxo̞j] 'dry' Some speakers realize it as open-mid [ɔ].43 See Russian phonology
Scottish Gaelic44 Lewis ruadh [rˠʊɔ̝̈ɣ] 'red' Near-back and weakly rounded; allophone of [ə] in the /uə/ diphthong.
Serbo-Croatian4546 ко̑д / kd/kõd [kô̞ːd̪] 'code' See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Shipibo47 koni [ˈkö̞ni̞] 'eel' Near-back.47
Slovene48 oglas [o̞ˈɡlá̠s̪] 'advertisement' Unstressed vowel,48 as well as an allophone of /o/ before /ʋ/ when a vowel does not follow within the same word.49 See Slovene phonology
Spanish50 todo [ˈt̪o̞ð̞o̞] 'all' See Spanish phonology
Tera51 zo [zo̞ː] 'rope'
Thai โต [to̞ː˧] 'big' See Thai phonology
Turkish5253 kol [kʰo̞l] 'arm' See Turkish phonology
Zapotec Tilquiapan54 do [d̪o̞] 'corn tassel'
Notes

Notes

  1. Wissing (2016), section "The rounded mid-high back vowel /ɔ/".
  2. Abdoh (2010:84)
  3. Ternes (1992), p. 433.
  4. Lee & Zee (2003), p. 110.
  5. Chen & Gussenhoven (2015), p. 328.
  6. Dankovičová (1999), p. 72.
  7. Šimáčková, Podlipský & Chládková (2012), pp. 228–230.
  8. Grønnum (1998), p. 100.
  9. Basbøll (2005), p. 47.
  10. Collins & Mees (2003), p. 132.
  11. Peters (2010), p. 241.
  12. Lass (2002), p. 116.
  13. Warren & Bauer (2004), p. 617.
  14. Hay, Maclagan & Gordon (2008), pp. 21–22.
  15. Watson (2007), p. 357.
  16. Collins & Mees (1990), p. 95.
  17. Wells (1982), p. 487.
  18. Roca & Johnson (1999), p. 180.
  19. Peterson (2000), cited in Árnason (2011:76)
  20. Iivonen & Harnud (2005), pp. 60, 66.
  21. Suomi, Toivanen & Ylitalo (2008), p. 21.
  22. Collins & Mees (2013), p. 226.
  23. Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), p. 64.
  24. Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), pp. 34, 64.
  25. Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), p. 65.
  26. Dudenredaktion, Kleiner & Knöbl (2015), pp. 34, 65.
  27. Arvaniti (2007), p. 28.
  28. Trudgill (2009), p. 81.
  29. Laufer (1999), p. 98.
  30. Urua (2004), p. 106.
  31. Brodersen (2011).
  32. Árnason (2011), pp. 57–60.
  33. Fortescue (1990), p. 317.
  34. Bertinetto & Loporcaro (2005), pp. 137–138.
  35. Bertinetto & Loporcaro (2005), p. 137.
  36. Okada (1999), p. 117.
  37. Lee (1999), p. 121.
  38. Peters (2006), p. 119.
  39. Vanvik (1979), pp. 13, 17.
  40. Kvifte & Gude-Husken (2005), p. 4.
  41. Kristoffersen (2000), pp. 16–17.
  42. Sarlin (2014), p. 18.
  43. Jones & Ward (1969), p. 56.
  44. Oftedal (1956), p. 96.
  45. Kordić (2006), p. 4.
  46. Landau et al. (1999), p. 67.
  47. Valenzuela, Márquez Pinedo & Maddieson (2001), p. 282.
  48. Tatjana Srebot-Rejec. "On the vowel system in present-day Slovene" (PDF).
  49. Šuštaršič, Komar & Petek (1999), p. 138.
  50. Martínez-Celdrán, Fernández-Planas & Carrera-Sabaté (2003), p. 256.
  51. Tench (2007), p. 230.
  52. Zimmer & Orgun (1999), p. 155.
  53. Göksel & Kerslake (2005), p. 11.
  54. Merrill (2008), p. 109.
References

References

External links