| Labial | Dental | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ |
| Stop | p b | t d | k g |
| Fricative | s z | x ɣ | |
| Approximant | w | l | |
| Trill | r |
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i y | ɯ u |
| Close-Mid | ø | |
| Open-Mid | ɛ | ɔ |
| Open | ɑ |
For the purposes of this article, ɣ is written ǧ, y is written ü, ɯ is written ı, ø is written ö, ɛ is written e, ɔ is written o, and ɑ is written a.
Dabrı has front-back vowel harmony. Vowels belong to one of two harmonic categories: Front (i ü e ö) or Back (ı u a o). Additionally, for nouns, there is a secondary roundness harmony, depending on whether they are masculine (i e ı a) or feminine (ü ö u o). Nouns thus belong in one of four categories: masculine front (mesli "blackbird"), masculine back (kaǧra "rowan"), feminine front (ösnö "bird"), or feminine back (ǧolmo "village"). Verb roots, on the other hand, may contain both round and unround vowels (gabro "to run", mülzi "to eat").