The Sounds č and ć

Level 1

Č is hard, ć is soft, and each word uses one of them.

How It Works

Both letters are written for a ch-like sound, so English speakers hear them as almost the same. In careful Bosnian they differ.

  • č is hard, like ch in church: čaj (tea), mačka (cat), čovjek (man).
  • ć is softer, like a quick ch with the tongue pushed forward: ćevapi, kuća (house), ćilim (rug).

You cannot always guess the letter from the sound, so learn it with the word. A few patterns help. Many family names end in -ić, such as Delić and Begić. The word for house, kuća, has ć, and its plural kuće keeps it.

Listen for the difference in the audio, then copy it. If you merge the two at first, people will still understand you.

Examples (4)

  1. Čaj ili kafa?

    Tea or coffee?

    Č starts čaj with a hard ch.

  2. Ćevapi u somunu, molim.

    Ćevapi in flatbread, please.

    Ć starts ćevapi with a softer sound.

  3. Mačka spava u kući.

    The cat is sleeping in the house.

    Mačka has č and kući has ć.

  4. Ćao, Amire!

    Hi, Amir!

    Ćao is a friendly hello and goodbye.

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing up the two letters.

    maćka
    mačka

    The word is spelled with č. Writing ć gives a spelling that does not exist, so learn the letter with the word.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

The Sounds č and ćLevel 1

Learn This First

These two letters are part of the alphabet.