č š ž

The Letters Č, Š and Ž

Level 1

č is "ch", š is "sh", and ž is the "s" in measure. Latvian writes each of these sounds with one letter.

How It Works

The háček, the small v on top, makes three letters:

  • č, like the ch in "church": čau (hi), četri (four), čemodāns (suitcase).
  • š, like the sh in "shop": šodien (today), šeit (here), šokolāde (chocolate).
  • ž, like the s in "measure": žurnāls (magazine), žēl (a pity, sorry), garāža (garage).

Each letter has a plain partner with a different sound: c is "ts" (cena, price), s is "s" (saule, sun) and z is "z" (zeme, earth). So the mark always matters: cetri and sodien are not words.

An h after a letter never changes its sound in Latvian. If you wrote sh, a reader would say s and then h.

These letters also appear inside Latvian words when an ending changes a consonant: lācis (bear) becomes lāču (of bears), with c changing to č. You will meet these changes later in consonant changes.

In a dictionary, č, š and ž each have their own section, right after c, s and z.

Examples (5)

  1. Čau! Kā iet?

    Hi! How's it going?

    Word by Word: Hi! How goes?

    Čau starts with the ch sound. It is a casual greeting for friends.

  2. Šodien ir silts laiks.

    The weather is warm today.

    Word by Word: Today is warm weather.

    Šodien starts with the sh sound.

  3. Man patīk šokolāde.

    I like chocolate.

    Word by Word: To-me pleases chocolate.

  4. Es lasu žurnālu.

    I'm reading a magazine.

    Word by Word: I read magazine.

    Ž is the sound in the middle of measure.

  5. Man ir četri kaķi.

    I have four cats.

    Word by Word: To-me is four cats.

    Četri starts with č. With a plain c, it would start with ts.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing sh, ch or zh instead of the letter.

    Shodien ir silts laiks.
    Šodien ir silts laiks.

    Latvian has one letter for each of these sounds. In Latvian spelling, sh would be read as s followed by h.

  • Mixing up c and č.

    Man ir cetri kaķi.
    Man ir četri kaķi.

    Plain c is the ts sound, as in cena. Four starts with the ch sound, so it needs č.

How It Connects

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

č š žLevel 1The Letters Č, Š and Ž

Learn This First

Č, š and ž come right after the alphabet.