dz / dž / ch
The Digraphs Dz, Dž and Ch
Three sounds are written with two letters: dz (ds in beds), dž (j in jam) and ch (ch in Scottish loch).
How It Works
Lithuanian has three dviraidžiai, "two-letter signs". They are not separate letters of the alphabet, and dictionaries sort them as two letters, so choras is filed under c.
- dz is the voiced partner of c (ts). It sounds like ds in beds. It is fairly rare: dzūkas (a person from Dzūkija).
- dž is the voiced partner of č. It sounds like j in jam: džiaugtis (to be glad), džinsai (jeans).
- ch is a throaty sound made at the back of the mouth, like ch in Scottish loch or German Bach. It appears in borrowed words: choras (choir), chemija (chemistry).
Where dž comes from. You will meet dž very often, because d turns into dž before certain endings with the softness marker i: medis (tree) → medžiai (trees), žodis (word) → žodžiai (words). In the same way, t turns into č: katė → kačių (of the cats). The i after dž here only marks softness. See i as a softness marker.
Ch is not h and not č. The single letter h is a voiced sound, as in humoras (humour). Which one a word uses must be learned with the word. And č is the ch of English church, a completely different sound. See the letters č, š and ž.
Examples (6)
- Aš labai džiaugiuosi!
I'm really glad!
Word by Word: I very am-glad!
Dž is one sound, like the j in jam.
- Mano senelis yra dzūkas.
My grandfather is from Dzūkija.
Word by Word: My grandfather is Dzūkian.
Dz is one sound, like the ds in beds.
- Ji dainuoja chore.
She sings in a choir.
Word by Word: She sings in-choir.
Ch is the throaty sound of Scottish loch.
- Kokie gražūs žodžiai!
What beautiful words!
Word by Word: What-kind beautiful words!
Žodis (word) becomes žodžiai in the plural: d turns into dž before the ending -iai.
- Man patinka braškių džemas.
I like strawberry jam.
Word by Word: To-me pleases strawberries-of jam.
Many borrowed words, like džemas and džinsai, start with dž.
- Mano brolis studijuoja chemiją.
My brother studies chemistry.
Word by Word: My brother studies chemistry.
Chemija is a borrowed word written with ch.
Common Mistakes
Writing č where the word has the throaty ch.
Ji dainuoja čore.Ji dainuoja chore.Choras (choir) starts with the throaty ch. Č is the sound in church, so čore is not a word.
Writing ch where the word has h.
Jis turi gerą chumoro jausmą.Jis turi gerą humoro jausmą.Humoras is spelled with h, a voiced sound. Ch and h are different sounds, so learn each word with its letter.
How It Connects
Learn This First
These two-letter spellings are read as single consonant sounds.
Related Patterns
Practice dz / dž / ch in Bubblegum
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