č / š / ž

The Letters Č, Š and Ž

Level 1

Č = ch in church, š = sh in ship, ž = s in pleasure. Each is one letter.

How It Works

The small v-shaped mark on top changes the sound of the letter:

  • c = ts, as in cukrus (sugar) → č = ch in church, as in čia (here), ačiū (thank you)
  • s = s → š = sh in ship, as in šuo (dog), šeima (family)
  • z = z → ž = s in pleasure, as in žiema (winter), žmogus (person)

These are some of the most common sounds in the language, so you will need them from your first day. Leaving off the mark changes the word: šienas is hay, but sienas means walls as an object.

The letters t and d often turn into č and dž in related forms, where a soft ending follows: katė (cat) but kačių (of the cats), medis (tree) but medžiai (trees). See the digraphs dz, dž and ch for dž.

Do not confuse č with the pair ch. Ch is a throaty sound, as in choras (choir). Also, š and ž can take on each other's sound next to another consonant, as in išbėgti, which sounds like "ižbėgti". See voicing assimilation.

Examples (5)

  1. Čia labai gražu.

    It's very beautiful here.

    Word by Word: Here very beautiful.

    Čia starts with č, the ch sound in church. Gražu has a ž.

  2. Šuo miega.

    The dog is sleeping.

    Word by Word: Dog sleeps.

    Š is the sh sound in ship.

  3. Žiemą čia šalta.

    It's cold here in winter.

    Word by Word: In-winter here cold.

    This short sentence uses all three letters: ž, č and š.

  4. Ačiū, labai skanu!

    Thank you, it's delicious!

    Word by Word: Thanks, very tasty!

    Ačiū has č followed by the softness marker i.

  5. Mano šeima gyvena Kaune.

    My family lives in Kaunas.

    Word by Word: My family lives in-Kaunas.

    Šeima begins with š.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing sh instead of š.

    Shuo miega.
    Šuo miega.

    Lithuanian writes this sound with the one letter š. The pair sh is never used in Lithuanian words.

  • Leaving the mark off č.

    Cia labai gražu.
    Čia labai gražu.

    C without the mark is the ts sound, so cia is not a word. Čia (here) needs č.

  • Leaving the mark off ž.

    Ziemą čia šalta.
    Žiemą čia šalta.

    Z is a plain z sound. Žiema (winter) starts with ž.

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

The marks distinguish three consonants from c, s and z.