Two Sounds of ch

Two CH Sounds

Level 1

Look at the letter just before ch. After a, o, u or au, it is rough and far back, as in maachen and Kuch. After any other vowel or a consonant, it is soft, close to sh, as in ech and Mëllech.

How It Works

The rough ch is made at the back of the mouth, like the ch in Scottish loch. You hear it after a, o, u and au, long or short: maachen (to make), Kuch (cake), Buch (book), Woch (week), och (also), Bauch (belly), Sprooch (language).

The soft ch is made further forward, with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth. It sounds much like English sh, and many speakers say it almost exactly like sh. You hear it after e, ë, é, i, ä, after the glides ie and ue, and after consonants such as l and r: ech (I), mech (me), Kichen (kitchen), Mëllech (milk), Nuecht (night), Kierch (church), duerch (through).

One word, two sounds. Buch (book) has the rough ch, but its plural Bicher has the soft one, because the vowel changed.

A final g works the same way. At the end of a word, g sounds like ch: rough in Dag (day), soft in Méindeg (Monday) and bëlleg (cheap).

Don't write the soft ch as sch. Even when it sounds like sh, it is spelled ch: ech, not esch.

Examples (6)

  1. Ech maachen e Kuch.

    I'm making a cake.

    ech has the soft ch. maachen and Kuch have the rough one, after a and u.

  2. Ech drénke gär Mëllech.

    I like drinking milk.

    Mëllech ends in the soft ch, after e.

  3. Kanns de mech héieren?

    Can you hear me?

    mech has the soft ch.

  4. D'Buch läit an der Kichen.

    The book is lying in the kitchen.

    Buch has the rough ch, after u. Kichen has the soft ch, after i.

  5. Ech sinn och midd.

    I'm tired too.

    och has the rough ch, after o.

  6. Haut ass e schéinen Dag.

    It's a beautiful day today.

    The final g in Dag sounds like the rough ch.

Common Mistakes

  • Spelling the soft ch as sch.

    Esch hunn Honger.
    Ech hunn Honger.

    The soft ch can sound like sh, but it is always written ch. Esch is the name of a town.

  • Writing ch for a final g.

    Haut ass e schéinen Dach.
    Haut ass e schéinen Dag.

    Dag (day) is written with g, even though its end sounds like ch. Dach is not a word. The word for roof is Daach, spelled with aa.

How It Connects

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

Two Sounds of chLevel 1Two CH Sounds

Learn This First

Before Two CH Sounds, learn Gliding Vowels (Diphthongs).