che / chi / ghe / ghi

Hard C and G Before E/I

Level 1

In Romanian, c and g are usually soft before e and i. To keep them hard, we insert a silent h: che/chi ([ke]/[ki]) and ghe/ghi ([ge]/[gi]).

How It Works

Romanian orthography follows a phonetic system where c and g are naturally 'hard' (velar) before a, o, u, ă, î/â. However, to keep these sounds hard before e and i, an h must be inserted.

  • Hard C: Written as ch before e/i. Pronounced like the 'k' in 'kite'.
    Example: cheie (key) is pronounced [ˈke.je].
  • Hard G: Written as gh before e/i. Pronounced like the 'g' in 'game'.
    Example: ghid (guide) is pronounced [ɡid].

While the spelling logic is identical to Italian, the pronunciation of the final i in Romanian is unique. In many words, a final, unstressed i is not a full 'ee' sound, but a 'whispered' palatal marker [ʲ] that makes the preceding consonant sound sharp. For example, in ochi (eyes), the chi is a single sharp 'k' sound rather than 'kee'.

Note: If you see ce, ci, ge, gi without the h, they are pronounced 'soft' (like 'ch' in 'church' or 'j' in 'jam'). To become confident with these, see Soft C and G.

Examples (5)

  1. Unde este cheia?

    Where is the key?

    Word by Word: Where is key-the?

    'Che' is pronounced [ke]. Without the 'h', it would sound like 'ce' [tʃe].

  2. Am un ghid turistic.

    I have a tourist guide.

    Word by Word: I-have a guide tourist.

    'Ghi' is pronounced [gi]. The 'h' ensures the 'g' stays hard before the 'i'.

  3. Ea poartă ghete negre.

    She is wearing black boots.

    Word by Word: She wears boots black.

    'Ghe' is pronounced [ge]. It sounds like the 'ge' in 'get'.

  4. Chiar nu știu.

    I really don't know.

    Word by Word: Really not I-know.

    In chiar, chi represents a palatal hard consonant [kʲ] before a; i is not a separate vowel or a separately articulated glide.

  5. Ochiul tău este albastru.

    Your eye is blue.

    Word by Word: Eye-the your is blue.

    In 'ochi' (eye), the 'ch' is a hard [k] sound, even though the final 'i' is short.

Common Mistakes

  • Pronouncing the 'h' as a breathy sound.

    c-heie
    cheie [ke-ye]

    The 'h' is strictly an orthographic marker. It is 100% silent and only changes the sound of the preceding 'c' or 'g'.

  • Pronouncing 'ch' like the English 'ch' in 'church'.

    cheie (pronounced like 'chain')
    cheie (pronounced like 'kay-yeh')

    In Romanian, the 'church' sound is written as 'ce' or 'ci'. Adding the 'h' makes it a 'k' sound.

  • Forgetting the 'h' when writing hard sounds before E or I.

    ceie
    cheie

    If you write 'ceie', a Romanian will pronounce it 'che-ye' (soft). You must include the 'h' to indicate the hard 'k' sound.

How It Connects

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

che / chi / ghe / ghiLevel 1Hard C and G Before E/I

Learn This First

To understand how 'h' modifies the sounds of C and G, you first need a basic grasp of the Romanian alphabet and the standard 'soft' pronunciation of C and G when followed by E or I.