ș / ț

The Sounds Ș and Ț

Level 1

Romanian uses two special letters with commas below: ș (pronounced like 'sh' in 'shoe') and ț (pronounced like 'ts' in 'cats'). They are not just 's' and 't' with accents; they are separate letters that change the meaning of words.

How It Works

In Romanian, ș and ț are fundamental to the language's sound system. Unlike some other languages where these might be considered variations of 's' and 't', in Romanian, they have their own place in the alphabet.

1. Pronunciation:

ș: Sounds exactly like the English sh (e.g., pește - fish).
ț: Sounds like the ts in 'cats' or 'pizza'. While English usually puts this sound at the end of words, Romanian frequently uses it at the beginning (e.g., țară - country).

2. Consonant Alternations and the 'Whispered i':
These letters often appear due to a process called palatalization, triggered by the vowel -i at the end of words. This is very common in:

Noun Plurals: urs (bear) becomes urși (bears).
Verb Conjugation: In the 2nd person singular (tu), a cânta (to sing) becomes tu cânți (you sing).

Note: In these cases, the final -i is not a full vowel like 'ee'. It is a 'whispered i' (non-syllabic) that is almost silent; it marks a non-syllabic palatal pronunciation. The stem alternations s → ș and t → ț are also visible in these particular forms.

3. Orthography:
It is critical to use the comma-below (ș, ț) rather than the cedilla (ş, ţ). While the S-cedilla is a Turkish letter, the T-cedilla is not; both are incorrect substitutes for the official Romanian comma-below characters.

Examples (5)

Șase oameni sunt aici.
Six people are here.
Word by Word: Six people are here.
Shows 'ș' at the beginning of the word 'șase' (six).
Vă mulțumesc pentru ajutor.
I thank you for the help.
Word by Word: To-you I-thank for help.
The verb 'a mulțumi' uses 'ț' in its stem.
București este o capitală frumoasă.
Bucharest is a beautiful capital.
Word by Word: Bucharest is a capital beautiful.
The name of the capital city ends with the 'ști' sound.
Tu cânți foarte bine.
You sing very well.
Word by Word: You sing very well.
The 't' in 'cânta' changes to 'ț' in the 'tu' form.
Am cumpărat doi pești.
I bought two fish.
Word by Word: I-have bought two fish.
The singular 'pește' maintains the 'ș' sound in the plural 'pești'.

Common Mistakes

Treating diacritics as optional accents.
sase
șase
Omitting the comma changes the pronunciation and can change the meaning entirely. To write the number six, use șase. Sase does not represent that intended word.
Using the cedilla (ş/ţ) instead of the Romanian comma (ș/ț).
mulţumesc
mulțumesc
While the S-cedilla is used in Turkish, the T-cedilla is not; both were historically used as technical substitutes for Romanian. The official standard is the comma-below (ș and ț).
Mispronouncing initial 'ț' as a simple 't'.
tara (pronounced like 'tara')
țară (pronounced like 'tsara')
English speakers often struggle with 'ts' at the start of words. Practice saying 'cats' and then isolate the 'ts' sound to start 'țară'.

How It Connects

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

ș / țLevel 1The Sounds Ș and Ț

Learn This First

Before learning the specific sounds of ș and ț, you should be familiar with the Romanian alphabet and the general use of diacritics to modify letter sounds.