Czech Letter CH (and H): The “Loch” Sound and Why It’s One Letter
CH is a single letter in Czech, pronounced like the ch in Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”, [x]. It sits between H and I in the alphabet, so dictionaries list chléb after every word starting with h. Czech H is different again: a voiced, breathy h, as in Praha.
CH, H and Č: three sounds learners mix up
| Letter | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| CH | loch, Bach (rough, voiceless) | chléb bread, chata cottage, ucho ear |
| H | a voiced h, softer than English, with a slight hum | hrad castle, Praha Prague, hora mountain |
| Č | church | čaj tea |
CH and H are partners: H is the voiced version, CH the voiceless one. That’s why h at the end of a word turns into ch: sníh (snow) sounds like “sneekh”, and Bůh (God) like “bookh”.
Why CH counts as one letter
Czech gives every sound its own letter, using háčeks where Latin ran short. CH is the one exception that kept two characters, but Czech still treats it as a single letter: it has its own place in the alphabet (after H), so chata comes after hvězda in a dictionary, and in crosswords it fills one square. That’s why the Czech alphabet is usually counted as 42 letters.
How to make the CH sound
- Say “k”, and notice where the back of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth.
- Now lower the tongue very slightly so air can rush through with friction instead of stopping.
- Hold it: chhhh. That’s Czech ch. It’s lighter than the Arabic or Dutch g, and much rougher than English h.
Making Czech H
Czech h is voiced: your vocal cords vibrate while you say it. Hum, then breathe out an h through the hum, and you’re close. Between vowels it’s very clear (Praha); at the start of a word it’s softer (hrad).
Practice words
Common mistakes
- Reading ch as in “church”. chata is KHAH-tah. The church sound is Č.
- Silent h. Czech never drops h: hotel starts with a real h.
- Too soft a ch. It needs audible friction; English h is not enough.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce ch in Czech?
Like the ch in Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”.
Is ch a letter in the Czech alphabet?
Yes. It comes between H and I and counts as one letter.
How is Czech h different from English h?
It’s voiced: the vocal cords vibrate, giving a softer, humming h.
Keep going
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Czech orthography” (ch as a letter and its alphabetical position): en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, “Czech phonology”: en.wikipedia.org
