Cz (digraph)

Cz is a digraph of the Latin alphabet, used in Polish.

cz represents a voiceless retroflex affricate (IPA: [t͡ʂ]), similar to English "j" as in "jeep" and/or "zh" as in "Zhukov". It is known as "hard tch" and should not be confused with ć (or c followed by i), termed "soft tch", a voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate (IPA: [t͡ɕ]), similar to Chinese "j" as in "Beijing" pronounced in Chinese.

Examples of cz

cześć^ⓘ (hi, hello)

Compare ć:
być^ⓘ (to be)
pociąg^ⓘ (train)

See also

• Polish alphabet
• Polish phonology