German pronunciation guide
How to pronounce the German CH sounds
German ch has two pronunciations. After a, o, u and au it is the ach sound /x/, a scrape at the back of the mouth, as in Buch and Nacht. Everywhere else it is the softer ich sound /ç/, made with the middle of the tongue, as in ich, Milch and Mädchen. Neither one is a “k”, and neither one is “sh”.
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The ich sound
After e, i, ä, ö, ü, ei, eu, after consonants, and in -chen. Middle of the tongue close to the hard palate.
ich, Milch, Mädchen, leicht
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The ach sound
After a, o, u and au. Back of the tongue close to the soft palate.
Buch, Nacht, doch, auch
How to make the sounds
- For the ich sound, say the English word “huge” slowly and hold the very start: the breathy sound before the “u” is very close to /ç/.
- Keep your tongue tip down behind your bottom teeth, lips relaxed, and let the air hiss over the middle of the tongue.
- For the ach sound, start from a “k” but do not close: let the air scrape between the back of your tongue and the soft palate, like gently clearing your throat.
- Let the vowel before it decide: after a, o, u or au use ach; everywhere else use ich.
Hear the switch
In the first four pairs, the same ch changes sound when the vowel before it changes. The last two contrast the ich sound with sch.
- Buch Bücher book · books
- Nacht Nächte night · nights
- Loch Löcher hole · holes
- Kuchen Küche cake · kitchen
- Kirche Kirsche church · cherry
- mich misch me · mix!
Practice with real sentences
Tap Practice to open the sentence in Tono, listen to it, and say it.
- Ich backe heute Nacht noch einen Kuchen. I am baking one more cake tonight.Practice
- Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. The book is on the table.Practice
- Möchtest du Milch oder Tee? Would you like milk or tea?Practice
- Ich suche die Küche. I am looking for the kitchen.Practice
- Das Mädchen lacht so leicht. The girl laughs so easily.Practice
- Wir fahren nächste Woche nach München. We are going to Munich next week.Practice
- Acht Nächte sind nicht genug. Eight nights are not enough.Practice
- Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch. I speak a little German.Practice
Common mistakes
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“sh” for the ich sound
Speakers of English and French often say “ish”. Keep your lips unrounded and your tongue tip down: /ç/ is a hiss, not a hush.
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“k” for the ach sound
Buch turns into “book”. Never let the back of the tongue close; the air has to keep flowing.
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One sound for both
An ich said with the ach sound stands out immediately. Let the vowel before ch decide which one to use.