The Two "ch" Sounds
German ch has two pronunciations, and the letters before it tell you which one to use. Learn the soft ich-sound, the hard ach-sound, and the special cases -ig and chs.
One spelling, two sounds
The letter pair ch is one of the most German-sounding features of the language, and it almost never sounds like the English ch in "church". Instead it has two pronunciations, traditionally called the ich-sound (soft, made at the front of the mouth) and the ach-sound (hard, made at the back of the throat).
The good news: you never have to guess. The vowel BEFORE the ch decides which sound you use, completely automatically. Learn the two lists in the next sections and every ch in German becomes predictable.
The soft ich-sound
After the front vowels e, i, ä, ö, ü, after ei and eu, and after the consonants l, n and r, ch is soft (IPA ç). To make it, whisper the h of English "huge" or "human" strongly — that hissing puff of air at the front of your mouth is exactly the ich-sound. It is a flow of air, not a k and not a sh.
This is the ch of the single most common German word you will say: ich (I). If your ich comes out as "ick" or "ish", slow down and go back to whispering "huge".
ich
I
nicht
not
die Milch
the milk
soft ch after the consonant l
das Mädchen
the girl
the -chen ending is always soft
The hard ach-sound
After the back vowels a, o, u and after au, ch is hard (IPA x). It is the raspy sound in Scottish "loch" — a rough flow of air scraped at the back of the throat, like the start of a gargle but without the voice.
It is still air, never a full k stop: das Buch is "bookh" with friction at the end, not "book". Everyday examples: die Nacht (the night), acht (eight), auch (also). Feel how the same written ch moves to the back of your mouth after these dark vowels.
das Buch
the book
die Nacht
the night
acht
eight
auch
also, too
Two special cases: -ig and chs
When a word ends in -ig, standard German pronounces it like the soft ich-sound: richtig sounds like "RICH-tich". (In southern Germany and Austria you will hear "-ik" instead — both are understood everywhere.)
The combination chs is not a ch-sound at all: it is pronounced ks, like the x in English "six". So sechs (six) sounds almost exactly like English "zex". Keep these two rules in your pocket and the ch family is complete.
richtig
right, correct
-ig sounds like -ich
sechs
six
chs = ks
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
After which letters is ch pronounced with the hard ach-sound?
Practise what you learned
Sound and word recordings on this page come from Wikimedia Commons contributors and are used under Creative Commons licences. See the audio credits for authors and sources.