How to pronounce τσ in Greek
τσ says ts, as at the end of “cats”. It is one tight sound, and it is never ch.
Two letters, one sound: τσάντα is [TSAHN-dah], a bag. Don’t drop the t, and don’t pull the t and the s apart.
Why Greek spells ts with two letters
The Greek alphabet has no letter of its own for the ts sound, so it is written τσ. English has this sound too, but mostly at the end of words: “cats”, “bits”. Greek puts it anywhere, often at the very start of a word. That is where English speakers trip up: they tend to drop the t, the way “tsunami” often becomes “soo-nami”. In Greek the t is always there. Its voiced partner is τζ, dz, which has a page of its own.
Examples
The ts sound comes at the start of a word and in the middle.
- τσάιTSAH-ee · tea
- τσάνταTSAHN-dah · bag
- κορίτσιko-REE-tsee · girl
- τσίχλαTSEE-khlah · chewing gum
The capitals in a respelling mark the stressed syllable: say REE louder than ko and tsee.
Not ch
You may know “chai” from coffee-shop menus, so τσάι looks like it should start with ch. It doesn’t: it is [TSAH-ee]. Standard Greek has no ch sound at all, and τσ always gives ts. In Cyprus you will hear a sound close to ch in local speech, but it is still written τσ or τζ.
Check yourself
How do you say τσιγάρο (cigarette)?
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τσιγάρο is [tsee-GHAH-ro]: τσ gives ts, and γ here is the soft gh.
Which word starts with a ts sound?
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A ts at the start of a word is written τσ: τσάμπα is [TSAHM-bah]. σάλα starts with s, and τάβλι with t.
How do you say πατσάς (tripe soup)?
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πατσάς is [pah-TSAHS]: τσ inside a word also gives one sound, ts.