Lithuanian Pronunciation
Learn to pronounce Lithuanian vowels.
Lithuanian Language Course on Youtube
Below is a table showing the Lithuanian alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
Lithuanian Alphabet English Sound Pronunciation Example
A a a a as in car
Ą ą aa u as in father
B b b b as in back
C c ts ts as in cats
Č č ch ch as in check
D d d d as in dear
E e e e as in eat
Ę ę aa aa as in man
Ė ė ai ai as in chair
F f f f as in fact
G g g g as in get
H h h h as in hope
I i i i as in sit
Į į ee ee as in meet
Y y i i as in machine
J j y y as in yacht
K k k k as in keep
L l l l as in look
M m m m as in mother
N n n n as in neat
O o o o as in more
P p p p as in pool
R r r r as in Roma
S s s s as in sat
Š š sh sh as in sheep
T t t t as in tall
U u u u as in put
Ų ų oo oo as in loot
Ū ū oo oo as in moon
V v v v as in vat
Z z z z as in zoo
Ž ž s s as in plesure
Grammar Tips:
In Lithuanian language we read text as it is written, here we have no pronounciation rules.
Only some letters you need to read different from regular latin letters in Latin language (You can apply no English reading rules in Lithuanian!):
so “a” is just “ah”, “i” is just “ee”, “u” is just “oo (short)”
But remember some differences:
y – is long “ee” (here are 3 sounds for “i”: short, long and nasal – i, y, į);
j – never reads as in “john” but it always reads as in “yawn”;
c – never reads as in “cocoon”, but always as “ts” (or German “z”) – so Lithuanian “cukrus” (sugar) you must read “tsookroos”.
So you must remember: “y” is “ee” like in “tree”, “j” is “y” like “yawn”, and “c” is always “ts”.
r – in Lithuanian is much more like in Latin or Greek, but never like in English, German or French.
Other unusual letters: ą, ę, ė, į, ų, ū. You can read it like basic a, e, u for beginning.
č = ch – česnakas (garlik); š = sh – širdis (heart); ž = zh – žaislas (toy).
That is enough for beginner.
