Lithuanian Alphabet

Lithuanian alphabet is a modified Latin alphabet. Consists of the following 32 letters (in order):

• A – the long or the short A (see the pronouncing rules above), [a / ā].
• Ą (A nosinė) – long A, [ā].
• B – like B in bag, [b / b’].
• C – like English Ts (e.g. in Tsar), [ts / t’s’].
• Č – like English Tsh (T and then sh), [tʃ / t^ʃ‘ / t’ʃ’].
• D – like D in dog, [d / d’].
• E – long or short E, (see the pronouncing rules below), [e / æ].
• Ę (E nosinė) – long E, [æ].
• Ė – is like German e and long (see the pronouncing rules below), [ē].
• F – like English F or PH (e.g. in fog), [f / f’].
• G – like G in golf, [g / g’].
• H – like H in Hungary, [h / h’]
• I – short i, like i in English big; i in a diphthong, like y in say, the palatalization mark [i / ǐ / ⁱ].
• Į (I nosinė) – long i (see the pronouncing rules below), [ī].
• Y (I ilgoji) – second long i (see the pronouncing rules below), [ī].
• J – like Y in the English word young [j].
• K – like K in Kilometer, [k / k’].
• L – like L in long, [l / l’].
• M – like M in Mike, [m / m’].
• N – like N in november or N in link [n / n’ / ɳ /ɳ’].
• O – long or (rare) short O, [ō / o].
• P – like P in Pong, [p / p’].
• R – like Spanish R, [r / r’].
• S – like S in song, [s / s’].
• Š – slightly less tight than English Sh (e.g. in Shell) [ʃ / ʃ’].
• T – like T in Tango, [t / t’].
• U – short u, like oo in English food, u in a diphthong, like w in cow [u / ǔ]
• Ų (U nosinė) – long U, [ū].
• Ū (U ilgoji) – long U, [ū].
• V – medial sound between English [v] and [w]; [v / v’]].
• Z – like Z in Zone, [z /z’].
• Ž – voiced variant of Š, [ʒ / ʒ’], the sound in the middle of English “Treasure”.
• Ch – these letters together are pronounced as an unvoiced variant of Lithuanian h, like ch in scottish loch, [χ / χ’ ].

The letters W, X and Q are not used in Lithuanian except in proper names (e. g. Washington’o miestas). The letters F, H and the digraph Ch are only used in loaned words, known in many European languages (e. g. Chemija)