--- title: "The Dutch g and ch" level: A1 chapter: "Sounds and spelling" canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/g-and-ch updated: 2026-10-08 author: Dutch Fluency license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) --- # The Dutch g and ch In most of the Netherlands, _g_ and _ch_ are exactly the same sound: a rasping hiss made at the back of your mouth, close to the ch in Scottish loch. So the _g_ in _goed_ and the _ch_ in _acht_ sound identical. In _sch_ you say s plus that sound, and the ending _-isch_ simply sounds like _ies_. ## The pattern > North of the big rivers, _g_ and _ch_ are one sound with two spellings: a rasp at the back of your mouth. - _g_ and _ch_ sound the same: _goed_, _dag_, _lachen_, _nacht_. - In the south and in Flanders, the sound is softer and smoother: the famous _zachte g_ (soft g). Both versions are correct; see Dutch in the Netherlands and in Flanders. - _sch_ is s plus that sound: _school_, _schoon_, _schrijven_. - The ending _-isch_ sounds like _ies_: _praktisch_, _logisch_. With an extra _e_, it sounds like _iese_: _praktische_. - _ng_ is a different sound, as in English sing: _lang_, _zingen_. - Some loanwords (words borrowed from other languages) keep their foreign sound: the second _g_ in _garage_ sounds like the s in English pleasure, and the _ch_ in _chef_ and _chocola_ sounds like English sh. ## Examples | **Goedemorgen**, Fatima! | Good morning, Fatima! | | Het is **acht** uur. | It is eight o'clock. | | Bas **zegt** nee. | Bas says no. | | Dat is **echt** waar. | That is really true. | | Het **regent** vandaag. | It is raining today. | | Priya fietst naar **school**. | Priya cycles to school. | | Mei **schrijft** een kaart voor Daan. | Mei is writing a card for Daan. | | Dat is heel **praktisch**. | That is very practical. | | Ahmed heeft een **elektrische** fiets. | Ahmed has an electric bike. | | Lotte zet de auto in de **garage**. | Lotte puts the car in the garage. | ## Why it works this way Long ago, _g_ and _ch_ were two sounds: _g_ had your voice humming in it, _ch_ was just air. Many southern speakers still keep a little of that difference. In the north the two merged, but the spelling stayed. Good news for you: fewer sounds to learn. The ending _-isch_ has its own story. Older spellings such as _visch_ became _vis_ after the final consonant sound had disappeared from speech. The ending _-isch_ in adjectives (describing words) like _praktisch_ has a different history: it came in through borrowed words, and Dutch kept the spelling but pronounces it like _ies_. Loanwords such as _garage_ and _chocola_ simply arrived with their French sounds. To make the sound, start to say k, but leave a tiny gap between the back of your tongue and the roof of your mouth, and let the air scrape through. Arabic kha, Spanish j as in jamón and German ch as in Bach are very close. Most English accents do not use this sound, so English speakers tend to say k or a hard g. German speakers mainly need to drop their hard g in _goed_ and their sh in _sch_. Remember: one sound, two outfits. If you can say _acht_, you can already say _gaan_. ## Watch out - Not: _skool_ Say: _school_ (_sch_ is s plus the rasp, never sk or sh) - Not: _Hij zecht nee._ Say: _Hij zegt nee._ (the verb is _zeggen_, so the g stays) - Not: _Dat is fantasties!_ Say: _Dat is fantastisch!_ (you hear _ies_, but you write _isch_) - Not: _een praktiese tas_ Say: _een praktische tas_ (it sounds like _iese_, but you still write _isch_) ## Quick check 1. Fix the spelling: _Joris zecht hallo._ 2. Fix the spelling: _Dat is typies Nederlands._ 3. In _garage_, which _g_ sounds like the s in English pleasure: the first or the second? 4. Which word starts with s plus the rasp: _school_, _sjaal_ or _snel_? ## Answers 1. _Joris zegt hallo._ The verb is _zeggen_, so you write g. 2. _Dat is typisch Nederlands._ You hear _ies_, but you write _isch_. 3. The second. The first _g_ is the normal Dutch rasp. 4. _school_. _Sjaal_ starts with sh, and _snel_ has no rasp at all. ## Use it today Say _Goedemorgen_ or _Goedemiddag_ to a neighbour or colleague today, with a full, confident rasp. Then read three words with _g_, _ch_ or _sch_ aloud from signs at the station or in the supermarket. ## Questions learners ask **Is the Dutch g the same sound as ch?** In most of the Netherlands, yes: g and ch are both a rasping sound at the back of the mouth, so dag and lach end with the same sound. In the south and in Flanders the sound is softer, and many speakers keep g and ch slightly apart. **How do you pronounce sch in Dutch?** Say s and then the Dutch g sound straight after it, so school starts with s plus a rasp. It is never sk as in English school, and never sh as in German. **Why is praktisch pronounced like prakties?** At the end of a word, -isch sounds like ies because you do not hear the ch. Dutch keeps the -isch spelling in adjectives such as praktisch, logisch and typisch, even though the pronunciation is ies. From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.