The audio here is generated speech. A recorded human voice for this lesson is on the way.

The two sounds

CH and J are both "stop then slide" sounds. Your tongue presses behind your top teeth, a little further back than for T, then releases into a hissing sound. CH, as in "cheap", is voiceless. J, as in "jeep", is the same movement with your voice on. The letter G often makes the J sound too: "gym", "page", "large".

Learners often swap these for SH and ZH, saying "ship" for "chip". The fix is the stop at the start: CH begins with a short block, like T, before the hiss. Say "t-sh" quickly and you have CH.

Hear the difference

Tap each word. Then test your ear.

  • "Tch" at the end is CH. "Dge" at the end is J.

Test your ear

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Repeat each sentence. Put a clear stop at the start of every CH and J. Record the first sentence and listen: "just", "choose", "cheapest" and "chair" should all start with a short block before the hiss.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.