How to Pronounce the Slovenian Č, Š and Ž

Do you know how to say your ancestor’s Slovenian surname?
It’s easier for some..

Pronouncing names and places in Slovene is second nature to Bernie. Slovene is one of four languages he grew up with at home plus it’s the second language of the people here in Kärnten (followed closely by Italian).

For me, a native English speaker, Slovene surnames like Šuštar and Kovač - in the beginning, my brain didn’t know where to go!

Some Slovene language facts:

• Slovene is a Slavic language spoken by about 2.5 million people.

• The Slovene alphabet (abeceda) has 25 letters.

• There’s no Q, W, X or Y.

• The Č, Š and Ž have a diacritic strešica mark above them.

How to pronounce the Č, Š and Ž

Č is pronounced as CH like chocolate, chair and choose.

Š is pronounced as SH like shoe.

Ž is pronounced like a ‘soft s’ like pleasure, measure.

Here are some audio examples to practice, have a listen:

Bonus challenge:

What’s a strešica or haček?

It's that little mark over the Slovene č, š and ž. Strešica actually means ‘little roof’!

Does your Slovenian surname have a strešica? It does? Well, we’re taking requests!

If you’d like to hear Bernie pronounce your ancestor’s first name, surname or home town, with or without a strešica? Add your name in the comments below!

Nelly & Bernie

Austrian (German) name requests are welcome! If there’s enough requests, we’ll add a page for Austrian last names 😃

Requests, now in alphabetical order: