ch
German ch changes with the surrounding vowel. Learn it from complete words such as ich and Buch rather than forcing one English sound.
A–Z · UMLAUTS · ß
German Alphabet & Pronunciation
Learn the German alphabet A–Z, umlauts and ß with beginner pronunciation cues, examples and Urdu guidance for Pakistani and Urdu-speaking learners.
Start with the sounds, not only the letters
The German alphabet uses the same basic A–Z letters as English, plus Ä, Ö, Ü and ß. Letter names help when spelling names and email addresses, while real word pronunciation must be learned from examples and listening.
The English-style cues below are beginner approximations rather than exact phonetic transcriptions.
جرمن حروف اور تلفظ
جرمن میں بنیادی A سے Z حروف کے ساتھ Ä، Ö، Ü اور ß بھی استعمال ہوتے ہیں۔ انگریزی حروف میں دیا گیا تلفظ صرف ابتدائی مدد ہے؛ درست آواز کے لیے جرمن آڈیو سننا اور بار بار دہرانا ضروری ہے۔
GERMAN ALPHABET
A–Z, umlauts and ß
| Letter | Letter-name cue | German example | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ah | Apfel | apple |
| B | bay | Buch | book |
| C | tsay | Café | café |
| D | day | Deutsch | German |
| E | eh | Eltern | parents |
| F | eff | Familie | family |
| G | gay | Guten Tag | hello |
| H | hah | Haus | house |
| I | ee | ich | I |
| J | yot | ja | yes |
| K | kah | Kaffee | coffee |
| L | ell | lernen | to learn |
| M | emm | Mutter | mother |
| N | enn | nein | no |
| O | oh | Oktober | October |
| P | pay | Pakistan | Pakistan |
| Q | koo | Quelle | source |
| R | err | Reise | journey |
| S | ess | Schule | school |
| T | tay | Tag | day |
| U | oo | Uhr | clock / o’clock |
| V | fow | Vater | father |
| W | vay | Wasser | water |
| X | iks | Taxi | taxi |
| Y | Üpsilon | Yoga | yoga |
| Z | tset | Zeit | time |
| Ä | ae / umlaut A | Äpfel | apples |
| Ö | oe / umlaut O | Öl | oil |
| Ü | ue / umlaut U | über | over / about |
| ß | Eszett | Straße | street |
PRONUNCIATION TIPS
Six patterns beginners meet early
sch
sch is normally close to the English sh sound, as in Schule.
ei
ei is commonly pronounced like the vowel in English “my”, as in mein.
ie
ie usually has a long ee sound, as in sieben.
eu / äu
eu and äu commonly sound similar to English “oy”, as in Deutsch and Häuser.
sp / st
At the beginning of many German words, sp and st often begin with a sh-like sound.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Before you continue
Does German use the English alphabet?
German uses A–Z plus the umlaut vowels Ä, Ö and Ü and the letter ß.
Is the pronunciation cue exact?
No. It is a beginner guide. Native audio and repeated listening are needed for accurate pronunciation.
What is ß called?
It is called Eszett or scharfes S and represents an s sound in German spelling.
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