Bulgarian Letter С: The C That Sounds Like S
С is the 18th letter of the Bulgarian alphabet. The Bulgarian letter С looks like a Latin C but always sounds like “s” [s], as in “sun”. Its name is съ (“suh”), it transliterates as s, and before voiced consonants it is pronounced [z], as in сграда.
The Bulgarian letter С is the 18th letter of the alphabet and spells the sound [s], as in “sun”. It looks like a Latin C, so English speakers often want to read it as “k”. Remember instead that С is always an “s” sound, never “k”, and it is one of the most common consonants you will meet.
How to pronounce the Bulgarian letter С
С is a plain, hissing [s], the “s” in “sit” or “base”. It never turns into the “z” of English “rose” between vowels: роса (rosa, “dew”) keeps a clean “s”. The letter name is съ, said roughly “suh”.
There is one sound rule to know. Before a voiced consonant such as б, г, д or з, С is voiced to [z]. So сграда (sgrada, “building”) is pronounced [ˈzɡradɐ], and сбогом (sbogom, “farewell”) starts with a “zb”. Spelling does not change; only the sound does. The Bulgarian pronunciation guide explains this voicing assimilation for all consonants.
| Bulgarian | Streamlined | Meaning | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| сол | sol | salt | |
| сирене | sirene | white brined cheese | |
| сок | sok | juice | |
| сега | sega | now | |
| сграда | sgrada | building |
С in the name of the capital
You see С every time you read София, the capital. Under the official Streamlined System it becomes Sofia: С goes to s, and the word-final -ия is written ia, as the Transliteration Act requires. The same rule makes България into Bulgaria.
С never combines with another letter to make a new sound in Bulgarian. Where English writes “sh”, Bulgarian uses one letter, Ш. So сх is two sounds, “s” plus the throaty Х, as in схема (shema, “scheme”). That transliterated form looks like “sh” in Latin letters, a known weak point of the system.
The little word с and its long form със
On its own, с is a preposition meaning “with”: кафе с мляко (kafe s mlyako, “coffee with milk”). Before a word that starts with С or З, it becomes със (sas) so the two hissing sounds do not run together: със сестра ми (sas sestra mi, “with my sister”), със захар (sas zahar, “with sugar”). The preposition в (“in”) behaves the same way, becoming във before В and Ф.
Look-alike trap: Cyrillic С vs Latin C
Cyrillic С (U+0421) and Latin C (U+0043) look identical in nearly every font. Because they are different characters, mixing them breaks search, sorting and spell check, and spammers sometimes swap them on purpose to disguise words. If a Bulgarian word will not match, retype it on a Bulgarian keyboard.
English “c” can be k or s. Bulgarian С is only ever [s]. The Bulgarian “k” is К, which looks like a Latin K.
Native speakers of Bulgarian learn this from childhood, so a missing със sounds odd rather than wrong. Treat it as a pronunciation habit: whenever two “s” or “z” sounds would collide, add the vowel.
Common mistakes with the Bulgarian letter С
- Reading С as “k” because of English words like “cat”.
- Voicing it between vowels like English “rose”. Bulgarian keeps it as [s].
- Reading the transliteration “sh” in shema as ш. In the original it is сх.
- Saying “s” instead of “sas” before С and З: it is със сок, not с сок.
Practice tip: read street signs and shop fronts aloud and say every С as “s”. Words like СУПЕРМАРКЕТ (supermarket) and САЛОН (salon) are good warm-ups because you already know the meaning. Go back to Р or continue to Т.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Bulgarian letter С pronounced like k or s?
Always s. Bulgarian С is the sound [s], even though it looks like a Latin C. The Bulgarian k is К.
When does С sound like z?
Before a voiced consonant such as б, г, д or з, as in сграда [ˈzɡradɐ], “building”.
What does the Bulgarian word с mean?
С is a preposition meaning “with”. Before words starting with с or з it becomes със, as in със захар, “with sugar”.
How is София written in Latin letters?
Officially Sofia: С becomes s and the word-final -ия becomes ia under the Streamlined System.
Sources
- Transliteration Act of Bulgaria (2009), English text, Ministry of Regional Development
- Bulgarian phonology (Wikipedia)
- Unicode code charts (Cyrillic block U+0400)