Bulgarian Letter Ц: How to Say Ц (ts)

The Bulgarian letter Ц is the 23rd letter of the alphabet and writes the sound [t͡s], the “ts” at the end of “cats”. English has the sound but almost never at the start of a word, which is exactly where Bulgarian loves to put it. One letter, one sound, two Latin letters in transliteration.

How to pronounce the Bulgarian letter Ц

Say “cats” and freeze on the last part: a “t” released straight into an “s”. That single, tight sound is Ц. The letter name is цъ, pronounced “tsuh”. The trick for English speakers is to keep it as one sound at the start of a word. In цвете ([ˈt͡svɛtɛ], “flower”) do not add a vowel and say “tuh-svete”.

Ц has no voiced partner letter. Its voiced counterpart [d͡z] is written with two letters, дз, as in дзвън (dzvan, “ring, clang”).

Bulgarian	Streamlined	Meaning	Hear
цвете	tsvete	flower	▶
цена	tsena	price	▶
цар	tsar	tsar, king	▶
църква	tsarkva	church	▶
улица	ulitsa	street	▶

The shape: a box with a tail

Ц looks like a squared Latin U, or an upside-down П, with a short tail at the bottom right. That tail is the whole difference between Ц and some neighbors. Compare it with Щ, which is a three-pronged Ш with the same kind of tail. Ц, Ч, Ш and Щ sit next to each other in the alphabet and are the letters beginners mix up most.

Letter	Sound	Shape hint
Ц	[t͡s] ts	two prongs plus tail
Ч	[t͡ʃ] ch	like the digit 4
Ш	[ʃ] sh	three prongs, no tail
Щ	[ʃt] sht	three prongs plus tail

Transliteration of the Bulgarian letter Ц

The Streamlined System writes Ц as ts: Цветан is Tsvetan and Царево is Tsarevo. Scholarly ISO 9 transliteration uses a single c, which is why you sometimes see “Cvetan” in academic texts. For signs, documents and names, follow the Transliteration Act and use “ts”. Try it in the transliteration tool.

A practical warning: the Latin “ts” in transliteration can also mean the two letters тс, as in братски. That pair is pronounced nearly the same anyway, so it rarely causes trouble when reading aloud.

Ц in word endings

Ц is common in two noun endings. Feminine nouns often end in -ица: улица (“street”), царица (tsaritsa, “queen”), столица (stolitsa, “capital city”). Masculine nouns for people often end in -ец: певец (pevets, “singer”), чужденец (chuzhdenets, “foreigner”). Hearing a final “ts” is a good hint that you are dealing with a noun, and often one that names a person or a place. The Bulgarian alphabet pronunciation guide shows how stress falls in words like these.

The word цар and English “tsar”

English “tsar” (also “czar”) comes from the Slavic word цар, ultimately from Latin Caesar. Medieval Bulgarian rulers took the title from the 10th century. Today цар also means “king” in fairy tales, and царевица (tsarevitsa) is “corn”, literally the “tsar’s” grain.

Common mistakes with the Bulgarian letter Ц

• Breaking word-initial Ц into “t” + “s” with a vowel between.
• Reading Ц as Latin U or as Ш. Look for the tail.
• Writing “c” or “z” for Ц in names. The official form is ts.
• Pronouncing Ц like Italian “c” in “ciao”. That sound is Ч.

Frequently asked questions

What sound does the Bulgarian letter Ц make?

Ц is [t͡s], the ts in “cats”, pronounced as one sound even at the start of a word.

How is Ц transliterated into English?

The official Streamlined System writes ts, so Цветан is Tsvetan. Academic ISO 9 uses c.

What is the difference between Ц and Щ?

Ц has two prongs and a tail and sounds like ts. Щ has three prongs and a tail and sounds like sht.

Where does the word tsar come from?

From Slavic цар, which goes back to Latin Caesar. Bulgarian rulers used the title from the 10th century.

Sources

• Transliteration Act of Bulgaria (2009), English text, Ministry of Regional Development
• Bulgarian phonology (Wikipedia)
• Bulgarian alphabet (Wikipedia)

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