A1 (Beginner)Lesson 7: Sounds of Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese leans heavily on /ʃ/ ("sh") and /ʒ/ (the "s" in "measure"). CH and J have regular readings in ordinary Portuguese words, soft G depends on the next vowel, and X is the wildcard that can sound like /ʃ/, /s/, /z/ or /ks/.
CH = /ʃ/ in ordinary Portuguese words: chá, chave
J = /ʒ/, as in the s of English measure: já, hoje
G before e/i = /ʒ/: gente, girafa
G before a/o/u = hard /g/: gato, gosto
X has several readings: /ʃ/, /s/, /z/ and /ks/. Learn the pronunciation with the word.
/ʃ/ is voiceless and /ʒ/ is voiced: they are two distinct sounds.
These sounds occur in many everyday words; pronunciations can vary by region.
CH → /ʃ/ · J, G before e/i → /ʒ/ · X → /ʃ/, /s/, /z/ or /ks/
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These two sounds live inside the most everyday words — you can't say hoje (today), order a queijo (cheese), or wave tchau without them. And the line between them is razor-thin: voicing the initial consonant of chá (tea) produces the /ʒ/ of já (already). From a suco de laranja at the bar to calling your friends gente boa, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ are everywhere in real Brazilian talk.
Good news: these two sounds already exist in English. In ordinary Portuguese words, CH and J have regular readings; foreign names and unadapted borrowings may follow other pronunciations. The letter X has several readings to learn with each word.
These transcriptions are approximate examples of one possible Brazilian pronunciation. Vowels, R/S and T/D can vary by region. ˈ marks the start of the stressed syllable.
| Sound | IPA | Like the... | Spellings |
|---|---|---|---|
| /ʃ/ | [ʃ] | "sh" in shop | CH, X |
| /ʒ/ | [ʒ] | "s" in measure | J, G (before e/i) |
/ʃ/ and /ʒ/ are distinct fricatives: one voiceless, one voiced. They have similar places and manners of articulation; voicing differs, as with s/z and p/b. Put a hand on your throat and sustain only the initial consonant: [ʃ] in chá has no vocal-fold vibration, while [ʒ] in já does. Both words' vowels are voiced.
The transcriptions show featured words or word groups, not always the entire sentence, and illustrate one possible Brazilian pronunciation.
"Tchau, gente!" [tʃaw ˈʒẽtʃi] (Bye, folks!)
"Tudo joia?" [ˈtudu ˈʒɔjɐ] (All good?)
"Gente boa!" [ˈʒẽtʃi ˈboɐ] (Nice people!)
"Que chato!" [ˈʃatu] (How annoying!)
"Chá ou café?" [ʃa] (Tea or coffee?)
"Pão de queijo!" [pɐ̃w̃ dʒi ˈkejʒu] (Cheese bread!)
"Suco de laranja" [laˈɾɐ̃ʒɐ] (Orange juice)
There is no single reading for all words; learn each pronunciation:
/ʃ/ — caixa, peixe, baixo
/s/ — próximo, texto
/z/ — exame, exemplo
/ks/ — táxi, fixo
For a new X word, check the pronunciation rather than always choosing /ʃ/.
English ch in church is the affricate [tʃ]. In ordinary Brazilian Portuguese words, CH is the fricative /ʃ/. Say chá with [ʃ], without the initial closure of [tʃ].
In Brazil, the letter X is named xis, with a pronunciation such as [ʃis]. In some sandwich names, x- represents English cheese, as in x-búrguer, x-salada, x-egg, x-bacon and x-tudo. This is a name-and-sound association: xis is not the Portuguese translation of "cheese", which is queijo.
Sources: Caldas Aulete — x, Cambridge — x-burguer.
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