Lessons / A1 / Fundamentals
Fundamentals
The essential building blocks of Lithuanian.
💡 Explanation
Lithuanian has 32 letters. Some special characters indicate unique sounds: ą, č, ę, ė, į, š, ų, ū, ž — these don't exist in English.
Special Characters
These unique Lithuanian letters need extra attention:
Ą
Č
Ę
Ė
Į
Š
Ų
Ū
Ž
Full Alphabet
| Letter | Audio | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | like 'a' in 'father' | ačiū= thank you | |
| Ą★ | long 'a' (nasal origin, now just long) | ąžuolas= oak tree | |
| B | like 'b' in 'bat' | brolis= brother | |
| C | like 'ts' in 'cats' | cukrus= sugar | |
| Č★ | like 'ch' in 'church' | čia= here | |
| D | like 'd' in 'dog' | diena= day | |
| E | like 'e' in 'bed' | eiti= to go | |
| Ę★ | like 'e' in 'there' (long) | ęsti= to eat (archaic) | |
| Ė★ | like 'ay' in 'say' | ėsti= to graze | |
| F | like 'f' in 'fan' | filmas= film/movie | |
| G | like 'g' in 'go' | gerai= okay/good | |
| H | like 'h' in 'hat' | hobis= hobby | |
| I | like 'i' in 'bit' | ir= and | |
| Į★ | long 'ee' sound | įeiti= to enter | |
| Y | long 'ee' like 'see' | yra= is/are | |
| J | like 'y' in 'yes' | jis= he | |
| K | like 'k' in 'key' | kalba= language | |
| L | like 'l' in 'love' | labas= hello | |
| M | like 'm' in 'map' | mama= mother | |
| N | like 'n' in 'no' | namas= house | |
| O | like 'o' in 'more' | oras= weather/air | |
| P | like 'p' in 'pan' | pienas= milk | |
| R | rolled 'r' (trilled) | ranka= hand | |
| S | like 's' in 'sun' | sesuo= sister | |
| Š★ | like 'sh' in 'shop' | šeima= family | |
| T | like 't' in 'top' | taip= yes | |
| U | like 'u' in 'put' | ugnis= fire | |
| Ų★ | long 'oo' sound | ųsai= moustache | |
| Ū★ | like 'oo' in 'moon' | ūkas= fog/mist | |
| V | like 'v' in 'van' | vanduo= water | |
| Z | like 'z' in 'zoo' | žemė= earth/ground | |
| Ž★ | like 's' in 'measure' or 'zh' | žuvis= fish |