Digraph
How to pronounce Polish «cz» [tʂ]
cz
IPA[tʂ]
Hard cz [tʂ]. Not a soft English “ch” as in “chip”.
How to shape the sound
Alveolar hard sibilants: the front of the tongue approaches the upper alveoli; the tip is down; there is no softening.
Common trap
They get confused with the soft series ś/ć — then «kasza» becomes «Kasia», «kosz» becomes «koś», «czeszę się» becomes «cieszę się».
How to fix it
sz and cz — hard and noisy; ś and ć — soft and quiet.
Practice words
Pick a teacher — the word plays in their voice · Mirosław
czapka
cap
Focus on pronunciation «cz»
czosnek
garlic
Focus on pronunciation «cz»
klucz
key
Focus on pronunciation «cz»