THE PRONUNCIATION OF CZECH NAMES
The following notes will enable the English reader to understand the chief rules of Czech pronunciation:
| a | : | as English u in but. |
| á | : | long a as the English ah. |
| ě | : | as English ye in yes. |
| í | : | as English ee in seen. |
| ů | : | a long final u, as English oo in root. |
| ej | : | as English ey in they. |
| c | : | as English ts in hats. |
| č | : | as English ch in church. |
| ch | : | as ch in Scottish loch. |
| ř | : | (at beginning or in middle of words) as r followed by the English s in measure; (at the end of words) as r followed by sh. |
| š | : | as English sh. |
| z | : | as English z |
| ž | : | as English s in measure. |
The main accent is on the first syllable of words.
Examples: Beneš (Ben-esh); Kramář (Krum-ahrsh); Rašín (Rush-een); Šámal (Shah-mul); Štěpánek (Shtyep-ahnek).
