sz (digraph)
{{Short description|Digraph of the Latin script}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2025}}
{{Orthography notation}}
Sz is a digraph of the Latin script, used in Polish,{{Cite book |last=Czarnomski |first=Francis Bauer |title=Handy Polish-English and English-Polish Dictionary with Conversations and Idioms |publisher=D. McKay |year=1916}} Kashubian and Hungarian, and in the Wade–Giles system of Romanization of Mandarin, as well as the Hong Kong official romanization of Cantonese.
Polish
In Polish orthography, sz represents a voiceless retroflex fricative {{IPA|/ʂ/}}. It usually corresponds to š or ш in other Slavic languages. It is usually approximated by English speakers with the "sh" sound{{rp|vi}} (and conversely, Polish speakers typically approximate the English digraph sh with the "sz" sound), although the two sounds are not completely identical.
Like other Polish digraphs, it is not considered a single letter for collation purposes.
sz should not be confused with ś (or s followed by i), termed "soft sh", a voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative {{IPA|/ɕ/}}.
=Examples of sz=
{{Audio|pl-obszar.ogg|obszar}} (area, territory)
{{Audio|Pl-płaszcz.ogg|płaszcz}} (coat, cloak)
{{Audio|Pl-Tomasz.ogg|Tomasz}} (Thomas)
Compare ś:
{{Audio|Pl-świeca.ogg|świeca}} (candle)
{{Audio|Pl-iść.ogg|iść}} (to go)
{{Audio|Pl-sierpień.ogg|sierpień}} (August)
Kashubian
In Kashubian, sz represents a voiceless postalveolar fricative {{IPA|/ʃ/}}, identical to the English "sh". It corresponds to the voiceless retroflex fricative {{IPA|/ʂ/}} in Polish.
=Examples=
:These examples are Kashubian words that use the letter sz, with the English translation following.
- szãtopiérz = bat
- szczawa = sorrel
- szczãka = jaw
- szczëka = pike (fish type)
- szerszéń = hornet
Hungarian
Sz is the thirty-second letter of the Hungarian alphabet. It represents {{IPA|/s/}} and is called "esz" {{IPA|/ɛs/}}. Thus, names like Liszt are pronounced {{IPA|/list/}} list.
In Hungarian, even if two characters are put together to make a different sound, they are considered one letter (a true digraph), and even acronyms keep the letter intact.
Hungarian usage of s and sz is almost the reverse of the Polish usage. In Hungarian, s represents {{IPA|/ʃ/}} (a sound similar to {{IPA|/ʂ/}}). Therefore, the Hungarian capital of Budapest is natively pronounced ({{IPA|/ˈbudɒpɛʃt/}}), rhyming with standard English fleshed rather than pest.
There is also a zs in Hungarian, which is the last (forty-fourth) letter of the alphabet, following z.
=Examples=
These examples are Hungarian words that use the letter sz, with the English translation following:
- szabó = tailor
- szép = beautiful
- szikla = rock
- szőke = blonde
- szülő = parent
- szusi = sushi
- Olaszország = Italy
- Szudán = Sudan
Wade–Giles
In the Wade–Giles system of Romanization of Mandarin, {{angbr|sz}} is used to represent the syllabic {{IPA|/s/}} with the "empty rime". See Wade–Giles → Empty rime.
Hong Kong Government Romanization of Cantonese
In the unpublished romanisation scheme employed by the Hong Kong government, sz is sometimes used in combination with e to represent the syllable {{IPA|/siː/}}, as in Sheung Sze Wan {{IPA|/sœːŋ˥.siː˥.waːn˥/}} (Sēungsīwāan in Yale romanization).
Sz also appears in the sequence tsz, representing the syllables {{IPA|/t͡siː/}} and {{IPA|/t͡sʰiː/}}, as in Tsz Tin Tsuen {{IPA|/t͡siː˧˥.tʰiːn˨˩.t͡sʰyːn˥/}} and Tsz Wan Shan {{IPA|/t͡sʰiː˨˩.wɐn˨˩.saːn˥/ }} (Jítìhnchyūn and Chìhwàhnsāan respectively in Yale romanization).