dz vs tsʰ

Voiced Alveolar Affricate vs Voiceless Alveolar Affricate

How these sounds differ

Voiced Alveolar Affricate

Voicing: voiced
Place: alveolar
Manner: affricate
Class: consonant
In languages: 49 / 500

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tsʰ

Voiceless Alveolar Affricate

Voicing: voiceless
Place: alveolar
Manner: affricate
Class: consonant
In languages: 41 / 500

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Cross-linguistic distribution

Languages with dz

Languages with both

Languages with tsʰ

14 languages in our database contrast both sounds as distinct phonemes. Languages that have one but not the other tend to merge them into a single phoneme — meaning speakers of those languages often struggle to hear the distinction when learning a language that contrasts them.

Has dz, not tsʰ (20)

Darkhat Mongolic-Khitan Pashto Indo-European Kabardian Abkhaz-Adyge Logbara Central Sudanic DAHALO Afro-Asiatic Margi Afro-Asiatic LELEMI Atlantic-Congo Maltese Afro-Asiatic Chamorro Austronesian CHEROKEE Iroquoian IK Kuliak Ocaina Huitotoan EWONDO Atlantic-Congo Seneca Iroquoian Salish Salishan Garo Sino-Tibetan LAME Afro-Asiatic Aghem Atlantic-Congo Awiya Afro-Asiatic Malagasy Austronesian

Has tsʰ, not dz (20)

Beembe Atlantic-Congo Min Dong Chinese Sino-Tibetan Navaho Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Mazahua Otomanguean Kharia Austroasiatic Aymara Aymaran !XU Kxa Hakka Chinese Sino-Tibetan Lak Nakh-Daghestanian TARASCAN Tarascan Avar Nakh-Daghestanian Chipewyan Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Lakkia Tai-Kadai Mongghul Mongolic-Khitan JACALTEC Mayan Burushaski Language isolate Zuni Language isolate Páez Language isolate TOL Jicaquean Daur Mongolic-Khitan