chwech
/χweːχ/
The Welsh word for six is chwech. It is the number that comes after five and before seven.
chwech is used for counting and for saying how many of something there are.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
When six comes directly before a noun, the word loses its final sound and is shortened.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /χweːχ/. Both ch sounds are made at the back of the throat, like the ch in Scottish loch and the vowel is a long e.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not say the ch in chwech like the ch in English church. It is the throaty sound heard in loch.
Did you know?
- Welsh uses a 'mutation' system where the first letter of a word changes based on the word before it. While chwech is the number, its form can change drastically in complex sentences.
- The word chwech is a cognate of the English word 'six' and the Latin 'sex', as both descended from the Proto-Indo-European word *swéḱs.
- While chwech is the cardinal number, the ordinal number 'sixth' is chweched, which adds a suffix to the original word.
Examples in context
- Un, dau, tri, pedwar, pump, chwech, saith, wyth, naw, deg.One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.chwech comes sixth when counting from one to ten.Tatoeba #6889980 by Sisial, translation #413731 by FeuDRenais
- Mae Layla yn fam i chwech, yn byw yn ne dwyrain Lloegr.Layla is a mother of six, living in the south west of England.yn fam i chwech means a mother of six.Tatoeba #7353391 by jimkillock, translation #7347966 by OsoHombre
- Mae gen i chwech afal yn y bag.I have six apples in the bag.
Example conversation
Rhiannon and Gareth are organizing some boxes.
- RhiannonFaint o bocs syn yma, Gareth?How many boxes are here, Gareth?
- GarethMae there chwech yn gyfan.There are six in total.
- RhiannonDa, dim ond chwech.Good, only six.
- GarethYdynt hwyn yn llosg!They are very heavy!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “six” translations and entries chwech, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chwech, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
