What phonetic sound does "tʃ" represent?

The phonetic symbol "tʃ" represents the voiceless postalveolar affricate sound commonly heard in English, specifically as in the word "chick." This sound is produced by first blocking the airflow entirely (as is the case with the "t" sound) and then releasing it to create an airflow that creates a fricative quality, typically associated with the "ch" sound in words like "chair" and "chocolate."

Understanding affricates is essential in phonetics, as they combine features of both stops and fricatives. In this case, "tʃ" starts as a stop (t) before releasing into a fricative (ʃ). Recognizing this sound serves as a basis for both speech therapy approaches and the general analysis of phonetic structures in language.