ChTo

Chto is the common transliteration of the Cyrillic Russian word Что, which means "what." In English-language writing about Russian, ch to is often used to render the word in a straightforward, phonetic way. The form also appears in other Slavic languages with similar meanings, but the spelling and pronunciation differ in each language.

In Russian grammar, что functions primarily as an interrogative pronoun asking about identity, nature, or specification in questions, as in Что это? (What is this?). It also appears as a conjunction introducing subordinate clauses, as in Я знаю, что он придёт (I know that he will come). Additionally, что can be used in relative constructions and set phrases such as то, что... (that which...). Its exact role depends on sentence structure and context.

Pronunciation of Что in Russian is roughly like "shto," with a soft initial sibilant comparable to the English "sh" but slightly more palatalized, followed by a hard "t" and an "o." In unstressed speech, the vowel may reduce, and rapid speech can blur consonant boundaries. Ukrainian uses a cognate written as що (sho), with a similar meaning.

Cross-linguistic cognates include Polish co, Czech co, Slovak čo, and Ukrainian що, all meaning "what" and reflecting a shared Slavic heritage. These forms show how a single concept is expressed across related languages, with each language adapting the sequence of sounds to its phonology.

Beyond language, ch to may appear in transliteration schemes or language-learning materials. It is not typically used as a standalone term outside linguistic contexts, but serves as a convenient representation of the Russian word for readers unfamiliar with Cyrillic script.