Casa Suja — Portuguese Tongue Twister

Casa suja, cama suja, suja a casa, suja a cama

Casa suja, cama suja, suja a casa, suja a cama

Dirty house, dirty bed, dirty the house, dirty the bed

Why Is It Hard?

In European Portuguese, the s in casa sounds like a soft sh, while the j in suja sounds like a zh. These similar but distinct sounds swap positions as the sentence reverses — suja casa becomes casa suja inverted. The palindromic structure makes it feel circular and never-ending.

History

Casa suja is a popular children’s tongue twister in Portugal and Brazil. It is used in language classrooms to teach the sibilant sounds that differ between European and Brazilian Portuguese. The domestic setting of house and bed makes it easy to remember for young learners.

Tips for Saying It

• Note the reversal: the first half names dirty things, the second half makes them dirty.
• Exaggerate the difference between s (casa) and j (suja) in slow practice.
• Once you have the rhythm, the reversed second half almost says itself.

More Portuguese Tongue Twisters

• Portuguese Tongue Twisters — full collection
• Tongue Twisters for Kids — great for children
• Funny Tongue Twisters — more fun twisters

Find hundreds more on alltonguetwisters.com.