c or ch, g or gh

Before e and i, the letters c and g change their sound. To keep them hard, Romanian adds an h:

• ce, ci sound like English ch in church: ceai, cine, cireșe
• che, chi sound like k: cheie, chitară, ochi
• ge, gi sound like English j in jam: gem, geantă, girafă
• ghe, ghi sound like g in get: gheață, ghid, unghie

So the h adds no sound of its own. It only keeps c and g hard.

The spellings ce/ci and ge/gi also come before a, o and u, where you hardly hear the e or i: ceai (tea), ciocolată (chocolate), geam (window), geantă (bag).

To fill a gap, listen for the sound: ch → c, k → ch, j → g, hard g → gh.