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jConsonants
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/j/

· ·

'Y' sound. Tongue raised near hard palate, lips stretched sideways. Like 'y' in 'yes'.

Example words

yes 
use 
beyond 
yellow 

How to make the sound

Raise the middle of the tongue toward the hard palate, keep a narrow gap, and glide quickly into the vowel.

What to feel and listen for

It feels like a short voiced glide, not a long vowel by itself.

Common mistake: Do not stretch it into a separate /i/ vowel — /j/ is a quick glide into the next sound.

See how it differs

Articulation profile

PlosiveFricativeAffricateNasalApproximantLateralBilabialpb··m··Labiodental·fv····Dental·θð····Alveolartdsz·n·lPost-alveolar·ʃʒtʃdʒ·r·Palatal····j·Velarkɡ··ŋw·Glottal·h····