The /j/ Sound, Voiced Palatal Approximant
/j/
/j/ is a voiced palatal approximant. To make it, the front of the tongue rises towards the hard palate and the articulators come close together, but not close enough to make friction. It is voiced, so the vocal folds vibrate.
Often called the y sound.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yes | /jes/ | /jes/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| beyond | /bɪˈɒnd/ | /bɪˈɑːnd/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| you | /juː/ | /juː/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/j/ is told apart from every other English sound by three distinctive features.
Allophones Of /j/
/j/ has 2 allophones in the app, starting with [jʷ], a consonant immediately before /w/ or a rounded vowel. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /j/ Sound
/j/ At The Start Of A Word
- ewe
- yam
- yay
- yep
- yes
- yet
- unit
- user
- yank
- yard
- yarn
- yawn
- yeah
- year
- yell
- yelp
- yoga
- yoke
- yolk
- yuck
- unify
- union
- unite
- usage
- usual
- usurp
- uvula
- yacht
- yearn
- yeast
/j/ In The Middle Of A Word
- dew
- due
- few
- new
- pew
- cube
- cure
- cute
- duel
- dune
- dupe
- duty
- feud
- fuel
- fume
- fury
- fuse
- huge
- knew
- lieu
- menu
- mule
- muse
- news
- nude
- phew
- puke
- puny
- pupa
- pure
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
Is /j/ voiced or voiceless?
/j/ is voiced.
What is the place of articulation of /j/?
/j/ is palatal, which means the front of the tongue rises towards the hard palate.
What is the manner of articulation of /j/?
/j/ is a approximant, which means the articulators come close together, but not close enough to make friction.
Which words have the /j/ sound?
For example yes, beyond, you.