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Consonant
J Sound
The J sound is a voiced post-alveolar affricate. It starts like a D sound (/d/) with the tongue tip at the alveolar ridge, but then quickly releases into a ZH sound (/ʒ/) as the tongue pulls back slightly. It's the voiced counterpart to the CH sound /tʃ/.
Phonetic
jVoicing
VoicedPlace of Articulation
Post-alveolarManner of Articulation
AffricateMouth Position
Start by placing the tip of your tongue on the ridge behind your upper teeth (like for D). Quickly pull the tongue back slightly and release air through the narrowing while vibrating your vocal cords, creating the ZH part of the sound. It's a quick d+zh combination.
How to Make This Sound
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Example Words
jobMain Example
/dʒɑb/jump
/dʒʌmp/judge
/dʒʌdʒ/age
/eɪdʒ/large
/lɑrdʒ/energy
/ˈɛnərdʒi/general
/ˈdʒɛnərəl/soldier
/ˈsoʊldʒər/graduate
/ˈgrædʒuət/bridge
/brɪdʒ/Pronunciation Practice
11 words
Speak the words aloud to get instant feedback on your pronunciation
Quick Practice
3-5 essential words
Full Practice
All 11 words
Minimal Pairs
Listen and compare similar sounds
j
job
/dʒɑb/Compare with
J
chop
/tʃɑp/j
Jess
/dʒɛs/Compare with
J
yes
/jɛs/j
age
/eɪdʒ/Compare with
A
ash
/æʃ/j
ridge
/rɪdʒ/Compare with
R
rich
/rɪtʃ/Tongue Twister
Practice: Consonant
“Jim jumps joyfully juggling juicy jellybeans.”
Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation