ZH
The ZH sound is a voiced postalveolar fricative, the voiced counterpart to the SH sound (/ʃ/). It is made in the same mouth position as SH, but with vocal cord vibration.
Round your lips slightly. Raise the blade (the part just behind the tip) of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth, just behind the alveolar ridge (the bump behind your upper teeth). Don't let your tongue tip touch the ridge. Keep the sides of your tongue touching the upper side teeth. Push air out through the channel created, while vibrating your vocal cords.
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Example Words
/ˈvɪʒən/
/ˈmɛʒər/
/ˈplɛʒər/
/ˈjuːʒuəl/
/ɡəˈrɑːʒ/ or /ˈɡærɪdʒ/
/beɪʒ/
/ˈliːʒər/ or /ˈlɛʒər/
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Minimal Pairs
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/ˈmɛʒər/
/ˈmɛsər/
/ˈvɪʒən/
/ˈvɪʃən/
/ˈæʒər/
/ˈæʃər/
/ˈliːʒər/
/ˈliːtʃər/
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