The German Consonant 'j'
The German consonant 'j' is almost always pronounced in the same manner as the English 'y' sound that in words such as 'yes', 'yellow' or 'yard'. It is formed when the middle of the tongue makes contact with the hard palate and it is a 'voiced' sound i.e. you can feel you vocal cords vibrate when the sound is articulated. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words which all start with the letter 'j'.
Sounds 1: Words starting with the letters 'j' |
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ja
(yes) |
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jung
(young) |
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jetzt
(now) |
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jeder
(each) |
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Jubel
(jubilation) |
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Jugend
(youth) |
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Jacke
(jacket) |
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Jahr
(year) |
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two words which contain the German letter 'j' in medial position. The spelling of the German word Majonäse was Germanified as part of the recent spelling reforms in the German-speaking countries.
Sounds 2: Imported words with 'j' in medial position |
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Majonäse
(mayonnaise) |
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Boje
(buoy) |
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The proximity of German 'j' to English 'y' can be seen by the fact that many words imported from English that originally began with a 'y' are spelled in German with an initial 'j'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six such imported German words which all start with the German letter 'j' in German.
Sounds 3: Imported words starting with 'j' |
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Jacht
(yacht) |
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Joghurt
(yoghurt) |
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Jo-Jo
(yo-yo) |
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jodeln
(to yodel) |
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Jod
(iodine) |
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Jota
(iota) |
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There is an ever-growing number of exceptions to this rule however. The influx of English terms beginning with the letter 'j' into the German language has been accompanied by the retention of the English 'j' sound in spoken German. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words which start with the letter 'j' articulated as it would be in English.
Sounds 4: Words starting with an 'English' letter 'j' |
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Job
(job) |
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Jazz
(jazz) |
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Jet
(jet) |
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Jeep
(jeep) |
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Jeans
(jeans) |
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Jumper
(jumper) |
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Jackpot
(jackpot) |
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joggen
(to jog) |
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To complicate matters yet further, a further set of words beginning in 'j' have been imported from French and thus require the 'j' sound to be articulated in the manner that we would be accustomed to hear in France. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four such words. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation:
Sounds 5: Words starting with a 'French' letter 'j' |
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Journalist
(male journalist) |
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Journal
(journal) |
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Journalistin
(female journalist) |
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Jalousie
(blind) |
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How to pronounce the German consonant 'k'
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