/j/

Start by saying the "ee" vowel as in "see" - notice how the front of your tongue rises high toward the hard palate (the bony roof of your mouth). Now, from that position, glide smoothly into the next vowel. That gliding motion is exactly how you make /j/. Your tongue gets very close to the palate but never actually touches it, allowing air to flow through a narrow channel without friction.

This is a voiced sound, so your vocal cords vibrate throughout. Place your fingers on your throat and you should feel a gentle buzz. Think of /j/ as the consonant cousin of the "ee" vowel - it's often called a "semivowel" or "glide" because it shares the same tongue position but acts as a consonant, moving quickly into the vowel that follows.

Don't confuse /j/ with the "j" in "judge"! In English spelling, the letter "y" represents /j/, while the letter "j" represents a completely different sound: /dʒ/ (a combination of /d/ + /ʒ/). The IPA symbol /j/ sounds like the "y" in "yes," "you," and "beyond" - not like "jump" or "jar."

• Word-initial: yes, you, year, yellow
• Between vowels: beyond, lawyer, kayak
• In consonant clusters: view /vju/, music /mjuzɪk/, cute /kjut/

Practice transitioning from a sustained "ee" sound directly into different vowels: "ee-ah" (sounds like "ya"), "ee-oo" (sounds like "you"), "ee-eh" (sounds like "yeah"). Once this feels natural, speed it up until the "ee" becomes just a quick glide at the start. That's your /j/!