/ʒ/

Position your tongue exactly like you would for /ʃ/ (the "sh" sound): raise the blade of your tongue toward the area just behind the ridge behind your upper teeth, leaving a narrow gap. Your lips should be slightly rounded and pushed forward.

Now here's the key difference: turn on your voice. Your vocal cords should vibrate while air flows through that narrow channel. You'll feel a buzzing vibration in your throat alongside the friction sound.

Think of it this way: /ʒ/ is to /ʃ/ what /z/ is to /s/ - same mouth position, but with voicing added.

In English, /ʒ/ is unusual - it never appears at the beginning of native English words. You'll only find it in the middle or at the end of words:

• -sion spellings: measure, vision, decision, television
• -sure spellings: pleasure, leisure, treasure
• -ge endings (from French): beige, rouge, mirage, garage

Many learners substitute /ʒ/ with:

• /ʃ/ - saying "MEH-sher" instead of "MEH-zhur" for "measure" (forgetting to voice)
• /dʒ/ - adding a /d/ sound before it, making it sound like "mea-JURR"

Place your hand on your throat while alternating between "shh" and "zhh." You should feel vibration only on "zhh." Practice sustaining both sounds: a long "shhhhh" (silent throat) then a long "zhhhhh" (buzzing throat). If you can feel that difference, you've got it!