/j/

The /j/ sound in English is a voiced palatal approximant, which means it’s a sound made by bringing the body of the tongue close to the hard palate (roof of the mouth), with vocal cord vibration. Here’s how you pronounce it:

• Position your tongue: For the /j/ sound, the body of your tongue should be raised high in the mouth, but not touching the roof of the mouth. The tongue is positioned similarly to the /i:/ sound as in ‘see’, but with less restriction of the airflow.
• Voicing: The /j/ sound is a voiced consonant, meaning your vocal cords vibrate when you produce this sound. You should feel a vibration if you lightly touch the front of your throat while saying the sound.
• Release the sound: As your tongue is positioned close to the roof of the mouth, direct the airflow between the raised tongue and the roof of the mouth. Because the tongue is not blocking the air completely, the air flows freely through the mouth, creating the /j/ sound.