The German Consonant: J
The German letter 'j' is usually pronounced as the English letter 'y'. It appears most commonly at the start of words, and much less commonly in the middle of words, but never appears at the end of a word.
Click on the examples in the table below to hear how words having the letter 'j' appear at their start and in their middle are pronounced in the German language.
| Examples with Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Letter 'j' in initial position | ||
| Jahr - year | ja - yes | jetzt - now |
| Jacke - jacket | jemand - someone | Joghurt - yoghurt |
| Letter 'j' in medial position | ||
| Majestät - majesty | Object - object | verjagen - to scare away |
However, a few German words that were taken from the English and French languages still retain their original 'j' sound. These are considered exceptions to the rule though; and aren't very common in the German language.
| Examples with Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Words having a 'j' sound | ||
| Jalousie - blind | Jargon - jargon | Jeans - jeans |
The German letter 'j' is extremely simple that it doesn't need a summary. Just remember that it's most usually pronounced as the English 'y', except in some words that were imported from the English or French languages.