How to Pronounce "J" and "G" in Spanish
Think you know all about how to pronounce the letters j and g in Spanish? Think again! In this article, we’ll delve into the differences between the velar /x/, used in parts of Latin America, and the uvular /χ/, used mainly in central and northern Spain.
One of the most difficult things about learning any language is figuring out how to pronounce each sound properly. If that wasn’t enough, regional variations in pronunciation can confuse language students first time they hear them! In this article, we are going to focus on the pronunciation of the letter j and the g when it comes before an i or an e. These two letters can be pronounced with two different sounds, depending on the region: the velar [x] (Latin America) or the uvular [χ] (parts of Spain).
Before we get started, you might be wondering what these strange x's are. Have you ever heard of the International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA? The IPA was created to standardize the written representation of spoken language throughout the world and across languages. You have probably seen IPA symbols used in dictionaries to help you understand how to pronounce a word. Look up any word on SpanishDictionary.com and click on the “Pronunciation” tab. You’ll see that the second entry on the pronunciation list is the IPA transcription of the word!
Check out our article about SPA, IPA, and ABC Pronunciation, the three alphabets we use on the pronunciation guide.
Velar /x/
The letter j and the letter g when it comes before an i or an e are pronounced with the velar /x/ in most of the Spanish-speaking world, including Mexico, southern Spain, parts of the Andes, and the Southern Cone. This /x/ sounds a bit like the h that we find in the English here or hello. Listen to how the j is pronounced in the following words. Be sure to choose the LATAM pronunciation option!
What is the Southern Cone? The term Southern Cone refers to the southernmost part of South America. The countries of the Southern Cone are Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
Uvular /χ/
The letters j and the g if it comes before an i or an e are pronounced as an uvular /χ/ in central and northern Spain. The uvular χ is a sound that we do not tend to use in English. To get an idea of how to pronounce the uvular χ, imagine a person with a heavy Scottish accent pronouncing the word loch. That Scottish -ch in loch sounds like the uvular χ used in a small part of the Spanish-speaking world.
To demonstrate the difference between the velar /x/ and the uvular /χ/, let’s take a look at the same set of words that we looked at before. This time, be sure to choose the Spain pronunciation option. Note how the IPA transcription—the second line on the pronunciation screen—changes for each word, between the Latin American pronunciation and the Spanish one.
Wait, what about southern Spain?
When mentioning the uvular /χ/, we noted that it is used in northern and central Spain. In other parts of the country, like the southern region of Andalucia and the Canary Islands, the j and g (before i and e) tend to be pronounced as a velar /x/—more like the h in English.
Would you like to learn more about pronunciation in Spanish? Check out the following articles!
