How do you pronounce sju?

Answer 1

The Swedish word for Seven (Sju) is pronounced /ɧʉ̟ː/ where the ɧ sounds a bit like a simultaneous ʃ and x.

But if you don't know how to read phonetics comes here a longer explanation.

The pronunciation of the sj-sound (/ɧ/) in the Swedish word Sju (Number seven) is rather hard to describe as it have very few similarities, if any, in other languages. Because of this, two different pronunciations will be explained. The correct way and the acceptable way.

The Correct Way

The correct way is how Sju is pronounced correctly in Swedish. Its harder to learn, but with some training you might learn.

As an example; if you say See, you will discover that the s-sound is created by forcing your exhaled air to pass between your teeth in the front of you month.

The sj-sound is created by moving the root of your tongue upwards while exhaling, but just enough to let the air pass freely. The root of your tongue will thus forcing the air upwards towards the roof in you mouth.

Its like a lisp with the back of your tongue instead of the tip.

The Acceptable Way

The acceptable way is just how to make others understand you, despite that you don't know how to pronounce it correctly. Its not ugly, but others will know that you don't fully understand the language, or have a speech impediment.

The acceptable way to pronounce is similar to how you pronounce the "sh" in Shoe. So instead of saying Shoe you say Shue.