Graphemes for /z/ and Related Phonemes
Alveolars
Section titled “Alveolars”/z/ - voiced alveolar fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| apd-Latn | <z> | zool ‘person’ | |
| ar-Arab | <ز> | وزارة ‘ministry’ | |
| bcy-Latn | <z> | zambe ‘blood’ | |
| de-Latn | <s> | singen ‘sing’ | Word-initially |
| dv-Thaa | <އ◌ް> | އިއްޒަތް | Occurs before ‹ޒ› to indicate a geminate. |
| dv-Thaa | <ޒ> | ޒަމާން | |
| en-Latn | <s> | has | |
| en-Latn | <x> | xylophone | |
| en-Latn | <z> | zebra | |
| fub-Arab | <ز> | زَبُورَ ‘Psalms’ | borrowed words only, in the Maroua area it is sometimes pronounced with a /z/ sound |
| fub-Latn | <j> | Jabuura ‘Psalms’ | borrowed words only, in the Maroua area it is sometimes pronounced with a /z/ sound |
| ha-Latn | <z> | zobe ‘ring’ | |
| id-Latn | <z> | zina ‘adultery’ | Typically from Arabic; pronounced /j/ by many speakers; tends to become /j/ over time (e.g. jaman ‘era’ is now more common than zaman) |
| ii-Latn | <ss> | sso ‘learn’ | |
| nat-Latn | <z> | zabana ‘sip’, hazoga ‘song’ | |
| png-Latn | <z> | zamaa, zooni | |
| xnz-Copt | <ⲍ> | Loan words only | |
| xnz-Latn | <z> | Loan words only |
/zʷ/ - labialized voiced alveolar fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| png-Latn | <zw> | zware̱, zwii |
/zˤ/ - pharyngealized voiced alveolar fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| apd-Latn | <ᶎ> | ᶎarif ‘envelope’ | Persson orthography |
| apd-Latn | <ẓ> | ẓarif ‘envelope’ | Hillelson orthography |
| ar-Arab | <ظ> | منظّمة ‘organization (the body)’ |
/z'/ - ejective voiced alveolar fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ha-Latn | <s'> | s’aka ‘gecko’ |
Dentals
Section titled “Dentals”/ð/ - voiced dental fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ar-Arab | <ذ> | أستاذ ‘professor’ | |
| dv-Thaa | <އ◌ް> | ކައްޛާބު | Only in words of foreign origin; occurs before ‹ޛ› to indicate a geminate. |
| dv-Thaa | <ޛ> | އަލްއުސްތާޛު | A letter devised to transliterate Arabic ‹ذ›. Occurs only in words of foreign origin. |
| en-Latn | <th> | them | |
| fub-Arab | <ذ> | ذَمْبَ ‘to cheat’, ذُنُوبَ ‘sin to God’, کَذَ ‘something’ | borrowed words only |
| fub-Latn | <j> | jamba ‘to cheat’, junuuba ‘sin to God’, kaja ‘something’ | borrowed words only |
| ru-Cyrl | <з> | зуб ‘tooth’ | Preceding either ‹а, о, э, у, ы› or a voiced consonant |
| ru-Cyrl | <с> | сбор ‘collection’ | Preceding a voiced consonant (except for ‹л, м, н, р, в›) |
/ðʲ/ - palatalized voiced dental fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ru-Cyrl | <зь> | резьба́ ‘thread’ | Preceding a vowel or a voiced consonant (except for ‹л, м, н, р, в›) |
| ru-Cyrl | <з> | зима́ ‘winter’, жизнь ‘life’ | Preceding ‹я, ё, е, ю, и› |
| ru-Cyrl | <сь> | про́сьба ‘request’ | Preceding a voiced consonant (except for ‹л, м, н, р, в›) |
/ðˤ/ - pharyngealized voiced dental fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ar-Arab | <ظ> | منظّمة ‘organization (the body)’ | |
| dv-Thaa | <އ◌ް> | މުއައްޡަފުން | Only in words of foreign origin; occurs before ‹ޡ› to indicate a geminate. |
| dv-Thaa | <ޡ> | އިންތިޡާމް | A letter devised to transliterate Arabic ‹ظ›. Occurs only in words of foreign origin and is generally pronounced /z/. |
| fub-Arab | <ظ> | ظُهْرَ ‘two o’clock prayer’, ظَاهِرِ ‘visible’, {lang:first-char وَعَظُ ‘preach’ | borrowed words only, in the Maroua area it is sometimes pronounced with a /z/ sound |
| fub-Latn | <j> | juhra “two o’clock prayer”, jaahiri “visible”, waaju “preach” | borrowed words only, in the Maroua area it is sometimes pronounced with a /z/ sound |
Linguolabials
Section titled “Linguolabials”/z̼/ - voiced linguolabial fricative
| Writing System | Grapheme | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| nat-Latn | <zw> | zwamya ‘say’, anzwon ‘rabbit’ | 1 dialect pronounces z̼ as v, e.g. vamya |