Graphemes for /z/ and Related Phonemes

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

/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

/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