J (jā). J is the tenth
letter of the English alphabet. It is a later variant form of the Roman
letter I, used to express a
consonantal sound, that is, originally, the sound of English y in yet. The forms J and
I have, until a recent time, been classed together, and they have
been used interchangeably.
In medical prescriptions j is still
used in place of i at the end of a number, as a Roman numeral; as, vj, xij.
J is
etymologically most closely
related to i, y, g; as in jot, iota; jest, gesture; join, jugular, yoke. See
I.
J is a compound
vocal consonant, nearly equivalent in sound to
dzh. It is exactly the same as g
in gem. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 179, 211, 239.
Hear it pronounced