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NTGreek Lessons > Phonology > Lesson 1: See & Hear Nū

See & Hear: Nυ

alpha

Alphabetical Character
Phoneme (The "n" as in "new")
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Special Notes

1.  Nū is the thirteenth letter in the Greek alphabet.

2.  Nū's phoneme sounds like the "n" as in "new."

3.  Nū is a voiced dental continuant consonant. Its phoneme is formed by pressing the tongue against the alveolar ridge with its sound forced up through the nasal cavity. At the same time, the vocal cords vibrate while the passage of air is not entirely cut off. You can test this by putting your fingers on your vocal cords and practice saying it.

4.  Nū's capital letter is written exactly like the English "N." However, the lower case letter is NOT like the English "n." It must not be confused with the English "v." It may be helpful to remember that the Greek alphabet does not have an alphabetical letter that corresponds to the English letter "v." Nū and upsīlon are often confused unless caution is exercised while writing them. It is best to write the lower case nū with a point at the bottom and turn the right upward stroke slightly inward at the top.

5.  Nū is transliterated into English as "N" or "n."

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