Close back rounded vowel
| Close back rounded vowel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| u | |||
| IPA number | 308 | ||
| Audio sample | |||
|
source · help | |||
| Encoding | |||
| Entity (decimal) | u | ||
| Unicode (hex) | U+0075 | ||
| X-SAMPA | u | ||
| Braille | |||
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The close back rounded vowel, or high back rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨u⟩.
In most languages, this rounded vowel is pronounced with protruded lips ('endolabial'). However, in a few cases the lips are compressed ('exolabial').
[u] alternates with labio-velar approximant [w] in certain languages, such as French, and in the diphthongs of some languages, [u̯] with the non-syllabic diacritic and [w] are used in different transcription systems to represent the same sound.