Near-close near-front rounded vowel

The near-close near-front rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ʏ, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is Y. The IPA symbol is a small capital letter Y.

Features of this vowel:

• Its vowel height is near-close, which means the tongue is positioned similarly to a close vowel, but slightly less constricted.
• Its vowel backness is near-front, which means the tongue is positioned as in a front vowel, but slightly further back in the mouth.
• Its vowel roundedness is rounded, which means that the lips are rounded.

Occurs in:

• Dutch hut [hʏt] 'cabin'
• German hübsch [hʏpʃ] 'nice'