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| Close back rounded vowel | |
|---|---|
| u | |
| IPA number | 308 |
| Audio sample | |
| Encoding | |
| Entity (decimal) | u |
| Unicode (hex) | U+0075 |
| X-SAMPA | u |
| Braille |  |
| IPA: Vowels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend: unrounded • rounded |
The close back rounded vowel, or high back rounded vowel,[1] is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨u⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol 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.
- ^ While the International Phonetic Association prefers the terms "close" and "open" for vowel height, many linguists use "high" and "low".