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Sometimes I hear ''me zoo'' and sometimes ''me dzoo''.

Are both in use and acceptable? Is there a standard?

Any further info on this is welcome and appreciated.

Kantura
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    Answered here: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/58357/%e5%8d%af%e6%9c%88-pronounced-as-%e3%81%86%e3%81%99%e3%81%8d/58359#58359 – kandyman Jul 11 '20 at 16:01
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    But I think it's true that [水](https://forvo.com/word/%E6%B0%B4/#ja) is disproportionately likely to be pronounced みづ for some reason, compared to other words, such as [傷](https://forvo.com/word/%E5%82%B7/#ja). – broccoli facemask Jul 12 '20 at 08:08
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    Also related: [“z” sound, which to choose?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/68584/5010) – naruto Jul 13 '20 at 02:14
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    I've definitely heard it for that word as well, especially when it's being annunciated for emphasis. – Micah Cowan Jul 13 '20 at 08:30

2 Answers2

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I think "me zoo" of course with no doubt is the more proper pronunciation for that. You are hearing "me dzoo" maybe because of regional dialects that alter word phonetics. Within the English (U.S.) context, you may hear, for example, "I am about to~" which is the most favored melody to our ears but when you find yourself standing on the hood, you'll be hearing "Imma 'bout to~". It is just a matter of regional dialects that gives unique distinctions to languages.

Justin Gabriel
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"me zoo" is the standard pronunciation. "z" is pronounced "z" (a voiced alveolar fricative) in the middle of words, and "dz" (a voiced alveolar affricate) at the beginning of words. So みず is pronounced "me zoo", but "ずっと" is pronounced "dzootto".

I would guess maybe the speaker had some sort of accent when you heard "me dzoo". I'm not really sure. At the very least it's not standard.

jrpear
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