How to Pronounce the Dutch 'g'

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Like the Japanese 'r' the Dutch 'g' is a very hard sound to make for people not speaking Dutch.

1

Listen to the sound.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Since the Dutch ‘g’ is difficult for non-native speakers, hearing the sound spoken aloud can sometimes help. Look up videos online if you don’t know anyone who speaks Dutch in person.
    2. Advertisement
2

Get the air moving.

PDF download Download Article
  1. This means that the air is moving past a partly constricted opening in your mouth. Other examples of fricatives in English are “f” as in “fee,” “s” as in “hiss,” and “th” as in “thistle.”
3

Don’t let your vocal cords vibrate.

PDF download Download Article
  1. For an example of voiced versus voiceless sounds, pronounce the word "zap" in English. The 'z' is voiced. Then pronounce the word "sap". The "s" is unvoiced. All the fricatives mentioned in the previous step are voiceless, too.
    2. Advertisement
4

Make the sound.

PDF download Download Article
  1. This should be at the point where the uvula hangs down. The sound is similar to the ‘ch’ in ‘loch,’ but to the Dutch, that still sounds too much like a ‘k’ and in ‘cat,’ because it is made against the “velum” rather than the uvula. The Dutch sound is also found in German (e.g. in "Dach" = "roof").
    • To pronounce the 'g' like a native Dutch speaker, try to make a sound as if you were gargling. It may sound kind of gross, but that is generally how it's pronounced.
    • Try saying the word ‘gek’ which means ‘crazy.’ The ‘-ek’ part is pronounced exactly the same as the ‘-eck’ part in ‘check,’ so you would get a short gurgling sound followed by ‘eck.’ Or, if you think the ‘ch’ in ‘loch’ works better for you, it would be ‘ch-eck.’
5

Practice.

PDF download Download Article
  1. This is not a usual phoneme in English, so practice using it. You'll get used to it after a while, and be able to produce it easily.
    2. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How would I pronounce the Dutch name Wikje?
    Community Answer
    Wik like sick, j like y as in yogurt, e like uh or ah.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 6
  • Question
    Why do the spelling and pronunciation of colors change, depending on what is being referenced? For example, a car or a horse?
    Community Answer
    Dutch has 2 articles for "the", namely "de" and "het". When the article for a word is "de", all adjectives get an "e" added and changed accordingly (geel - gele, dom - domme, etc.). When the article is "het", the adjective is normal when you use "een" (a), "één" (1) or "geen" (not a). Het bruine paard / een bruin paard / 1 bruin paard / geen bruin paard (the brown horse / a brown horse / 1 brown horse / no brown horse). Note: There's a lot of exceptions; for example, when pointing at something related to a function, you might keep the normal adjective - een belangrijke man (an important man), een belangrijk man (same).
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 5
  • Question
    Would I pronounce the S in the name Sjoerd?
    Community Answer
    The name Sjoerd is pronounced: sj = sh like shoe, oe = oo like book, rd = rd like bird (but in some Dutch dialects the r is 'rolled').
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 4
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • The sound comes from the very back of the roof of the mouth.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • In the southern parts of the Netherlands and in northern Belgium they speak with a so-called 'soft g', which sounds more like the letter "h" as used in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, or the "ch" sound in German "ich".
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • Try not to get drawn into a discussion about which of the two ways of pronouncing the 'g' (the hard or the soft one) is the proper one. (Even while the soft one is more widely used (also in Germany, written as ch), the speakers of the hard 'g' will claim theirs is the proper one...)
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Show More Tips
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How Do You Roll Your “R”s? Quick Tricks to Achieve an Alveolar Trill
      What Does “Bomboclat” Mean? (Plus, When & How to Use It)
      How To Type Letters with Accents on a Computer
      How to
      Use Google Translate: Complete Beginner's Guide
      How to
      Use Et Al
      How Do You Say “Thank You” in Hindi?
      How Do You Learn to Speak Basic Pashto? A Beginner’s Guide
      How to
      Say Thank You in Vietnamese
      How to
      Say Common Words in Bengali
      Your Complete Guide to Typing in Hindi on a Windows Computer
      How to
      Write in Latin
      How to
      Speak Nepali
      How to
      Say Happy Birthday in Italian
      How to
      Say "Thank You" in Arabic
      Advertisement

      References

      1. [1] Kohler, K, "German", in "Handbook of the International Phonetic Association", Cambridge UK, 1999, pp.86-89.
      2. Hear the word 'goedemorgen' (meaning good morning) pronounced by a native speaker of Dutch.
      3. Listen to the word 'gek' .
      4. Hear a voiceless uvular fricative by itself.

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 70,576 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement