J Facts for Kids

The letter J in a cursive style.

J is the tenth letter in the English alphabet. It comes right after the letter I and before the letter K. It's a unique letter with an interesting history!

The Journey of the Letter J
Interesting Facts About J
Images for kids
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The Journey of the Letter J

The letter J is one of the youngest letters in the English alphabet. For a long time, the letter J didn't exist as a separate letter. It was actually part of the letter I.

From I to J: A Historical Look

Originally, both the letter I and the letter J were used to represent the same sound, especially in Latin words. Sometimes, 'I' was used for a vowel sound, and 'J' (or 'I' with a tail) was used for a consonant sound, like the 'y' in "yes."

When J Became Its Own Letter

It wasn't until the 16th century that the letter J started to be recognized as a distinct letter. A French scholar named Pierre de la Ramée is often credited with making this separation. He suggested that 'I' should be used only for the vowel sound, and 'J' for the consonant sound. This change slowly spread across Europe.

In Old English, there was no J.
By the 17th century, J was widely accepted as a separate letter in English.
This separation helped make spelling and pronunciation clearer.

How We Use J Today

Today, the letter J is a common letter in English words. It usually makes a "juh" sound, like in "jump" or "jacket." However, its sound can be different in other languages.

J Sounds in Different Languages

The sound of J can change a lot depending on the language:

In Spanish, J often sounds like the 'h' in "hello" (e.g., "jalapeño").
In French, J sounds like the 's' in "measure" (e.g., "bonjour").
In German, J sounds like the 'y' in "yes" (e.g., "ja").
In Portuguese, J usually sounds like the 's' in "treasure" (e.g., "janeiro").

Words That Start with J

Many everyday words begin with the letter J. Here are just a few examples:

Joy
Jump
Jacket
Jelly
Juice
Jaguar
Jet

Interesting Facts About J

J is the only letter in the English alphabet that is not used in the name of any U.S. state.
In some older dictionaries, words starting with J were listed under I because they were once considered the same letter.
The letter J is often used in mathematics and science as a symbol for various things, like joules (a unit of energy).

Images for kids

A children's book from 1743, showing how I and J were sometimes considered the same letter.

J facts for kids

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