Ü
This article describes the letter. For other meanings, see Ü (disambiguation).
Üü
The Ü (lower case ü, also called u-Umlaut) is a letter of the Latin writing system. It consists of a U with trema and is an umlaut grapheme in the German and several other alphabets. In some Romance languages, the trema marks a special, usually separate pronunciation of the U.
In the umlaut meaning, the Ü was first written as UE. Later it developed into a U with a small E above it (Uͤ /uͤ ). Over time, this E was stylized into two dots. The German alphabet contains the Ü. It can be pronounced as a long Ü as in lie or hats (IPA: yː) or as a short Ü as in gap or hut (IPA: ʏ). Pronunciation as a short closed Ü (IPA: y) occurs in German only in foreign words such as xylophone.
The finger alphabet for the deaf or hard of hearing represents the letter Ü with the closed hand pointing away from the body and the index and middle fingers pointing up together. The thumb rests on the fingers of the palm and the hand makes a short downward movement.
The Ü is a typical letter of the Turkic languages, there it occurs in practically all Latin alphabets as a separate letter (so for example in Turkish) and stands for the sound [y]. The Ү is the equivalent of the Ü in Turkic languages, which are written with the Cyrillic alphabet, in the Arabic script it is the ٷ, ﯗ or ۈ, depending on the language.
In the Chinese transliterations Pinyin, Langjin Pin'in and Wade-Giles, the Ü also stands for the sound [y], this occurs for example in the words 玉 (jade) and 雨 (rain, rainy). In Pinyin, U is usually written for simplicity, except when there may be confusion, in which case Ü is written. In Wade-Giles, however, the use of Ü is obligatory. Since there is no Ü key on Chinese keyboards, the V is usually used instead, which is not used in Pinyin.
In the Estonian alphabet, the vowel ü denotes a short ü (IPA: y), while üü denotes a long (IPA: yˑ) or overlong (IPA: yː) ü.
In Swedish and Finnish, the ü is sorted alphabetically identically with the y.
In some Romance languages such as French, Catalan and Spanish, the trema on the U indicates that it is pronounced singly in combinations such as Güell, Güímar or Salaün, in deviation from the usual pronunciation rules.
Questions and Answers
Q: What is the meaning of the letter Ü or ü?
A: The letter Ü or ü is not used in English, but it commonly represents the sound [y] in other languages.
Q: How did the Ü or ü letter originate?
A: The Ü or ü letter started as an U with an E above it.
Q: In which languages is the Ü or ü letter heavily used?
A: The Ü or ü letter is heavily used in the Turkic languages, such as Turkish.
Q: Can the Ü or ü letter be replaced in German?
A: Yes, in German, the Ü or ü letter can be replaced by Ue or ue respectively, if it is not available on the keyboard.
Q: What sound does the Ü or ü represent in the Turkic languages?
A: In the Turkic languages, the Ü or ü commonly represents the sound [y].
Q: Is the Ü or ü letter typically used in English writing?
A: No, the Ü or ü letter is not typically used in English writing.
Q: How does the Ü or ü letter differ from the letter U?
A: The Ü or ü letter has an E above it, whereas the letter U does not. Additionally, the Ü or ü commonly represents the sound [y], while the U typically represents the sound [u].
