English pronunciation · Words Starting with B
Bonjour Pronunciation
Bonjour is pronounced buhn-ZHUUR, IPA /bənˈʒʊr/.
buhn-ZHUUR
US /bənˈʒʊr/
Syllables: buhn · ZHUUR (2 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
interjection: The French word for hello, widely used in English as a greeting.
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Bonjour in a Sentence
- He answered the phone with a cheerful bonjour.
- A bonjour goes a long way in a village shop.
- She learned bonjour and merci and left it at that.
Common Mispronunciations of Bonjour
Not BON-jor
The j carries the zh of measure, and the beat sits at the end: buhn-ZHUUR. A hard English j is the single most common slip.
Not bohn-ZHOOR
Keep the opening syllable short and nasal, closer to buhn than to bohn. French nasalises the on rather than rounding it.
Tip: Two syllables with the beat on the second, buhn-ZHUUR, and no hard j anywhere.
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