Close central rounded vowel

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Vowels

Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right
represents a rounded vowel.

The close central rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is Template:IPA, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is }. The IPA symbol is the letter u with a horizontal bar. Both the symbol and the sound are commonly referred to as "barred-u".

There is also a close central compressed vowel which contrasts with both the rounded and unrounded close central vowels.

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Features

Its vowel height is close, which means the tongue is positioned as close as possible to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.
Its vowel backness is central, which means the tongue is positioned halfway between a front vowel and a back vowel.
Its vowel roundedness is rounded, which means that the lips are rounded and protrude, and the inner surfaces are exposed.