i lunga
/i‿lˈlun.ɡa/
The letter J in Italian is i lunga.
In Italian, the letter J is not considered part of the standard alphabet and is referred to as i lunga to distinguish it from the standard letter I.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase i lunga literally means 'long i'.
How do you pronounce it?
/i‿lˈlun.ɡa/. The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- Because i lunga is not part of the official alphabet, Italian dictionaries often group words starting with j under the letter i.
- In the traditional Italian alphabet song, the letter j is entirely omitted.
- In older Italian texts, the letter 'j' was often used as a decorative or phonetic variant of 'i' before modern spelling-standardization.
Examples in context
- Si scrive con la i lunga.It is written with the letter J.
- C'è una i lunga nel nome.There is a J in the name.
- È una i lunga, non una i normale.It's a J, not a normal I.
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are checking the spelling of a foreign name.
- GiuliaCome si scrive questo nome?How do you spell this name?
- FrancescoC'è una i lunga dopo la A.There is a J after the A.
- GiuliaAh, capisco, grazie Francesco.Ah, I see, thanks Francesco.
- FrancescoPrego, Giulia.You're welcome, Giulia.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry i lunga, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
