Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "sujo" in Portuguese (Portugal)?

Q: How do you pronounce sujo in Portuguese (Portugal)?

sujo is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written ˈsu.ʒu. It means “dirty.” Say "SOO-zhoo" — the "j" makes a soft "zh" sound like the "s" in English "measure".

Say "SOO-zhoo" — the "j" makes a soft "zh" sound like the "s" in English "measure".

sujo ˈsu.ʒu

Stress falls on the first syllable "su"; the final "o" matches the first vowel, both pronounced as a short "oo".

Listen: sujo

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Sound it out

su A clear stressed "soo", like English "soon" without the n.

jo "J" in Portuguese is always a soft "zh" sound, like the "s" in "measure" or "pleasure" — never a hard English "j" as in "jump".

Hear it in a sentence

O carro está muito sujo.

The car is very dirty.

Listen: O carro está muito sujo.

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"O carro está muito sujo" again uses "estar" for a temporary, changeable condition — a car's dirtiness can obviously be washed away, unlike a permanent trait. "Muito" intensifies "sujo" as usual. This is a handy, commonly used adjective for vehicles, clothes, dishes, or rooms.

Where English speakers slip

The main trap is the letter "j": English speakers default to a hard "j" sound as in "jump", but Portuguese "j" is always the soft "zh" sound of "measure" — this holds true in both Brazilian and European Portuguese, so it's a universal Portuguese rule rather than an EP-specific quirk, but still one English speakers frequently get wrong on first exposure.