Sometimes I hear ''me zoo'' and sometimes ''me dzoo''.

Are both in use and acceptable? Is there a standard?

Any further info on this is welcome and appreciated.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-11T14:45:32.857
78533
2020-07-11T21:59:51.313
29665
question
pronunciation
Pronunciation of 水/みず/mizu
I think "me zoo" of course with no doubt is the more proper pronunciation for
that. You are hearing "me dzoo" maybe because of regional dialects that alter
word phonetics. Within the English (U.S.) context, you may hear, for example,
"I am about to~" which is the most favored melody to our ears but when you
find yourself standing on the hood, you'll be hearing "Imma 'bout to~". It is
just a matter of regional dialects that gives unique distinctions to
languages.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-11T16:07:36.033
78534
2020-07-11T16:07:36.033
39355
78533
answer
"me zoo" is the standard pronunciation. "z" is pronounced "z" (a voiced
alveolar fricative) in the middle of words, and "dz" (a voiced alveolar
affricate) at the beginning of words. So みず is pronounced "me zoo", but "ずっと"
is pronounced "dzootto".

I would guess maybe the speaker had some sort of accent when you heard "me
dzoo". I'm not really sure. At the very least it's not standard.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-11T21:59:51.313
78537
2020-07-11T21:59:51.313
39518
78533
answer