Consonants and vowel

[b737driver]

Hi! I've passed test just now (Articles an & a)and I didn't understand why is "U" (in "university") related to consonant?

Question #: 2: Is there a university there?
User's answer: False
Correct answer: True
Additional Notes: We use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.

Thank you.

[Verona_82]

Hi.
The sound [j] is a consonant.
You should look at the sound, not the letter.

[ˌjuːnɪˈvɜː(r)səti]

a university
a UFO
a young child [jʌŋ]
but an umbrella [ʌmˈbrelə]

[5jj]

We use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.

Precisely. The sound at the beginning of 'university' is almost identical to that at the beginning of 'youth'.

the /j/ 'sound' of this phoneme leads us, by feeling rather than rule, to treat it as a consonant.

[5jj]

Sorry Verona.
You posted your reply seconds before I posted mine. If I had been able to read yours first, I wouldn't have bothered with mine.

[Verona_82]

In Russian [j] is a consonant too; they sound almost identical. But we don't have words that begin with a vowel letter that in fact represents a consonant sound.

[b737driver]

Thanks to all, I've found all info in FAQ on this site. Obviously I confused vowel sound and vowel letter.

[5jj]

Obviously I confused vowel sound and vowel letter.

You are not the first. It's an understandable mistake. So many children are taught at school that A,E,I,O and U are the English vowels, that they find it hard to accept such things as:

a European, a university, an hour, an M.A. (or an MA), a U.F.O. (or a UFO).

[wrkhanmehsud]

Dear it is very simple.if a noun start with such a word which gives the sound of "A" then you will use An.