View source for IJ (digraph)

{{Short description|Latin-script digraph}}
[[File:Latin ligature IJ.svg|thumb|IJ digraph]]
{{Dutch grammar}}
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< PLEASE: Do not replace the IJ/ij written as two letters in this article with    >
< Unicode Ĳ (U+0132) / ĳ (U+0133). Though those characters obviously exist, their >
< use is officially discouraged. They are mentioned in the sections "encoding"    >
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< Richardw NL / 2007-10-15T0717                                                   >
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'''IJ''' (lowercase '''ij'''; {{IPA|nl|ɛi|nl|Nl-IJ.ogg}}; also encountered as [[Unicode compatibility characters]] Ĳ and ĳ) is a [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]] of the letters ''i'' and ''j''. Occurring in the [[Dutch language]], it is sometimes considered a [[Ligature (writing)|ligature]], or a letter in itself. In most fonts that have a separate character for ''ij'', the two composing parts are not connected but are separate [[glyph]]s, which are sometimes slightly [[Kerning|kerned]].

An ''ij'' in written Dutch usually represents the [[diphthong]] {{IPA |[ɛi]}}, similar to the pronunciation of {{angbr|ay}} in "p'''ay'''",<ref>{{Citation | first = GE | last = Booij | title = The Phonology of Dutch | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1995 | page = 4 | isbn = 9780198238690 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LT6E6YdAh-MC&q=phonology-of-dutch&pg=PP12 | format = Google Books}}</ref> and is preserved in such Dutch spellings as the place-name [[IJsselmeer]]. In standard Dutch and most Dutch [[dialect]]s, there are two possible spellings for the diphthong {{IPA|[ɛi]}}: ''ij'' and ''ei'', with no clear usage rules. To distinguish between the two, the ''ij'' is referred to as the {{Lang|nl|lange ij|italic=yes}} ("long ''ij''"), the ''ei'' as {{Lang|nl|korte ei|italic=yes}} ("short ''ei''") or simply ''E – I''.<ref>{{Citation | title = Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal | language = nl | pages = 22–23}}.</ref> In certain Dutch dialects (notably [[West Flemish]] and [[Zeelandic]]) and the [[Dutch Low Saxon]] dialects of [[Low German]], a difference in the pronunciation of ''ei'' and ''ij'' is maintained. Whether it is pronounced identically to ''ei'' or not, the pronunciation of ''ij'' is often perceived as difficult by people who do not have either sound in their native language.

The ''ij'' originally represented a 'long i'.<ref name="IJ origins">{{cite web |url=https://onzetaal.nl/taaladvies/advies/ij-oorsprong-van-de-lange-ij |title=IJ: oorsprong van de lange ij |work=Genootschap Onze Taal |language=nl}}</ref> It used to be written as ''ii'', as in [[Finnish language|Finnish]] and [[Estonian language|Estonian]], but for orthographic purposes, the second ''i'' was eventually elongated, which is a reason why it is called {{lang|nl|lange ij}}. This can still be seen in the pronunciation of some words like {{lang|nl|bijzonder}} ({{IPA|bi.zɔn.dər}}), and the etymology of some words in the Dutch form of several foreign placenames: [[Berlin]] and [[Paris]] are spelled {{Lang|nl|Berlijn}} and {{Lang|nl|Parijs}}. Nowadays, the pronunciation mostly follows the spelling, and they are pronounced with {{IPA |[ɛi]}}. The ''ij'' is distinct from the letter ''[[y]]''. Particularly when writing capitals, Y used to be common instead of IJ in the past. That practice has long been deprecated, since 1804. In scientific disciplines such as [[mathematics]] and [[physics]], the symbol ''y'' is usually pronounced ''ij'' in Dutch.<ref name="IJ in alphabet Onze Taal">{{cite web |url=https://onzetaal.nl/taaladvies/advies/ij-plaats-in-alfabet |title=IJ: plaats in alfabet |work=Genootschap Onze Taal |language=nl |access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref>

To distinguish the ''Y'' from ''IJ'' in common speech, however, ''Y'' is often called {{Lang|nl|Griekse ij|italic=yes}} (meaning "Greek ''Y''"), a literal translation of ''{{Lang|fr|i-grec}}'' (from [[French language|French]], with the stress on ''grec'': {{IPA|nl|iˈɡrɛk|}}) or alternatively called ''[[Ypsilon]]''. In modern Dutch, the letter ''Y'' occurs only in [[loanword]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://onzetaal.nl/taaladvies/advies/y-klinker-medeklinker |title=Y (klinker / medeklinker) |work=Genootschap Onze Taal |language=nl |access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref> proper nouns, or when deliberately spelled as Early Modern Dutch. The spelling of [[Afrikaans]] (a [[daughter language]] of early modern Dutch) has evolved in the exact opposite direction and ''IJ'' has been completely replaced by ''Y''. 

However, the ancient use of Y in Dutch has survived in some personal names, particularly those of [[Dutch diaspora|Dutch immigrants]] in the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] where as a result of [[anglicization]], the ''IJ'' became a ''Y''. For example, the surname ''{{Lang|nl|Spijker}}'' was often changed into ''Spyker'' and ''Snijder'' into ''[[Snyder (surname)|Snyder]]''.
[[File:IJ (letter).svg|thumb|The words ''{{Lang|nl|ijsvrij}}'' and ''yoghurt'' in various forms. Depending on the form of handwriting or font used, the IJ and Y can look either nearly identical or very different.]]
[[File:Comparison of normal and italic of ij and ÿ.svg|thumb|Apt to confusion: (1) i + j, (2) ligature ij, (3) y with diaeresis, (4) y; all in [[Garamond]] typeface]]
[[File:Logo Rijksmuseum.svg|thumb|Logo of the [[Rijksmuseum]] in Amsterdam.]]
[[File:Station Rijssen.jpg|thumb|Two signs of [[Rijssen railway station]], each using a different format]]
[[File:Spandoek Hengelo.jpg|thumb|IJ here is written as one letter.]]
[[File:Graffiti viaduct boven A1.jpg|thumb|Here, IJ is written as Y.]]

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2012}}
''IJ'' probably developed out of ''ii'', representing a long {{IPA|[iː]}} sound (which it still does in some cases, such as in the word ''{{Lang|nl|bijzonder}}'' and in several Dutch dialects).<ref name="IJ origins"/> In the [[Middle Ages]], the ''i'' was written without a [[tittle|dot]] in handwriting, and the combination ''ıı'' was often confused with ''u''. Therefore, the second ''i'' was elongated: ''ıȷ''. Later, the dots were added, albeit not in [[Afrikaans]], a language that has its roots in Dutch. In this language ''y'' is used instead.

Alternatively, the letter [[J]] may have developed as a [[swash (typography)|swash]] form of ''i''. In other European languages it was first used for the final ''i'' in [[Roman numerals]] when there was more than one ''i'' in a row, such as ''iij'' for "three", to prevent the fraudulent addition of an extra ''i'' to change the number. In Dutch, which had a native ''ii'', the "final ''i'' in a row elongated" rule was applied as well, leading to ''ij''.

Another theory is that ''IJ'' might have arisen from the lowercase ''y'' being split into two strokes in handwriting. At some time in the 15th or 16th century, this combination began to be spelled as a ligature ''ij''. An argument against this theory is that even in handwriting which does not join letters, ''ij'' is often written as a single sign.

Some time after the birth of this new letter, the sound which was now represented by ''ij'', in most cases, began to be pronounced much like ''ei'' instead, but words containing it were still spelled the same. Nowadays, ''ij'' in most cases represents the [[diphthong]] {{IPA|[ɛi]}}, except in the suffix ''-lijk'', where it is usually pronounced as a [[schwa]]. In one special case, the Dutch word ''bijzonder'', the (old) sound {{IPA|[iː]}} is correct standard pronunciation, although {{IPA|[i]}} is more common and {{IPA|[ɛi]}} is also allowed.

In [[proper noun|proper names]], ''ij'' often appears instead of ''i'' at the end of other [[diphthong]]s, where it does not affect the pronunciation: ''aaij'', ''eij'', ''oeij'', ''ooij'' and ''uij'' are pronounced identically to ''aai'' {{IPA|[aːi]}}, ''ei'' {{IPA|[ɛi]}}, ''oei'' {{IPA|[ui]}}, ''ooi'' {{IPA|[oːi]}} and ''ui'' {{IPA|[œy]}}. This derives from an old orthographic practice (also seen in older French and German) of writing ''y'' instead of ''i'' after another vowel; later, when ''y'' and ''ij'' came to be seen as interchangeable, the spellings with ''ij'' came to be used. [[History of Dutch orthography|Spelling reforms and standardization]] have removed the redundant ''j''s in common words, but proper names continue to use these archaic spellings.

==Status==
[[File:Dutch handwriting sample.png|thumb|A poster showing the letters of the alphabet used for writing education in the Netherlands. The final three letter pairs read "Xx IJij Zz".]]
[[File:Leesplankje van Hoogeveen (2).png|thumb|In this version the ij is a single glyph.]]
As the rules of usage for the ''IJ'' differ from those that apply to the many other digraphs in the Dutch language—in some situations behaving more as a single ligature or letter than a digraph—the ''IJ'' is not only confusing to foreigners, but also a source of discussion among native speakers of Dutch. Its actual usage in the [[Netherlands]] and in Flanders ([[Belgium]]) sometimes differs from the official recommendations.

===Official status===
Both the [[Dutch Language Union]] and the {{lang|nl|[[Genootschap Onze Taal]]|italic=no}} consider the ''ij'' to be a digraph of the letters ''i'' and ''j''.<ref name="IJ in alphabet Taalunie">{{cite web |title=IJ - alfabetiseren |url=http://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/1194/ij_alfabetiseren |access-date=3 January 2015 |work=Nederlandse Taalunie |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="IJ in alphabet Onze Taal"/> The descriptive dictionary ''[[Van Dale|Van Dale Groot woordenboek van de Nederlandse taal]]'' states that ''ij'' is a "letter combination consisting of the signs i and j, used, in some words, to represent the diphthong ɛi."<ref name="dikkevandale">''Van Dale Groot woordenboek van de Nederlandse taal'': "lettercombinatie bestaande uit de tekens i en j, gebruikt om, in een aantal woorden, de tweeklank ɛi weer te geven"</ref> The ''[[Winkler Prins]]'' encyclopedia states that ''ij'' is the 25th letter of the Dutch alphabet, placed between ''X'' and ''Y''. 
However, this definition is not generally accepted.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

In words where ''i'' and ''j'' are in different syllables, they [[#Not as a digraph|do not]] form the digraph ''ij''. In [[compound (linguistics)|compound words]], a [[hyphen]] is added, as in ''gummi-jas''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=7.1 Welke klinkers botsen? {{!}} woordenlijst |url=https://woordenlijst.org/leidraad/7/1 |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=woordenlijst.org}}</ref>

===Netherlands===
In the Netherlands, ''IJ'' is often used as a ligature:

* In Dutch primary schools, ''ij'' used to be taught as being the 25th letter of the alphabet, and some primary school writing materials still list it as such. However, ''ij'' is according to Onze Taal not part of the Dutch alphabet and is usually sorted under the ''i'' as it is considered to consist of two letters.<ref name="IJ in alphabet Onze Taal"/>
* When a word starting with ''IJ'' is capitalised, the entire digraph is capitalised: {{Lang|nl|[[IJsselmeer]]}}, {{Lang|nl|[[IJmuiden]]}}.<ref name="IJ in alphabet Onze Taal"/>
* On mechanical Dutch typewriters, there is a key that produces 'ij' (in a single letterspace, located directly to the right of the ''L''). However, this is not the case on modern computer keyboards.
* In many word puzzles, such as [[Lingo (Dutch game show)|Lingo]], ''ij'' fills one square, but in others, such as [[Scrabble]], ''ij'' fills two squares.

===Flanders===
In Flanders (Belgium), ''IJ'' is generally described in schools as a combination of two separate characters.

* As in the Netherlands, words that begin with ''IJ'' (and that are the first word in a sentence) usually capitalise the entire pair: ''[[Yser|IJzer]]'', ''[[IJzertoren|IJzertoren]]''.

==Usage==

===Capitalisation===
[[File:Road sign with places having digraph IJ in Rotterdam area 2019-04-06.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Road sign in [[Rotterdam]] area with capitalised digraph IJ in proper name [[IJsselmonde, Rotterdam|IJsselmonde]]]]

When a Dutch word starting with ''IJ'' is [[capitalised]], the entire digraph is capitalised, as in ''IJsselmeer'' or ''IJmuiden''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/1188 |title=Ijsland / IJsland |work=Nederlandse Taalunie |language=nl |access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref>

Support for this property in software is limited. Poorly [[language localisation|localised]] text editors with [[autocorrect]] functionality may incorrectly convert the second of two initial capital letters in a word to lowercase; such improper spelling can thus be found in informal writing. Support on the internet is similarly inconsistent: Web pages styled with the [[CSS]] property <code>text-transform: capitalize</code> are specified to be handled with [[Unicode]] language-specific [[letter case#Case folding|case mapping rules]] (content language being indicated with HTML language attributes, such as <code>lang="nl"</code> for Dutch), but support for language-specific cases is limited to [[Mozilla Firefox]] (version 14 and above) {{as of|2021|January|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/text-transform |title=text-transform - CSS: Cascading Style Sheets {{!}} MDN |work=MDN Web Docs |access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref>

===Collation===
[[Dutch dictionaries]] since about 1850 invariably sort ''ij'' as an ''i'' followed by a ''j'', i.e. between ''ih'' and ''ik''. This is the preferred sorting by the [[Taalunie]].<ref name="IJ in alphabet Taalunie"/> On the other hand, some encyclopedias, like the ''[[Winkler Prins]]'', 7th edition, sort ''ij'' as a single letter positioned between ''x'' and ''y''.

[[Telephone directories]] as well as the [[Yellow Pages]] in the Netherlands (but not those in Belgium) sort ''ij'' and ''y'' together, as if they were the same, between ''x'' and ''z''. Thanks to this, surnames like ''Bruijn'' and ''Bruyn'' which sound the same (and even look similar), can be found in the same area. However, ''Bruin'', though it sounds the same as well, is placed with "Brui-" and not with "Bruy-".

===Abbreviations===
When words or (first) names are shortened to their initials, in the Netherlands a word or proper name starting with ''IJ'' is abbreviated to ''IJ''. For example, ''IJsbrand Eises Ypma'' is shortened to ''IJ. E. Ypma''.<ref name="eu">{{cite web| first =Yuri | last = Demchenko |url= http://www.uazone.org/multiling/euroml/annex02.html | title =European rules for the use of the IJ in public records |publisher=UA zone |access-date=2012-07-19}}</ref> The digraph "ei" in "Eises", like other digraphs in Dutch, is shortened to one letter.

===Stress===
[[File:Bijna.png|thumb|The Dutch word {{lang|nl|bijna}} (almost, nearly) with ''ad hoc'' stress on the first syllable indicated by two acute accents on the digraph ''ij'']]
In Dutch orthography, ''ad hoc'' indication of [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] can be marked by placing an [[acute accent]] on the vowel of the stressed syllable. In case of a diphthong or double vowel, both vowels should be marked with an acute accent; this also applies to the ''IJ'' (even though ''J'' by itself is not a vowel, the digraph ''IJ'' represents one distinct vowel sound). However, due to technical limitations the accent on the ''j'' is often omitted in electronic documents: "{{lang|nl|bíjna|italic=unset}}".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Klemtoonteken (algemeen) - Taaladvies.net |url=https://taaladvies.net/klemtoonteken-algemeen/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=taaladvies.net}}</ref> Nevertheless, in [[Unicode]] it is possible to [[Combining character|combine characters]] into a ''j'' with an acute accent — "{{lang|nl|bíj́na|italic=unset}}" — though this might not be supported or rendered correctly by some [[Computer font|fonts]] or systems. This ''j́'' is the combination of the regular (soft-dotted) ''j'' (U+006A) and the combining acute accent &nbsp;́ (U+0301). In fonts where the j́ combination is not supported, the tittle on the j may be accompanied by the acute, resulting in ȷ̇́ or similar. This may be avoided by using the dotless ȷ (U+0237) with acute &nbsp;́ (U+0301), resulting in ȷ́.

===Spelling===
{{Lang|nl|Vrijdag}} can be spelled out in two ways, depending on whether the speller considers ''ij'' to be one letter or not:

* ''V – R – IJ – D – A – G''
* ''V – R – I – J – D – A – G''

===Wide inter-letter spacing===
[[File:Signboard-slijterij.jpg|thumb|upright|On this signboard of a liquor store ({{Lang|nl|slijterij}}), IJ occupies the same space as single letters. The I is put over the lower end of the J to reinforce their unity, but this is optional and I and J can also be found separately on other signs]]

When words are written with large inter-letter spacing, ''IJ'' is often, but not always, kept together. ''F&nbsp;r&nbsp;a&nbsp;n&nbsp;k&nbsp;r&nbsp;ij&nbsp;k'' or ''F&nbsp;r&nbsp;a&nbsp;n&nbsp;k&nbsp;r&nbsp;i&nbsp;j&nbsp;k''.

When words are written from top to bottom, with non-rotated letters, ''IJ'' is usually, but not always, kept together. Keeping it together is the preferred way.<ref name="eu"/>

{| cellspacing="20"
|
''F''<br/>
''r''<br/>
''a''<br/>
''n''<br/>
''k''<br/>
''r''<br/>
''ij''<br/>
''k''
|or
|
''F''<br/>
''r''<br/>
''a''<br/>
''n''<br/>
''k''<br/>
''r''<br/>
''i''<br/>
''j''<br/>
''k''
|}

===Spelling of proper names===
In Dutch names, interchangeability of ''i'', ''ij'' and ''y'' is frequent. Some names are changed unofficially for commercial reasons or by indifference:

* [[Johan Cruyff|Johan Cruijff/Cruyff]], former football player and manager
* [[Ruud van Nistelrooy|Ruud van Nistelrooij/Nistelrooy]], football player
* [[Piet Pieterszoon Hein|Piet Heijn/Heyn/Hein]], a [[Dutch West India Company]] admiral
* [[Dirk Kuyt|Dirk Kuijt/Kuyt]], football player
* [[Arie Luyendyk|Arie Luijendijk/Luyendyk]], race-driver
* [[Spyker|Spijker/Spyker]], car manufacturer
* [[Anner Bylsma|Anner Bijlsma/Bylsma]], cellist

The Dutch football team of [[Feyenoord Rotterdam|Feyenoord]] changed its name from the original "{{Lang|nl|Feijenoord|italic=unset}}" to "{{Lang|nl|Feyenoord|italic=unset}}" after achieving international successes. This was done as a reaction to foreign people often mispronouncing the name. The [[Feijenoord district]] in [[Rotterdam]], the namesake of the football club maintains its original spelling.

===Phonetic radio alphabet===
In the Dutch phonetic [[radio alphabet]], the codeword {{Lang|nl|IJmuiden|italic=yes}} represents the ''IJ''. This is clearly different from the codeword ''Ypsilon'', which is used to represent the ''Y''. Dutch and Belgian armed forces use the official [[NATO phonetic alphabet]], where "Y" is "Yankee" and "IJ" is spelled out "India Juliett".

===Word games===
In [[crossword puzzle]]s (except for [[Scrabble]] – see next paragraph), and in the game [[Lingo (Dutch game show)|Lingo]], ''IJ'' is considered one letter, filling one square, but the ''IJ'' and the ''Y'' are considered distinct. In other word games, the rules may vary.

The Dutch version of Scrabble has a ''Y'' with a face value of eight. Some players used it to represent ''IJ'' or ''Y''. The recent Dutch version comes with an example game, which clearly indicates that ''Y'' is only ''Y'', and ''IJ'' should be composed of ''I'' and ''J''. In previous editions of Scrabble there was a single IJ sign.<!-- http://www.gtoal.com/wordgames/details/dutch/ is definitely incorrect - the face values differ too-->

In word games that make a distinction between vowels and consonants, ''IJ'' is considered to be a vowel, if it is considered one letter. Whether ''Y'' is a vowel or a consonant, is another matter of discussion, since ''Y'' can represent both a vowel or a (half-) consonant.

==Technical details==
===Print and handwriting===
[[File:Amsterdamse tram - De Red Crosser - from Flickr 2838709455 cropped lijnbus.jpg|thumb|{{lang|nl|Lijnbus}} (road section reserved for [[public bus]] line, literally "line bus") showing IJ as a "broken U" glyph]]
In print, the letter ''ÿ'' (lowercase [[y]] with [[diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]]) and ''ij'' look very different, but [[handwriting]] usually makes ''ÿ'', ''ij'' and ''Y'', ''IJ'' look identical. However, since ''y'' occurs only in loanwords, the letter ''ÿ'' is extremely rare (if not altogether nonexistent) in Dutch.

The ''long ij'' extends below the baseline and so is written with a long stroke. It is often written as a single sign, even in handwriting that does not join letters.

On some road signs in the Netherlands, ''IJ'' appears as a single glyph formed like a ''U'' with a break in the left-hand stroke.
[[File:Ĳ uppercase ligature.svg|thumb|upright|Uppercase IJ glyph with the distinctive "broken U" [[Typographical ligature|ligature]] in a [[Helvetica]] font for [[Omega (TeX)|Omega TeX]]]]
[[File:NieuweGender-Eindhoven.jpg|thumb|right|IJ as a "broken U" glyph]]

===Braille===
[[Dutch Braille]], which is used in the Netherlands, has {{angbr|ij}} represented by {{bc|y}}, which represents {{angbr|y}} in other varieties of Braille. {{angbr|y}} is written as {{bc|6|y}}.<ref>{{cite web |first=Kim |last=Bols |url=http://www.kimbols.be/hulp/braille/brailleschrift.php |title=Het brailleschrift |publisher=Kimbols |place=[[Belgium|BE]] |access-date=2007-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209075837/http://kimbols.be/hulp/braille/brailleschrift.php |archive-date=2009-02-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In Belgium, [[French Braille]] is used, in which {{angbr|ij}} is written simply as {{angbr|i}} + {{angbr|j}}: {{bc|i|j}}.

===Encoding===
The Dutch ''ij'' is not present in the [[ASCII]] code, nor in any of the [[ISO 8859]] [[character encoding]]s. Therefore, the digraph is most often encoded as an ''i'' followed by a ''j''. The ligature is present as a national-use character within the Dutch version of ISO 646, one implementation of which is of DEC's [[National Replacement Character Set]] (NRCS)<ref name="vt220_pr"/> aka [[code page 1102]],<ref name="IBM_CP1102"/> and it also existed in the [[Atari ST character set]]<ref name="Bettencourt_2016"/><ref name="Lehmann_AtariST"/><ref name="ATARIWIKI"/><ref name="ASCII-CA_ST_2006"/><ref name="Unicode_2016_AtariST"/><ref name="Flohr_2016_Atari-ST"/> (but not in the [[GEM character set]] for PCs) as well as in the [[Lotus Multi-Byte Character Set]] (LMBCS).<ref name="LMB-EXCP"/><ref name="Lotus_1989_RM31"/> It is also present in [[Unicode]] in the Latin Extended-A range as {{unichar|0132|Latin Capital Ligature IJ|html=}} and {{unichar |0133| Latin Small Ligature IJ|html=}}.<ref>[[Latin Extended-A]].</ref><ref name="u0100">{{Citation | publisher = Unicode | title = Code charts | url = https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0100.pdf | contribution = Range 0100–017F: Latin Extended-A | edition = 10.0 }}.</ref> These characters are considered compatibility-decomposable.<ref name="u0100"/> They are included for compatibility and round-trip convertibility with legacy encodings, but their use is discouraged.<ref>{{Citation | publisher = The Unicode consortium | title = The Unicode standard | edition = 4.0 | year = 2003 | chapter-url = https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode4.0.0/ch03.pdf | chapter = 3 | pages = 71–72}}.</ref> Therefore, even with Unicode available, it is recommended to encode ''ij'' as two separate letters.<ref name="eu"/><ref>{{Citation | publisher = SIL international | url = http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&item_id=LatinLetterCombinations | title = Scripts | contribution = Unicode two and three Latin letter combinations}}.</ref> Nonetheless, some fonts use this code point for the ligated form of IJ if it exists.

===Keyboards===
While Dutch typewriters usually have a separate key for lowercase ''ij'', Belgian typewriters do not.<ref>Most Belgian typewriters use the French [[AZERTY]] keyboard, though some may use the [[AZERTY#Differences between the Belgian and French layouts of the AZERTY keyboard|Belgian]] one instead; in both cases minus the peripheral keys to the left of the 1 and to the right of the ù, and of course all modifiers (including AltGr) other than Shift and CapsLock. The latter keyboard is used on Belgian computers. Neither of them knows ij or IJ except as i+j or I+J.</ref> In the Netherlands, a [[QWERTY]] computer keyboard layout is common. The standard US layout (often in "[[US-International|International Mode]]") is widely used, although a specific but rarely used Dutch variant (KBD143) does exist. In Belgium, a specific Belgian variant of [[AZERTY]] keyboard layout (KBD120) is widely used. None of these keyboards feature a key for ''ij'' or ''IJ''.

==Not as a digraph==
{{see also|Combining Grapheme Joiner}}
[[File:Bijoux fout gespeld.jpg|thumb|upright|This Dutch shopkeeper wrote 'byoux' instead of '{{Lang|fr|[[Bijou (jewellery)|bijoux]]|italic=unset}}<nowiki/>'.]]
If the ''i'' and the ''j'' belong to different syllables, such as in the mathematical term {{Lang|nl|[[bijection|bijectie]]}} (syllablised "bi‧jec‧tie"), words with old spelling {{Lang|nl|minijurk}} (syllablised "mi‧ni‧jurk"), {{Lang|nl|skijas}} (syllablised "ski‧jas"), foreign placenames like {{Lang|nl|Beijing}}, {{Lang|nl|Dijon}}, {{Lang|nl|Fiji}} or person names like {{Lang|nl|Khadija}}, {{Lang|nl|Elijah}}, {{Lang|nl|Marija}}, they do not form a ligature or a single letter. Earlier statements about sorting ''ij'' on par with ''y'', keeping ''ij'' together in the [[kerning]] of printed texts, the single square in crossword puzzles, etc., do not apply.

==References==
{{Reflist|35em|refs=
<ref name="Bettencourt_2016">{{cite web |author-first=Rebecca G. |author-last=Bettencourt |author-link=Rebecca G. Bettencourt |title=Character Encodings - Legacy Encodings - Atari ST |publisher=Kreative Korporation |date=2016-08-01 |orig-year=1999 |url=http://www.kreativekorp.com/charset/encoding.php?name=Atari+ST |access-date=2016-08-09 }}</ref>
<ref name="Lehmann_AtariST">{{cite web |author-first1=Kosta |author-last1=Kostis |author-first2=Alexander |author-last2=Lehmann |title=Atari ST/TT Character Encoding |version=1.56 |url=http://www.kostis.net/charsets/atarist.htm |access-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116124907/http://www.kostis.net/charsets/atarist.htm |archive-date=2017-01-16}}</ref>
<ref name="ATARIWIKI">{{cite web |title=Atari Wiki - The Atari character set |url=http://www.atari-wiki.com/index.php/The_Atari_character_set |access-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116130251/http://www.atari-wiki.com/index.php/The_Atari_character_set |archive-date=2017-01-16}}</ref>
<ref name="ASCII-CA_ST_2006">{{cite web |title=Codepages / Ascii Table Atari ST/TT Character Encoding |publisher=ASCII.ca |date=2016 |orig-year=2006 |url=http://www.ascii.ca/atarist.htm |access-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116125230/http://www.ascii.ca/atarist.htm |archive-date=2017-01-16}}</ref>
<ref name="Unicode_2016_AtariST">{{cite web |author-first1=Philippe |author-last1=Verdy |author-first2=Bruno |author-last2=Haible |author-first3=Ulf |author-last3=Zibis |author-first4=Yves-Marie K. |author-last4=Rinquin |orig-year=1998 |date=2015-10-08 |version=1.3 |title=AtariST to Unicode |url=http://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MISC/ATARIST.TXT |access-date=2016-12-09 }}</ref>
<ref name="Flohr_2016_Atari-ST">{{cite web |title=Locale::RecodeData::ATARI_ST - Conversion routines for ATARI-ST |author-first=Guido |author-last=Flohr |version=1.1 |work=[[CPAN]] libintl-perl |date=2016 |orig-year=2006<!-- 2002 --> |url=http://search.cpan.org/~guido/libintl-perl/lib/Locale/RecodeData/ATARI_ST.pm |access-date=2017-01-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114223110/http://search.cpan.org/~guido/libintl-perl/lib/Locale/RecodeData/ATARI_ST.pm |archive-date=2017-01-14}}</ref>
<ref name="vt220_pr">{{cite web |url=http://vt100.net/docs/vt220-rm/ |title=VT220 Programmer Reference Manual |publisher=[[Digital Equipment Corporation]] (DEC) |date=1984 |orig-year=1983 |edition=2}}</ref>
<ref name="IBM_CP1102">{{cite web |title=SBCS code page information - CPGID: 01102 / Name: Dutch NRC Set |work=IBM Software: Globalization: Coded character sets and related resources: Code pages by CPGID: Code page identifiers |date=1992-10-01 |version=1 |publisher=[[IBM]] |url=https://www-01.ibm.com/software/globalization/cp/cp01102.html |access-date=2016-12-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205040334/https://www-01.ibm.com/software/globalization/cp/cp01102.html |archive-date=2016-12-05}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20161205115943/https://www-03.ibm.com/systems/resources/systems_i_software_globalization_pdf_cp01102z.pdf] [https://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/globalization/gcoc/attachments/CP01102.pdf] [https://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/globalization/gcoc/attachments/CP01102.txt]</ref>
<ref name="LMB-EXCP">{{cite web |title=lmb-excp.ucm |work=megadaddeln / icu_chrome |orig-year=1995 |date=2010 |url=https://gitlab.q3df.org/megadaddeln/icu_chrome/blob/caccda5a040f058024da1c2d894f8914cfc40618/source/data/mappings/lmb-excp.ucm |access-date=2016-12-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206172112/https://gitlab.q3df.org/megadaddeln/icu_chrome/blob/caccda5a040f058024da1c2d894f8914cfc40618/source/data/mappings/lmb-excp.ucm |archive-date=2016-12-06}} [https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/deps/icu52/+/52e8245ce532b9ea3d28c91bf04e3265392cb959/source/data/mappings/lmb-excp.ucm<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20161211125825/https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/deps/icu52/+/52e8245ce532b9ea3d28c91bf04e3265392cb959/source/data/mappings/lmb-excp.ucm -->]</ref>
<ref name="Lotus_1989_RM31">{{cite book |title=Lotus 1-2-3 Version 3.1 Referenzhandbuch |language=de |trans-title=Lotus 1-2-3 Version 3.1 Reference Manual |edition=1 |chapter=Anhang 2. Der Lotus Multibyte Zeichensatz (LMBCS) |trans-chapter=Appendix 2. The Lotus Multibyte Character Set (LMBCS) |pages=A2-1 – A2-13 |date=1989 |publisher=[[Lotus Development Corporation]] |location=Cambridge, MA, USA |id=302168}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* {{Citation | first = Nicoline | last = van der Sijs | title = Taal als mensenwerk: De geschiedenis van het ABN | year = 2004 | publisher = Sdu Uitgevers | language = nl | isbn = 978-90-12-10587-3}}.
* {{Citation | last = Van Dale | title = [[Van Dale's Great Dictionary of the Dutch Language]] | edition = XIVth | year = 2005}}.
* {{Citation | last = Van Dale | title = Handwoordenboek Hedendaags Nederlands | url = http://www.vandale.be/opzoeken/woordenboek/?zoekwoord=IJ | contribution = IJ | year = 2005 | place = [[Belgium|BE]]}}.
* {{Citation | publisher = [[Taalunie]] | title = Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal (het Groene Boekje) | year = 2005}}.
* {{Citation | publisher = Taalunie | url = http://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/1188/ | contribution = Ijsland / IJsland | title = Taal advies}}.
* {{Citation | publisher = Taalunie | url = http://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/1194/ | contribution = IJ - alfabetiseren | title = Taal advies}}.
* {{Citation | publisher = [[Genootschap Onze Taal]] | url = http://onzetaal.nl/taaladvies/advies/ij-plaats-in-alfabet | title = IJ, plaats in het alfabet | place = [[Netherlands|NL]] | language = nl}}.
* {{Citation | publisher = Genootschap Onze Taal | url = http://onzetaal.nl/taaladvies/advies/ij-oorsprong-van-de-lange-ij | title = IJ: oorsprong van de lange ij | place = [[Netherlands|NL]] | language = nl}}.
* {{Citation | title = [[Grote Winkler Prins Encyclopedie]] | contribution = IJ [alfabet] | edition = 9th | year = 1993}}.
* {{Citation | chapter-url = http://www.uazone.org/multiling/euroml/annex02.html | title = European rules for the use of the IJ in public records | chapter = Annex 2 | publisher = UA zone}}.
* {{Citation | first = Michael | last = Everson | author-link = Michael Everson | url = http://www.evertype.com/alphabets/dutch.pdf | title = Alphabets | publisher = Ever type | contribution = Repertoires of letters used to write the indigenous languages of Europe: Dutch}}.
* {{Citation | first = Leendert | last = Brouwer | publisher = Meertens Instituut | place = NL | language = nl | title = Nederlandse Familienamen Databank | url = http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nfd/component.php?act=detail&naam=ij-y | contribution = ij-y}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|IJ (letter)}}
* {{Citation | first = Steven | last = Pemberton | author-link = Steven Pemberton | url = http://homepages.cwi.nl/~steven/spelling.html#HDR-2-8a | contribution = An Englishman's Difficulties with the Dutch | title = Spelling | publisher = CWI | place = NL}}.
* {{Citation | first = Andreas K | last = Horlings | title = Geo cities | url = http://www.geocities.com/akhorlin/95-ij.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091021081227/http://geocities.com/akhorlin/95-ij.html | publisher = Yahoo! | language = nl | archive-date = 2009-10-21 | contribution = De lange IJ bestaat niet | url-status = dead }}.
* {{Citation | first = R | last = Harmsen | url = http://www.rudhar.com/lingtics/nlij_en.htm | contribution = The Dutch "letter" IJ | publisher = Rudhar | title = Linguistics}}.
* {{Citation | first = Marie | last = Hildebrandt | year = 1915 | url = http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/hild004moed01_01/hild004moed01_01_0037.php | contribution = A is een aapje, dat eet uit zijn poot | title = Moeder de Gans. Baker- en kinderrijmpjes | publisher = Van Holkema & Warendorf | place = Amsterdam}} z.j.
{{Latin script}}

[[Category:Latin-script digraphs]]
[[Category:Dutch language]]
[[Category:Vowel letters]]
[[Category:Latin-script ligatures]]