Quick answer
Ж ж = the s in “pleasure” or the g in “beige”. It is always hard, even when an и or е follows: жить sounds like “zhyt”.
Жж
Жж
zh
журна́лmagazine
How to say it
Put your tongue where you would for “sh” and switch your voice on. That is Ж.
журна́лmagazine
житьto live
жена́wife
мо́жноmay I
ждатьto wait
же́нскийwomen’s — the Ж on the toilet door
Always hard
Ж never softens. After it you write и but say “y”: жить = “zhyt”, маши́на = “mashyna”. The spelling rule that bans ы after ж exists for exactly this reason.
On the door
Ж marks the women’s toilet (же́нский), М the men’s (мужско́й). Worth knowing before you need it.
Typical mistakes
Reading Ж as a normal “j”
like the s in “pleasure”
The English j (as in jam) is Russian дж — two letters.
жы
жи
Never ы after ж, even though that is what you hear.
Check yourself
Which word contains Ж?
журна́л — magazine.