The letter "ž" is a character used in several Slavic languages, including Czech, Slovak, and Slovenian. It represents a voiced postalveolar fricative sound, similar to the "s" in "measure." The letter is derived from the Latin alphabet and is often used in conjunction with diacritics to indicate specific pronunciations. In addition to its use in Slavic languages, "ž" can also be found in Croatian and Serbian, where it plays a crucial role in distinguishing meanings between words. The character is typically pronounced as "zh," making it an essential part of the phonetic inventory in these languages.