How to pronounce Polish letter «ż» [ʐ]

How to shape the sound

Alveolar hard sibilants: the front of the tongue approaches the upper alveoli; the tip is down; there is no softening.

Common trap

They get confused with the soft series ś/ć — then «kasza» becomes «Kasia», «kosz» becomes «koś», «czeszę się» becomes «cieszę się».

How to fix it

sz and cz — hard and noisy; ś and ć — soft and quiet.