woman for /wʊmən/ or /wəmən/

[keannu]

When I hear native speakers pronounce woman, sometimes it sounds like /wəmən/ not /wʊmən/.
Are there such two pronunciations or does /ʊ/ sound like /ə/ coupled with /w/?

 

[5jj]

I have never heard the /wəmən/ pronunciation.

 

[BobK]

:up: Perhaps you're thinking of the plural, which in RP is /wɪmɪn/ but in speech with Estuarine tendencies (I'm thinking of Tony Blair) the /ɪ/s can become more like /ə/. :-?;-)

b

 

[keannu]

No, it's never about the plural form. I can distinguish the two. I think the problem is in /ʊ/, which can sound like /ə/ to Koreans' ears. We haven't been taught the exact difference between the two.