Voiceless velar plosive | |
---|---|
k | |
IPA Number | 109 |
Encoding | |
Entity (decimal) | k |
Unicode (hex) | U+006B |
X-SAMPA | k |
Braille | ![]() |
Audio sample | |
The voiceless velar plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in almost all spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨k⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is k
.
The [k] sound is a very common sound cross-linguistically. Most languages have at least a plain [k], and some distinguish more than one variety. Most Indo-Aryan languages, such as Hindi and Bengali, have a two-way contrast between aspirated and plain [k]. Only a few languages lack a voiceless velar plosive, e.g. Tahitian.
Some languages have the voiceless pre-velar plosive,[1] which is articulated slightly more front compared with the place of articulation of the prototypical velar plosive, though not as front as the prototypical palatal plosive.
Conversely, some languages have the voiceless post-velar plosive,[2] which is articulated slightly behind the place of articulation of the prototypical velar plosive, though not as back as the prototypical uvular plosive.
Features of the voiceless velar stop:
IPA | Description |
---|---|
k | plain k |
k? | aspirated k |
k? | palatalized k |
k? | labialized k |
k? | k with no audible release |
k? | voiced k |
k? | tense k |
k' | ejective k |
Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abkhaz | ??/ak?halak?h' | ['akalak?] | 'the city' | See Abkhaz phonology | |
Adyghe | Shapsug | /k??t | 'chicken' | Dialectal; corresponds to [t] in other dialects. | |
Temirgoy | ?/psk?n | [pskan] | 'to cough' | ||
Ahtna | gistaann | [k?st:n] | 'six' | ||
Aleut[3] | kiikax? | [ki:ka?] | 'cranberry bush' | ||
Arabic | Modern Standard[4] | /kutib | ['katab?] | 'he wrote' | See Arabic phonology |
Armenian | Eastern[5] | ??/ k'a?ak'/k'aghak | [k'k?] | 'town' | Contrasts with unaspirated form. |
Assamese | ??/kom | [k?m] | 'less' | ||
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | kuleh | [kul?:] | 'all' | Used in most varieties, with the exception of the Urmia and Nochiya dialects where it corresponds to . | |
Basque | katu | [kat?u] | 'cat' | ||
Bengali | ??/kom | [k?m] | 'less' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Bengali phonology | |
Bulgarian | ???/kak | [kak] | 'how' | See Bulgarian phonology | |
Catalan[6] | quinze | ['kinz?] | 'fifteen' | See Catalan phonology | |
Chinese | Cantonese | ? / g? | 'home' | Contrasts with aspirated and or labialized forms. See Cantonese phonology | |
Hokkien | ? koa | [kua] | 'song' | ||
Mandarin | ? / g?o | 'high' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Mandarin phonology | ||
Chuvash | ??? | [ku'k:?] | 'mother's brother' | ||
Czech | kost | [kost] | 'bone' | See Czech phonology | |
Danish | Standard[7] | gås | ['k:s] | 'goose' | Usually transcribed in IPA with ⟨⟩ or ⟨?⟩. Contrasts with aspirated form, which is usually transcribed in IPA with ⟨k?⟩ or ⟨k⟩. See Danish phonology |
Dutch[8] | koning | ['ko:n] | 'king' | See Dutch phonology | |
English | kiss | 'kiss' | See English phonology | ||
Esperanto | rakonto | [ra'konto] | 'tale' | See Esperanto phonology | |
Estonian | kõik | [k?ik] | 'all' | See Estonian phonology | |
Esperanto | kato | [kato] | 'cat' | ||
Filipino | kuto | ['kuto] | 'lice' | ||
Finnish | kakku | [k?k:u] | 'cake' | See Finnish phonology | |
French[9] | cabinet | [kabin?] | 'office' | See French phonology | |
Georgian[10] | ?/kva | [k?va] | 'stone' | ||
German | Käfig | ['k:f?ç] | 'cage' | See Standard German phonology | |
Greek | ? / kalógeros | [ka'loe?ro?s?] | 'monk' | See Modern Greek phonology | |
Gujarati | /ka?de | [k?:nd?o:] | 'onion' | See Gujarati phonology | |
Hebrew | / kesef | ['kesef] | 'money' | See Modern Hebrew phonology | |
Hiligaynon | kadlaw | [kad?law] | 'laugh' | ||
Hindustani | / | [k?:m] | 'work' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Hindustani phonology | |
Hungarian | akkor | [?kkor] | 'then' | See Hungarian phonology | |
Italian[11] | casa | ['kä:zä] | 'house' | See Italian phonology | |
Japanese[12] | ? / kaban | [kaba?] | 'handbag' | See Japanese phonology | |
Kagayanen[13] | kalag | [kað?a?] | 'spirit' | ||
Korean | / kamja | [kamd?a] | 'potato' | See Korean phonology | |
Lakota | kimímela | [k?'m?mela] | 'butterfly' | ||
Luxembourgish[14] | geess | ['ke:s] | 'goat' | Less often voiced . It is usually transcribed in IPA as ⟨?⟩, and it contrasts with aspirated form, which is usually transcribed ⟨k⟩.[14] See Luxembourgish phonology | |
Macedonian | ? | [k?j] | 'who' | See Macedonian phonology | |
Marathi | ? | [kt?s] | 'armour' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Marathi phonology | |
Malay | kaki | [käki] | 'leg' | ||
Nepali | [ke?ä] | 'banana' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Nepali phonology | ||
Norwegian | kake | [k?:k?] | 'cake' | See Norwegian phonology | |
Odia | ?/k?ma | [käm?] | 'work' | Contrasts with aspirated form. | |
Pashto | /kal | [k?l] | 'year' | ||
Persian | /kimci | [kimti] | 'kimchi' | ||
Polish[15] | buk | 'beech tree' | See Polish phonology | ||
Portuguese[16] | corpo | ['ko?pu] | 'body' | See Portuguese phonology | |
Punjabi | //kar | [k] | 'do' | Contrasts with aspirated form. | |
Romanian[17] | când | ['k?nd] | 'when' | See Romanian phonology | |
Russian[18] | ???/korotkiy | 'short' | See Russian phonology | ||
Serbo-Croatian[19] | ? / kost | [k?:s?t?] | 'bone' | See Serbo-Croatian phonology | |
Slovak | kos? | [ksc?] | 'bone' | See Slovak phonology | |
Spanish[20] | casa | ['käsä] | 'house' | See Spanish phonology | |
Swedish | ko | ['k?u:] | 'cow' | See Swedish phonology | |
Sylheti | /kita | [k?t?à] | 'what' | ||
Tamil | /kai | [k] | 'hand' | See Tamil phonology | |
Telugu | ?/k?ki | [k?ki] | 'crow' | ||
Thai | ?/k | [kaj] | 'chicken' | Contrasts with an aspirated form. | |
Turkish | kulak | [k?u?äk] | 'ear' | See Turkish phonology | |
Ubykh | /kawar | [kawar] | 'slat' | Found mostly in loanwords. See Ubykh phonology | |
Ukrainian[21] | ?/koleso | ['ks?] | 'wheel' | See Ukrainian phonology | |
Vietnamese[22] | cam | [kam] | 'orange' | See Vietnamese phonology | |
Welsh | calon | [kal?n] | 'heart' | See Welsh phonology | |
West Frisian | keal | [kl] | 'calf' | See West Frisian phonology | |
Yi | ? / ge | [k] | 'foolish' | Contrasts aspirated and unaspirated forms. | |
Zapotec | Tilquiapan[23] | canza | [kanza] | 'walking' |