Velar consonant

consonant articulated with the back part of the tongue

A velar consonant is a consonant that is pronounced with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, also known as the velum, which is the back part of the roof of the mouth. Velar consonants in English are [k], [g] and [ŋ].

These are the velar consonants in the IPA.

IPA Description Example
Language Orthography IPA Meaning
voiced velar nasal English ri ng [ɹʷɪŋ] ring
voiceless velar plosive English skip [skɪp] skip
voiced velar plosive English get [ɡɛt] get
voiceless velar fricative German Bauch [baʊx] abdomen
voiced velar fricative Greek γάτα [ɣata] cat
voiceless labio-velar approximant English which [ʍɪtʃ] which
voiced velar approximant Spanish pagar [paɰaɾ] to pay
voice velar lateral approximant Mid-Wahgi aʟaʟe [aʟaʟe] dizzy
voiced labio-velar approximant English witch [wɪtʃ] witch
velar ejective stop Archi кIан [an] bottom
ɠ voiced velar implosive Sindhi g̈əro/ڳرو [ɠəro] heavy

References

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