Velar ejective

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The velar ejective is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨kʼ⟩.

[edit] Features

Features of the velar ejective:

Its manner of articulation is stop, or plosive, which means it is produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract. (The term plosive contrasts with nasal stops, where the blocked airflow is redirected through the nose.)
Its place of articulation is velar, which means it is articulated with the back of the tongue at the soft palate.
Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords.
It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.
It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream along the center of the tongue, rather than to the sides.
The airstream mechanism is ejective (glottalic egressive), which means the air is forced out by pumping the glottis upward.

Language	Word	IPA	Meaning
Abkhaz	акы	[aˈkʼə]	'one'
Archi	кIан	[kʼan]	'bottom'
Georgian	კაბა	[kˈaba]	'dress'
Hausa	ƙoƙari	[kʼòːkʼɐ̄ɾī]	'effort'