kʼ vs ɡ

Voiceless Velar Stop vs Voiced Velar Stop

How these sounds differ

kʼ

Voiceless Velar Stop

Voicing: voiceless
Place: velar
Manner: stop
Class: consonant
In languages: 62 / 500

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Voiced Velar Stop

Voicing: voiced
Place: velar
Manner: stop
Class: consonant
In languages: 301 / 500

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Cross-linguistic distribution

Languages with kʼ

Languages with both

301

Languages with ɡ

32 languages in our database contrast both sounds as distinct phonemes. Languages that have one but not the other tend to merge them into a single phoneme — meaning speakers of those languages often struggle to hear the distinction when learning a language that contrasts them.

Has kʼ, not ɡ (20)

Maidu Maiduan ITELMEN Chukotko-Kamchatkan Navaho Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Chipewyan Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit SOUTHERN NAMBIQUARA Nambiquaran Squamish Salishan Quechua Quechuan JACALTEC Mayan Nez Perce Sahaptian Itonama Language isolate Aymara Aymaran K'EKCHI Mayan UPPER CHEHALIS Salishan Nootka Wakashan Kabardian Abkhaz-Adyge Zuni Language isolate SHASTA Shastan Hupa Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Wichita Caddoan Kawesqar Kawesqar

Has ɡ, not kʼ (20)

Zoque Mixe-Zoque Tunica Language isolate Kunimaipa Kunimaipan Telefol Nuclear Trans New Guinea Adzera Austronesian Iai Austronesian Chamorro Austronesian Sa'ban Austronesian Toba-Batak Austronesian Malagasy Austronesian Yay Tai-Kadai Garo Sino-Tibetan Lahu Sino-Tibetan Dafla Sino-Tibetan Yao Hmong-Mien Kharia Austroasiatic Bhumij Austroasiatic Kota Dravidian Burushaski Language isolate TARASCAN Tarascan