ʌ is the IPA symbol for the Voiced Uvular Approximant, a voiced uvular approximant vowel. It appears in 19 of 500 languages (4% cross-linguistic frequency).
ʌ

Voiced Uvular Approximant

Vowel · voiced

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Languages using this sound 19 / 500
Cross-linguistic frequency 4%

One of the rarer sounds in human language.

Type vowel

Articulation

Every speech sound is defined by three properties: its class (consonant, vowel, or tone), its place of articulation (where in the vocal tract it is formed — lips, teeth, palate, etc.), its manner (how airflow is controlled — stopped, funneled into a fricative, channeled through the nose), and its voicing (whether the vocal cords vibrate during production).

Class
Vowel
Voicing
Voiced
Place
Uvular
Manner
Approximant

Languages using this sound

This sound appears in 19 of the 500 languages in our database. Languages that use a sound only in loanwords or in rare, specialized contexts are marked as marginal (*) — the sound exists but is not a core part of the phonological system. Click any language to view its full sound inventory.

Related sounds