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Graphemes for /k/ and Related Phonemes

/k/ - voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
apd-Latn <k> kubri ‘bridge’
ar-Arab <ك> مكتبه ‘his office’
ast-Latn <c> casu ‘case’'c' can be used for [k] before a, o and u
ast-Latn <k> keplerianu ‘keplerian’loan words
ast-Latn <qu> quesu ‘cheese’'qu' occurs only before e and i
bcy-Latn <k> kada ‘tree’
bec-Latn <k> kam ‘squeeze’, ɔkambɛ ‘rope’
blt-Tavt <> ꪀꪲꪙ ‘to eat’, ꪬꪷꪀ ‘to break’low tone series (syll. init.), and syllable final
blt-Tavt <> ꪁꪾ ‘gold’high tone series (syll. init.)
de-Latn <ch> Chor ‘chorus’Loan words
de-Latn <ck> schicken ‘send’, Acker ‘fields’
de-Latn <c> Café ‘coffee house’Loan words
de-Latn <k-k> schik-ken ‘send’Hyphenated form of ‹ck
de-Latn <k> Kinder ‘children’
dv-Thaa <ކ> ކުކުޅު
dv-Thaa <އ◌ް> ރުއްOccurs in syllable codas, i.e. any time the /k/ is not immediately followed by a vowel. It is pronounced as [ʔ], [ŋ] or a gemination of the following consonant, depending on context.
en-Latn <ch> school
en-Latn <ck> lock
en-Latn <c> catBefore a, o and u
en-Latn <k> keep
en-Latn <qu> mosquitoLoan words from Spanish
en-Latn <qu> quick
en-Latn <x> tax
es-Latn <c> calor ‘heat’
es-Latn <k> kilómetro ‘kilometer’Loan words
es-Latn <qu> quien ‘who’qu› occurs only before e and i
fub-Arab <ک> کٜىٰڢٜىٰرٛ ‘pagan’, حَکُّندٜ ‘between’, حَکّٜ ‘sin’, مِوٛوکِ ‘I cried’
fub-Latn <k> keefeero ‘pagan’, hakkunde ‘between’, hakke ‘sin’, mi wooki ‘I cried’
ha-Latn <k> kasuwa ‘market’
id-Latn <k> kurus ‘thin’, angka ‘number’
ii-Latn <g> ga ‘give’
lbw-Latn <k> kare ‘leg, foot’, haki ‘pain’
nat-Latn <k> kaata ‘spider’, a̱kuku ‘top of head’
ne-Deva <> केटी ‘girl’
png-Latn <k> kiki, ka̱ta̱ku
ru-Cyrl <г> бе́гство ‘escape’, флаг ‘flag’Preceding a voiceless consonant or if word-final
ru-Cyrl <к> кость ‘bone’Preceding either ‹а, о, э, у›, a voiceless consonant, or ‹л, м, н, р, в›, or if word-final
srr-Arab <ک> کِينْ ‘person’when word final it uses a shadda
srr-Latn <k> kiin ‘person’
wo-Arab <ک> کࣴرْ ‘house’
wo-Latn <k> kër ‘house’
xnz-Copt <>
xnz-Latn <k>
yba-Latn <k> uku

/kʰ/ - aspirated voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
ii-Latn <k> ke ‘dog’
ne-Deva <> खेल्नु ‘to play’

/kʷ/ - labialized voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
bec-Latn <kw> kwo ‘die’, ɛkwalɛghɛ ‘fingernail’
ha-Latn <kw> kwara ‘pour out much’
nat-Latn <kw> a̱kwa̱ga̱ ‘chameleon’, ukwakwa ‘millipede’
png-Latn <kw> kwane̱, rukwanyan

/kʲ/ - palatalized voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
bcy-Latn <ky> kyanatə ‘poison’
ha-Latn <ky> kyauta ‘gift’
nat-Latn <ky> akyakya ‘old mat’, okyamo ‘yellow bat’
png-Latn <ky> kyabari, ta̱kyau
ru-Cyrl <кь> секью́рити ‘security’Preceding either a vowel, voiceless consonant, or ‹л, м, н, р, в›, or if word-final
ru-Cyrl <к> кино́ ‘movie’Preceding ‹ё, е, и

/ᵑk/ - prenasalized voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
wo-Arab <نک> بَنکَ ‘to be broke’
wo-Latn <nk> banka ‘to be broke’

/kː/ - geminate voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
ar-Arab <ك◌ّ> ساكن سكّان ‘resident population’
fub-Arab <ک◌ّ> حَکُّندٜ ‘between’
wo-Arab <ک◌ّ> لࣵکّ ‘to speak a language’
wo-Latn <kk> làkk ‘to speak a language’

/k'/ - voiceless velar ejective

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
ha-Latn <ƙ> ƙato ‘lively’

/kʷ'/ - labialized voiceless velar ejective

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
ha-Latn <ƙw> ƙwai ‘egg’

/kʲ'/ - palatalized voiceless velar ejective

Writing SystemGraphemeExampleNotes
ha-Latn <ƙy> ƙyale ‘to ignore’

Double articulations involving /k/ - voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemPhonemeGraphemeExampleNotes
bcy-Latn/k͡p/ <kp> kpa ‘calabash’
bec-Latn/k͡p/ <kp> kpiili ‘tie’, ɔkpʉmʉ ‘bottle’
png-Latn/k͡p/ <kp> kpaata, kpukpukpu

Sequences including /k/ - voiceless velar plosive

Writing SystemPhoneme SequenceGraphemeExampleNotes
de-Latn/kn/ <kn> Knochen ‘bone’
de-Latn/kv/ <qu> Quelle ‘source’
de-Latn/ks/ <x> Text ‘text’, exzellente ‘excellent’Primarily loan words
es-Latn/kw/ <gü> lingüístico ‘linguistic’
es-Latn/ks/ <x> conexión ‘connection’
ii-Yiii/ke/ <> ꃰꐛꇚ ‘it might snow’
ii-Yiii/ke/ <>
ii-Yiii/ke/ <> ‘official’
ii-Yiii/ke/ <> ‘concerned about’
ii-Yiii/ke̙/ <>
ii-Yiii/ke̙/ <>
ii-Yiii/ke̙/ <> ꐍꇠ ‘silver throat ornament’
ii-Yiii/ke̙/ <> ꀊꇡꌯ (interjection expressing surprise or fear)
ii-Yiii/kä̙/ <> ꅲꇢ ‘forehead’
ii-Yiii/kä̙/ <> ꇣꋦ ‘crops’
ii-Yiii/kä̙/ <> ꁡꇤ ‘village’
ii-Yiii/kä̙/ <> ꇥꉧ ‘tongs’
ii-Yiii/ko̙/ <> ꇦꏦ ‘ridge beam’
ii-Yiii/ko̙/ <> ꇨꂅꇧꑣ ‘agitated’
ii-Yiii/ko̙/ <> ꀉꇨ ‘hard’
ii-Yiii/ko̙/ <> ꄽꇩ ‘unbearable’
ii-Yiii/ko/ <> ꂷꇪ ‘bamboo fence’
ii-Yiii/ko/ <> ꏂꇫ ‘plan’
ii-Yiii/ko/ <> ꀑꇬ ‘life’
ii-Yiii/ko/ <> ꇭꀧ ‘body’
ii-Yiii/kɤ/ <> ꇮꃀ ‘craftsman’
ii-Yiii/kɤ/ <> ꇯꍝ ‘real’
ii-Yiii/kɤ/ <> ꅇꇰ ‘notify’
ii-Yiii/kɤ/ <> ‘add’
ii-Yiii/kʉ̙/ <> ꁯꇲ ‘mussel shell’
ii-Yiii/kʉ/ <> ꇳꇐ ‘mule’
ii-Yiii/kʉ/ <> ‘call’
ii-Yiii/kʉ/ <> ꇵꆹ ‘neck’
ii-Yiii/kʉ̙/ <> ꇶꑻ ‘clean out’
ii-Yiii/kʉ̙/ <> ꀍꇷ ‘wild cat’
ii-Yiii/kʰe/ <> ꒉꇸꇉ ‘water well’
ii-Yiii/kʰe/ <> ꇹꄣ ‘direct’
ii-Yiii/kʰe/ <> ꎸꇺ ‘iron nail’
ii-Yiii/kʰe/ <> ꅼꇻ ‘deep’
ii-Yiii/kʰe̙/ <>
ii-Yiii/kʰe̙/ <> ꌩꁧꇽ ‘chop down a tree’
ii-Yiii/kʰe̙/ <> ꋊꇾ ‘end the family line by having no sons’
ii-Yiii/kʰä̙/ <> ꉌꇿ ‘happy’
ii-Yiii/kʰä̙/ <> ꈀꄸ ‘who’
ii-Yiii/kʰä̙/ <> ꃅꑭꈁ ‘horse hoof’
ii-Yiii/kʰä̙/ <> ꈂꀸ ‘mouth’
ii-Yiii/kʰo̙/ <>
ii-Yiii/kʰo̙/ <> ꌳꈄ ‘hero’
ii-Yiii/kʰo̙/ <> ꃘꈅ ‘six large basketfuls’
ii-Yiii/kʰo/ <> ꋍꈆ ‘one large basketful’
ii-Yiii/kʰo/ <> ꈇꈁ ‘sturdy’
ii-Yiii/kʰo/ <> ꀃꈈ ‘door’
ii-Yiii/kʰo/ <> ꌩꈉ ‘pile of firewood’
ii-Yiii/kʰɤ/ <> ꈊꃀ ‘evening’
ii-Yiii/kʰɤ/ <> ꃅꈋ ‘region’
ii-Yiii/kʰɤ/ <> ꈌꃶ ‘rabid dog’
ii-Yiii/kʰɤ/ <> ꈍꃅ ‘how’
ii-Yiii/kʰʉ̙/ <> ꈎꄜ ‘age’
ii-Yiii/kʰʉ/ <> ꇤꈏ ‘fire pit’
ii-Yiii/kʰʉ/ <> ꈐꏭ ‘inside’
ii-Yiii/kʰʉ/ <> ꀑꈑ ‘pillow’
ii-Yiii/kʰʉ̙/ <>
ii-Yiii/kʰʉ̙/ <> ꇓꈓ ‘town’