Popped Consonants
Six Georgian consonants are popped: კ, პ, ტ, წ, ჭ and ყ.
How It Works
| Letter | Romanization | Example |
|---|---|---|
| კ | k' | კაცი (k'atsi, man) |
| პ | p' | პური (p'uri, bread) |
| ტ | t' | ტყე (t'q'e, forest) |
| წ | ts' | წყალი (ts'q'ali, water) |
| ჭ | ch' | ჭიქა (ch'ika, glass) |
| ყ | q' | ყავა (q'ava, coffee) |
Each popped sound except ყ has a breathy partner, said with a puff of air as in English: კ and ქ, ტ and თ. Mixing them up can change the word, so practice both.
A simple test: hold your hand in front of your mouth. For a breathy sound you feel air. For a popped sound you feel almost nothing. ყ is said further back in the throat than კ.
Examples (5)
- პური და ყავა
bread and coffee
პ and ყ are both popped.
- წყალი ცივი არის.
The water is cold.
წყალი has two popped sounds, წ and ყ.
- ტყე დიდი არის.
The forest is big.
ტყე starts with two popped sounds.
- ეს ჭიქა ჩემი არის.
This glass is mine.
ჭ is a popped ch'.
- კარგი კაცი
a good man
კ is a popped k'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Popped consonants are letters of the alphabet with their own sound.
Related Patterns
Practice Popped Consonants in Bubblegum
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