Last updated on December 8, 2021
Like the English plosive consonants /t/ and /p/, the sound /k/ in English is usually heavily aspirated. You can hear the puff of air that accompanies the /k/ sound if you say the words “Coca Cola”.
But in Indonesian the /k/ sound is not aspirated. In this respect the Indonesian /k/ is somewhat like the /k/ in the English words “scam” and “Scott”. Moreover, the Indonesian /k/ tends to be articulated further back in the throat than the English /k/.
Taking care to suppress aspiration in the /k/ sound, pronounce these words.
/k/ in an initial position
kosong, kurang, kelas, kira-kira, kawin, kamar, kebun
/k/ in a medial position
ikut, laki-laki, sekolah, sekali
Now, practise suppressing the aspiration for /p/, /t/ and /k/ sounds in these words.
kelapa, kantor, kotor, taksi, kota, pintu, kamar, tidur, atap
/k/ at the end of the words
anak, duduk, masuk
The letter “k” in these cases does not usually stand for a /k/ sound like the /k/ you have been practising above. The letter “k” at the end of a word usually stands for a glottal stop.
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