Consonants Group 1: Stops

Stop consonants are sounds produced by completely blocking airflow and then releasing it. Georgian has a remarkably rich stop system — for each position in the mouth, there are three distinct types: voiced, aspirated, and ejective.

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What Are Stops?

In phonetics, a "stop" (or "plosive") is a consonant where you:

1. Completely close off the airflow at some point in your mouth
2. Build up air pressure behind the closure
3. Release the closure with a burst of air

English has voiced and voiceless stops (b/p, d/t, g/k). Georgian adds a third type — ejectives — which we will introduce here and cover in depth in Lesson 6.

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The Georgian Stops

Labial Stops (made with the lips)

Letter	Name	IPA	Type	Sound Description
ბ	Bani	/b/	Voiced	Like English "b" in "bat"
ფ	Pari	/pʰ/	Aspirated	Like English "p" in "pat" (with a puff of air)
პ	Pari	/p'/	Ejective	Sharp, tense "p" with glottal closure — no English equivalent

Practice words: