გაკვეთილი 4 (Lesson 4) — Aspirated Stops

Introduction

Georgian has a three-way distinction for stop consonants: voiced, aspirated, and ejective. This lesson covers aspirated stops - pronounced with a puff of air.

Characters

Understanding Aspiration

Hold your hand in front of your mouth and say:

• "pin" vs "spin" - feel the puff of air in "pin"?
• Georgian თ, ქ, ფ always have this puff of air

Practice Words

The Three-Way Distinction

Georgian stops come in three types:

Key Points

1. Aspirated = with a puff of air (like English word-initial stops)
2. თ, ქ, ფ are very common in Georgian
3. Don't confuse with ejective stops (Lesson 5)
4. Practice by holding paper near your mouth - it should move!