Bilabial consonant

consonant articulated with both lips

Bilabials or Bilabial consonants are a type of sound that are made with both lips (bilabial) and by partially stopping the air coming from the mouth when the sound is pronounced (consonant). For example, [p] is bilabial, but [f] is not. Bilabial consonants are a type of sound in a group of consonant labials composed of both lips (bilabial) and by pausing the air from the mouth when the sound is called (consonant).

There are eight bilabial consonants used in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

IPA Name Example
Language Word Word Sound in IPA Meaning
bilabial nasal English man [mæn] man
voiceless bilabial plosive English spin [spɪn] spin
voiced bilabial plosive English bed [bɛd] bed
voiceless bilabial fricative Japanese 富士山 (fujisan) [ɸuʑisaɴ] Mount Fuji
voiced bilabial fricative Ewe ɛʋɛ [ɛ̀βɛ̀] Ewe
bilabial approximant Spanish lobo [loβ̞o] wolf
bilabial trill
bilabial click Nǀu ʘoe [ʘoe] meat

How to Teach /p/, /b/ and /m/

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Following are some touch or touch gesture methods to teach sounds:

P: Place your index finger straight in front of both (closed) lips. When you make a / p / sound, bring your finger forward as fast as if you are going to emphasize that the p “sound. You can also place your finger and tap.

B: Place one or more fingers against the same closed lips but in this case, do not move it as soon as you make a noise. The “b” sound does not have an air escape like “p.” Remind the child to cover the lips. You can also place your finger and tap.

M: Place one finger on a horizontal surface under your lower lip or slide it over your lips.

English contains the following three bilabial consonants: /p/ as in “post” and “map“ /b/ as in “book” and “grab“ /m/ as in “mind” and “lamp“