Okada, Hideo (1999), "Japanese", in International Phonetic Association (ed.), Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet, Cambridge University Press, pp. 117–119, ISBN 978-0-52163751-0 K was brought into the Latin alphabet with the name ka /kaː/ to differentiate it from C, named ce (pronounced /keː/) and Q, named qu and pronounced /kuː/. In the earliest Latin inscriptions, the letters C, K and Q were all used to represent the sounds /k/ and /ɡ/ (which were not differentiated in writing). Of these, Q was used before a rounded vowel (e.g. ⟨EQO⟩ 'ego'), K before /a/ (e.g. ⟨KALENDIS⟩ 'calendis'), and C elsewhere. Later, the use of C and its variant G replaced most usages of K and Q. K survived only in a few fossilized forms such as Kalendae, "the calends". [4] Padgett, Jaye (2003), "Contrast and Post-Velar Fronting in Russian", Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 21 (1): 39–87, doi: 10.1023/A:1021879906505, S2CID 13470826

Usually transcribed in IPA with ⟨ ɡ̊⟩ or ⟨ ɡ⟩. Contrasts with aspirated form, which is usually transcribed in IPA with ⟨ kʰ⟩ or ⟨ k⟩. See Danish phonology Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords. In some languages the vocal cords are actively separated, so it is always voiceless; in others the cords are lax, so that it may take on the voicing of adjacent sounds. Carbonell, Joan F.; Llisterri, Joaquim (1992), "Catalan", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 22 (1–2): 53–56, doi: 10.1017/S0025100300004618, S2CID 249411809 On Idaho license plates, an initial K in the plate number indicates it was issued in Kootenai County. Olson, Kenneth; Mielke, Jeff; Sanicas-Daguman, Josephine; Pebley, Carol Jean; Paterson, Hugh J. III (2010), "The phonetic status of the (inter)dental approximant", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 40 (2): 199–215, doi: 10.1017/S0025100309990296, S2CID 38504322Thompson, Laurence (1959), "Saigon phonemics", Language, 35 (3): 454–476, doi: 10.2307/411232, JSTOR 411232

Fougeron, Cecile; Smith, Caroline L. (1993), "French", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 23 (2): 73–76, doi: 10.1017/S0025100300004874, S2CID 249404451 The sound represented by the letter throughout its known history until the present day has been the unvoiced velar stop. Its function in the Latin alphabet was usurped by the letter C, which, taken over as representing the voiced velar, came under Etruscan influence to represent the unvoiced sound as well. Later the letter G was adapted from C to represent the voiced velar and C stood for the unvoiced only. The letter K fell into disuse except in official formulas or initials such as in the word Kalendae and as a rare variant spelling in Karthago and a very few other words. Shosted, Ryan K.; Chikovani, Vakhtang (2006), "Standard Georgian" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 36 (2): 255–264, doi: 10.1017/S0025100306002659Less often voiced [ ɡ]. It is usually transcribed in IPA as ⟨ɡ⟩, and it contrasts with aspirated form, which is usually transcribed ⟨k⟩. [14] See Luxembourgish phonology Cruz-Ferreira, Madalena (1995), "European Portuguese", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 25 (2): 90–94, doi: 10.1017/S0025100300005223, S2CID 249414876 Martínez-Celdrán, Eugenio; Fernández-Planas, Ana Ma.; Carrera-Sabaté, Josefina (2003), "Castilian Spanish", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 33 (2): 255–259, doi: 10.1017/S0025100303001373 Ruppel, Klaas; Aalto, Tero; Everson, Michael (2009-01-27). "L2/09-028: Proposal to encode additional characters for the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-10-11 . Retrieved 2018-03-24. In the International System of Units (SI), the SI prefix for one thousand is kilo-, officially abbreviated as k: for example, prefixed to metre/ meter or its abbreviation m, kilometre or km signifies a thousand metres. As such, people occasionally represent numbers in a non-standard notation by replacing the last three zeros of the general numeral with K, as in 30K for 30,000.

Gilles, Peter; Trouvain, Jürgen (2013), "Luxembourgish" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 43 (1): 67–74, doi: 10.1017/S0025100312000278 Everson, Michael; et al. (2002-03-20). "L2/02-141: Uralic Phonetic Alphabet characters for the UCS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-02-19 . Retrieved 2018-03-24.The Semitic form may derive from an earlier sign representing a bent hand. Early Greek forms from the island of Thera have some resemblance to the Semitic. The Chalcidic, Etruscan, and Latin forms were identical, and the letter has retained its shape until modern times. The minuscule form k is but a slight adaptation of the majuscule with the point of junction of three strokes lowered and the lower transverse stroke consequently much shortened and moved to the right. A rounded form also appears in handwriting. Stephen Phillips (2009-06-04). "International Morse Code". Archived from the original on 2014-02-12 . Retrieved 2014-02-10. It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream along the center of the tongue, rather than to the sides. Sihler, Andrew L. (1995). New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin (illustrated ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-19-508345-8. Archived from the original on 2016-11-09 . Retrieved 2016-10-18. Everson, Michael; Jacquerye, Denis; Lilley, Chris (2012-07-26). "L2/12-270: Proposal for the addition of ten Latin characters to the UCS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-03-30 . Retrieved 2018-03-24.

In late Latin and the early Romance period the unvoiced velar, represented by C, became palatalized before front vowels, and in the 12th century K was reintroduced as a substitute for C to represent the velar before front vowels since C did duty for both the velar and palatal in such cases and confusion was thus liable to arise. Thus the English word cyng, for example, began to be spelled kyng, later king.

Rogers, Derek; d'Arcangeli, Luciana (2004), "Italian", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 34 (1): 117–121, doi: 10.1017/S0025100304001628 The airstream mechanism is pulmonic, which means it is articulated by pushing air solely with the intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles, as in most sounds. K" Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (1989); Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (1993); "kay," op. cit. In the United Kingdom under the old system (before 2001), a licence plate that begins with "K" for example "K123 XYZ" would correspond to a vehicle registered between August 1, 1992, and July 31, 1993. Again under the old system, a licence plate that ends with "K" for example "ABC 123K" would correspond to a vehicle that was registered between August 1, 1971, and July 31, 1972. Gordon, Cyrus H. (1970). "The Accidental Invention of the Phonemic Alphabet". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 29 (3): 193–197. doi: 10.1086/372069. JSTOR 543451. S2CID 161870047.