Bilabial consonant

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/

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“