In
phonetics, a
nasal, also called a
nasal occlusive,
nasal stop in contrast with a
nasal fricative, or
nasal continuant, is an
occlusive consonant produced with a lowered
velum, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasals in
English are and , in words such as
nose and
mouth. Nasal occlusives are nearly universal in human languages. There are also other kinds of
nasal consonants in some languages.