Like "h" in the following English words:
- Help
- House
- Have
Examples:
The IPA sound [h] represents a voiceless glottal fricative. This means that it is produced by constricting the vocal cords in the larynx, but not vibrating them. The airstream is then released through the glottis, which is the opening between the vocal cords. This creates a sort of hissing sound. The [h] sound is similar to the 'h' sound in English words like "help" and "house."
NOTES
NOTE 1: In Brazilian Portuguese, the letter "h" is not used in native words and doesn't have a specific pronunciation. You won't find words that start with "h" in Portuguese unless they are borrowed from other languages.
Additionally, the /h/ sound itself is not part of the standard Brazilian Portuguese phonetic inventory. It's primarily used to describe the pronunciation of the letter "r" in some regional accents.
NOTE 2: In certain regions of Brazil, the pronunciation of the letter "r" differs from the /h/ sound described in this page. Instead, it can be pronounced in other two distinct ways:
- Guttural /ʁ/ sound. This guttural /ʁ/ is produced by friction at the back of the throat.
- Rolled /r/ sound. This rolled or trilled "r" sound is produced at the front of the mouth.
For more information on the /ʁ/ and /r/ sounds, see: