A velar is a type of consonant sound produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract at the soft part of the roof of the mouth, known as the velum. Common examples of velar sounds in English include the letters k, g, and the ng sound in "sing." These sounds are characterized by the back of the tongue making contact with the velum. In phonetics, velar sounds are classified as either voiced or voiceless. Voiced velar consonants, like g, involve the vibration of the vocal cords, while voiceless velar consonants, like k, do not. Understanding velar sounds is essential for studying languages and their phonetic structures.