Brazilian Portuguese Nasal Sounds: Don’t Ask for the Wrong Pão de Queijo!

Don't hold yourself back from going to the bakery and ordering pão de queijo.

If you’ve ever said “pão de queijo” like “pow de kay-djoo”, you’re not alone, but you definitely got into nasal trouble.

Here’s the problem: when you say pau de queijo instead of pão de queijo, it completely changes the meaning. Pão means bread, but pau means stick — and one of its other meanings is not exactly appropriate. You can Google it later. So you might be asking for something very different at the bakery.

What Makes the Brazilian Portuguese Nasal Sound So Unique

Brazilian Portuguese has three main nasal vowels: /ã/ and /õ/. It also has nasal combinations like ão, ãe, õe, ões, and ães. Examples: pão, mãe, põe, ações, cães.

These nasal sounds don’t exist in English, so English speakers often pronounce them as regular vowels followed by an n or m. But in Portuguese, there’s no extra consonant — the air simply escapes through both your mouth and your nose.

How to Practice the Nasal Sound in Words Like Pão and Não

Try this simple test: say “nã” as if you wanted to say “nun” without saying the N. The trick is to push the sound toward the roof of your mouth. Then you can practice the word não first, and after that you’ll be more confident to practice pão.

Final Tip: Let the Nasal Sound Flow Naturally

So next time you order pão de queijo, don’t let the nasal sound get you in trouble. Let it flow naturally through your nose like a Brazilian! 🇧🇷t you in trouble. Let them flow naturally through your nose like a Brazilian! 🇧🇷