In phonetics, a palatal consonant is a [[consonant sound]] that is articulated with the tongue against or near the hard palate, which is the bony part of the roof of the mouth directly behind the teeth. Palatal consonants are made by raising the middle part of the tongue towards this hard palate. Examples of palatal consonants include /j/ as in "yes", /ʃ/ as in "shoe", and /tʃ/ as in "church".