In such writing systems as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a phono-semantic character that provides an indication of its pronunciation; contrasted with semantic (which is usually the radical).
"When analyzing the complex structure of ancient Chinese characters, scholars often distinguish between the phonetic component that hints at how to pronounce the word and the semantic radical that reveals its meaning."
Relating to the sounds of spoken language.
"The phonetic analysis revealed that she was pronouncing the word with a distinct regional accent."