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Pronunciation

◌ิ[i]

The Thai letter ◌ิ is a vowel symbol, it represents the sound /i/, similar to the "ee" sound in English, as in "see" or "bee."

When written above a consonant, it indicates the vowel sound that is pronounced after that consonant.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Short Vowel: ◌ิ represents a short /i/ sound, unlike the long /ii/ vowel sound in Thai (represented by ◌ี).

• The sound is similar to the English "ee" sound, but pronounced in a shorter duration.

2. English Comparison:

• It is the same sound as the "ee" in English words like "see", "bee", or "tree".

• However, in Thai, this vowel sound is typically shorter and more clipped than the English long "ee."

3. IPA Representation:

• /i/ (short "ee" sound, like in "see").

Examples of Words with ◌ิ:

• นิด /nít/: a little

• พิษ /pʰít/: poison

• กิจกรรม /kìt.tà.kam/: activity

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Short Vowel Sound:

• The ◌ิ sound is short and quick. It is pronounced quickly, unlike the English "ee" in "see", which is usually held for a longer time.

• To practice, say the English "see", but make it much quicker and more clipped.

2. Mouth Position:

• The mouth should be in the same position as when pronouncing the English "ee" sound, but again, the sound should be produced quickly and without holding the vowel.

Summary:

• ◌ิ represents the short /i/ sound (similar to the "ee" in "see").

• It is used to modify a consonant to create a syllable with this vowel sound.

• It is shorter than the English "ee," so be sure to pronounce it quickly.

Tones of syllables created by ◌ิ
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
◌ิ อิ

Pronunciation

◌ี[iː]

The Thai letter ◌ี is a vowel symbol, it represents the long /i/ sound, which is similar to the "ee" sound in English, as in "see" or "tree."

When ◌ี is written above a consonant, it indicates the vowel sound that follows that consonant. This vowel is longer than the short ◌ิ.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Long Vowel: ◌ี represents a long /i/ sound, unlike the short /i/ sound represented by ◌ิ.

• The sound is similar to the English "ee" in "see", but it is held longer than the short version.

2. English Comparison:

• It is the same sound as the "ee" in English words like "see", "tree", or "free."

• The main difference between this long /i/ sound and the short /i (as in ◌ิ) is the length of the vowel: ◌ี is held longer.

3. IPA Representation:

• /iː/ (long "ee" sound, like in "see" or "tree").

Examples of Words with ◌ี:

• ปี /piː/: year

• สี /sǐː/: color

• ตี /tiː/: to hit, to beat

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Long Vowel Sound:

• The ◌ี sound is pronounced for a longer duration compared to the short ◌ิ sound. It's similar to holding the "ee" sound longer in English.

• Practice saying the English word "see", but stretch the vowel sound out a little longer, and that's the Thai ◌ี sound.

2. Mouth Position:

• The mouth should be in the same position as when saying the English "ee", but the sound should be sustained for a longer period.

Summary:

• ◌ี represents the long /i/ sound (similar to the "ee" in "see" or "tree").

• It is longer than the short ◌ิ sound.

Tones of syllables created by ◌ี
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
◌ี อี อี่ อี้ อี๊

Pronunciation

เ◌ะ[e]

The Thai letter เ◌ะ is a vowel symbol, it represents the sound /ɛ/, which is similar to the short "e" sound in English words like "bed" or "pen."

This vowel is a combination of the base vowel เ and the diacritic ◌ะ (which shortens the vowel sound). When combined, it creates a short e sound.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Short Vowel: เ◌ะ represents a short /ɛ/ sound, which is pronounced quickly and sharply.

• The sound is somewhat like the English "e" in "bed", but it is short and clipped.

2. English Comparison:

• It is similar to the short "e" sound in words like "bed", "pen", or "red".

3. IPA Representation:

• /ɛ/ (short "e" sound, like in "bed").

Examples of Words with เ◌ะ:

• เดะ /dè/: kid, baby (informal)

• เตะ /tè/: to kick

• เกะกะ /kè.kàʔ/: messy, obstructive


Tones of syllables created by เ◌ะ
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
เ◌ะ เอะ

Pronunciation

เ◌[eː]

The Thai letter เ◌ is a vowel symbol, it represents the long /e/ sound, which is similar to the "e" in English words like "bed" or "red, but longer in duration.

When the vowel เ◌ is written before a consonant, it indicates a long /e/ vowel sound.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Long Vowel: เ◌ represents a long /e/ sound, unlike the short /ɛ/ sound represented by เ◌ะ.

• The sound is pronounced longer than the short e sound.

2. English Comparison:

• It is similar to the "e" in words like "bed" or "red", but held for a longer duration.

3. IPA Representation:

• /eː/ (long "e" sound, like in "bed" but held longer).

Examples of Words with เ◌:

• เม /meː/: female monk (nun)

• เล /leː/: to run away (slang)

• เล่น /lên/: to play


Tones of syllables created by เ◌
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
เ◌ เอ เอ่ เอ้ เอ๊

Pronunciation

แ◌ะ[ɛ]

The Thai letter แ◌ะ is a vowel symbol, it represents the short /ɛ/ sound, similar to the "e" in English words like "cat" or "hat."

This vowel is a combination of the base vowel แ and the diacritic ◌ะ (which shortens the vowel sound), resulting in a short /ɛ/ sound.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Short Vowel: แ◌ะ represents a short /ɛ/ sound, which is sharp and quick.

• The sound is similar to the "e" in words like "cat", "hat", or "man", but it is short and quick.

2. English Comparison:

• It is similar to the short "e" sound in words like "cat", "hat", or "man".

3. IPA Representation:

• /ɛ/ (short "e" sound, like in "cat").

Examples of Words with แ◌ะ:

• แกะ /kɛ̀ʔ/: sheep

• แบะ /bɛ̀ʔ/: to spread (e.g., legs, arms)

• แทะ /tʰɛ́ʔ/: to nibble, to gnaw

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Short Vowel Sound:

• The แ◌ะ sound is short and pronounced quickly, similar to the English "e" in "cat".

• To practice, say "cat", but make the sound quick and sharp, without holding it for too long.

2. Mouth Position:

• The mouth should be relaxed, with the tongue in a low position in the mouth, making the /ɛ/ sound.

Summary:

• แ◌ะ represents the short /ɛ/ sound (similar to the "e" in "cat" or "hat").

• It is a short vowel sound, pronounced quickly and sharply.

Tones of syllables created by แ◌ะ
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
แ◌ะ เเอะ

Pronunciation

แ◌[ɛː]

The Thai letter แ◌ is a vowel symbol, it represents the long /ɛː/ sound, similar to the "e" sound in English words like "air" or "care," but held for a longer duration.

When แ◌ is written before a consonant, it indicates a long /ɛː/ sound.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Long Vowel: แ◌ represents a long /ɛː/ sound, which is similar to the English sound in "air" or "care".

• The sound is held longer than the short /ɛ/ sound, and the tongue position is similar to that of the short /ɛ/, but it is elongated.

2. English Comparison:

• It is similar to the "e" sound in English words like "air", "care", or "fair", but it is pronounced with a slightly longer duration.

3. IPA Representation:

• /ɛː/ (long "e" sound, like in "air" or "care").

Examples of Words with แ◌:

• แรง /rɛːŋ/: force, strength

• แกง /kɛːŋ/: curry (Thai dish)

• แฟน /fɛːn/: boyfriend/girlfriend

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Long Vowel Sound:

• The แ◌ sound is longer than the short /ɛ/ sound. When practicing, make sure to hold the vowel sound slightly longer.

• To practice, try saying the English word "air", but make sure to stretch the vowel sound out a little more.

2. Mouth Position:

• The tongue should be in a mid-high position in the mouth, and the lips should be relaxed. It's a more open sound compared to the "ee" sound in English.

Summary:

• แ◌ represents the long /ɛː/ sound (similar to the "e" in "air" or "care").

• It is a long vowel sound, pronounced for a longer duration than the short แ◌ะ sound.

Tones of syllables created by แ◌
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
แ◌ แอ แอ่ แอ้ แอ๊
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