Pronunciation

The Thai letter ◌ํา is a vowel symbol, it represents a nasalized sound similar to /am/ in English. It is a unique vowel sound in Thai and is used in certain words, often with the nasalization of the vowel.

The vowel ◌ํา is a long vowel that contains a nasalized tone.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Nasalized Vowel: ◌ํา represents a nasalized /am/ sound.

• The sound is similar to the "am" in the English word "ham", but nasalized.

2. English Comparison:

• The sound is similar to the "am" in English, but with a nasalized tone.

• It has a slightly more nasal resonance compared to the regular /am/ sound in English.

3. IPA Representation:

• /am/ or /ãː/ (a nasalized, long vowel sound).

Examples of Words with ◌ํา:

• จำ /t͡ɕam/: to remember

• กำ /kam/: to grip / a handful

• ขำ /kʰam̌/: to chuckle, amused

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Tongue Position:

• The tongue should be positioned towards the back of the mouth.

• The nasalization is important, so some air should be directed through the nose while pronouncing this sound.

2. Lips:

• The lips are generally unrounded when producing the /am/ sound.

3. Sound Duration:

• ◌ํา is a long vowel, so it is held for a longer period than the regular /a/ or /am/ sounds.

4. Nasalization:

• The sound should be nasalized by directing air through the nose while speaking the vowel, similar to how nasal vowels sound in French or Portuguese.

Summary:

• ◌ํา represents the nasalized /am/ sound.

• It is a long vowel sound with nasal resonance, similar to the "am" in "ham", but nasalized.

Pronunciation

The Thai letter ไ◌ is a vowel symbol, it represents a diphthong sound that is pronounced as /ai/, similar to the English "I" in "my" or "fly". ใ◌ is a special vowel mark used in only 20 words to preserve the etymological history.

This vowel is used in words where you need to create a syllable with the /ai/ sound, and it is typically pronounced as a long vowel.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Diphthong: ไ◌ represents the /ai/ diphthong.

• It starts with a sound similar to the "ah" in "father" and glides into the "ee" sound as in "see".

2. English Comparison:

• The sound is like the "I" in the English word "my" or "fly".

• It is a gliding vowel, starting from one sound and moving towards another, similar to a long "I" in English.

3. IPA Representation:

• /ai/ (a diphthong starting with an open-front vowel sound, gliding into a high-front vowel sound).

Examples of Words with ไ◌ใ◌:

• ไว /wai/: fast, quick

• ไข่ /kʰài/: egg

• ใคร /kʰrai/: who

• ใช่ /t͡ɕʰâi/: yes, correct

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Tongue Position:

• Begin by positioning the tongue towards the front of the mouth with the "ah" sound.

• As you move to the second part of the diphthong, the tongue glides to the "ee" sound, with the tongue raised towards the roof of the mouth.

2. Lips:

• The lips are unrounded during this sound, as it is similar to the "I" sound in English.

3. Sound Duration:

• The ไ◌ sound is long, so you should hold it slightly longer than a single vowel sound.

Summary:

• ไ◌ represents the /ai/ diphthong (similar to the "I" in "my" or "fly").

• It is a long, gliding vowel that starts with the "ah" sound and ends with the "ee" sound.

Pronunciation

The Thai letter เ◌า is a vowel symbol, it represents a diphthong sound /aʊ/, which is similar to the "ow" in the English word "how" or "now".

This vowel is a long vowel, so it is sustained for a longer duration, and it is used to form syllables in words that have this diphthong sound.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Diphthong: เ◌า represents the /aʊ/ diphthong.

• It starts with the "a" sound (like in "father") and glides to the "oo" sound (as in "moon").

2. English Comparison:

• The sound is like the "ow" in English, as in "how" or "now".

• It is a gliding vowel, where the tongue starts from a lower position (like /a/) and moves toward a higher, rounded position (like /ʊ/).

3. IPA Representation:

• /aʊ/ (a diphthong, starting with an open-front vowel and gliding to a near-close back vowel).

Examples of Words with เ◌า:

• เข่า /khàw/: knee

• เบา /bao/: light (weight)

• เศร้า /sâo/: sad

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Tongue Position:

• Start with the tongue in a low, open position in the mouth for the first part of the diphthong (like the "a" in "father").

• As you glide towards the second part of the diphthong, raise the tongue towards the back of the mouth, similar to the "oo" in "moon".

2. Lips:

• The lips should be rounded towards the end of the sound, as in the "oo" sound.

3. Sound Duration:

• The เ◌า sound is long, so hold the sound slightly longer compared to a single vowel.

Summary:

• เ◌า represents the /aʊ/ diphthong (similar to the "ow" in "how" or "now").

• It is a long, gliding vowel that starts with the "a" sound and moves toward the "oo" sound.

Pronunciation

The Thai letter ฤ is a vowel symbol, it is a special vowel sound and is not commonly used in everyday speech compared to other vowels. It represents a consonant + vowel combination, often written with r and used with a few consonants to form certain syllables.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Consonant + Vowel: ฤ represents a special sound, often involving a r sound with the vowel. The sound can be thought of as a combination of /r/ (like the rolled "r" in Spanish) and a vowel that has a close "i" sound.

• It is similar to the "ri" sound in "rig", but with a slight roll or flap of the tongue for the "r."

2. English Comparison:

• The closest English sound might be "ree" or "ri" as in "reed", but with a rolled "r" (like the Spanish "perro").

• The sound is more nasal or retroflex in Thai, giving it a slightly different sound compared to English.

3. IPA Representation:

• /rɯ/ or /rɨ/ (A consonant-vowel sound with a rolled "r" and a high-front vowel).

Examples of Words with ฤ:

• ฤกษ์ /rɤ̂ːk/: auspicious time

• พฤหัสบดี /pʰrɯ́.hàt.sà.bɔː.diː/: Thursday

• พฤติกรรม /prɯ́t.tì.kam/: behavior

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Tongue Position:

• Begin by rolling or flapping the r sound with the tongue at the roof of the mouth, a technique similar to the Spanish "r."

• Follow this with the /ɯ/ sound, which is like the "ee" sound in "see" but with the tongue placed further back in the mouth.

2. Lips:

• The lips should be unrounded, as the sound is produced with a high tongue position but without lip rounding.

Summary:

• ฤ represents a consonant-vowel combination with the rolled "r" sound followed by a high-front vowel.

• It is similar to the "ri" sound in "rig", but with a slight rolled "r" and a different tongue position.

Pronunciation

The Thai letter ฤๅ is a vowel symbol, it is an older, archaic form that is used in formal, poetic, or religious contexts. It represents a vowel combination that involves ฤ followed by ๅ (a lengthening symbol). It is not used frequently in modern spoken Thai but can be found in classical literature or certain formal writings.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Consonant + Vowel Combination: The vowel ฤ represents a consonant + vowel combination (like "rue"), and the addition of ๅ makes the vowel sound long.

• Pronounced as a long version of ฤ, which sounds like /rɯː/ or /rɨː/, similar to the "ri" sound with a rolled "r," but held longer.

2. English Comparison:

• The sound is similar to the "ree" or "ri" sound in "reed" but with a rolled "r" (like the rolled "r" in Spanish) and with a longer duration.

• It can be thought of as a longer version of the "ri" sound, similar to a longer "re" with a slightly rolled "r."

3. IPA Representation:

• /rɯː/ or /rɨː/ (a long, rolled "r" followed by a high-front vowel sound).

Examples of Words with ฤๅ:

• ฤๅษี /rɯː.sǐː/: hermit, sage

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Tongue Position:

• Start by rolling the "r" sound with the tongue at the roof of the mouth.

• After the "r", glide into the high-front vowel sound, which is similar to the English "ee" but with the tongue placed further back in the mouth.

• Make sure to prolong the sound, as ๅ is a lengthening symbol, making the vowel sound long.

2. Lips:

• The lips should be unrounded, similar to the pronunciation of "ee" in "see", but the tongue placement is a bit more towards the back.

Summary:

• ฤๅ is a longer version of the vowel ฤ, representing a rolled "r" sound followed by a high-front vowel sound.

Pronunciation

The Thai letter ฦ is a vowel symbol, it is a rare and archaic vowel in the Thai language, mostly found in classical texts and rarely used in modern everyday speech. It represents a unique consonant-vowel combination that is similar to the sound of ฤ, but it is associated with the "ล" consonant (pronounced as "l").

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Consonant + Vowel Combination: ฦ represents a combination of the "ล" consonant and a vowel that is similar to ฤ. The sound can be described as a rolled "l" combined with a vowel sound similar to /ɯ/ or /ɨ/ (like the "ri" sound, but with an "l").

• The tongue produces a rolled "l" sound (a type of liquid consonant) followed by a vowel sound similar to "ri" but with the tongue's position altered for the "l" sound.

2. English Comparison:

• The closest comparison in English might be a rolled "l" followed by a sound like "ee" (as in "see"), but with a rolled or trilled "l". It is a more complex sound and not typically found in English.

• In some ways, it's like the "ri" sound in "rig", but with a rolled or trilled "l".

3. IPA Representation:

• /lɯ/ or /lɨ/ (a rolled or trilled "l" followed by a high-front vowel sound).

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Tongue Position:

• Begin by rolling or trilling the "l" sound with the tongue at the roof of the mouth, similar to the Spanish "r", but with the tongue positioned for "l".

• After the "l", glide into the high-front vowel sound (similar to "ee" in "see" but with a slightly different tongue position).

2. Lips:

• The lips should be unrounded, as the sound is produced without lip rounding, similar to the "ee" sound.

Summary:

• ฦ represents a rolled "l" followed by a vowel sound similar to /ɯ/ or /ɨ/ (like "ri" with a rolled "l").

Pronunciation

The Thai letter ฦๅ is a vowel symbol, it is a rare and archaic form, used in formal, classical, or poetic Thai. The ฦ vowel is an older variant of the vowel ฤ, but with the "ล" (l) consonant. The ๅ symbol is used to lengthen the vowel sound, similar to ฤๅ but involving the l sound instead of r.

Pronunciation Details:

1. Sound Type:

• Consonant + Vowel Combination: ฦๅ combines the consonant ล (l) with the vowel ฤ (pronounced /rɯ/ or /rɨ/), but with the "l" consonant.

• It is pronounced like a rolled "l" followed by the /ɯː/ or /ɨː/ sound, which is a long "ri" sound, but with l instead of r.

• This makes it a somewhat rare and complicated sound, unique to certain formal or literary contexts.

2. English Comparison:

• It’s similar to saying "ree" with a rolled "l" sound (like in some parts of Spain or in languages that have trilled l sounds), followed by a long vowel, like "ee" in "see".

3. IPA Representation:

• /lɯː/ or /lɨː/, a rolled "l" followed by a long high-front vowel sound.

Tips for Pronunciation:

1. Tongue Position:

• Start by rolling or trilling the "l" sound with the tongue at the roof of the mouth.

• After rolling the "l", glide into the high-front vowel sound, which is similar to the "ee" in "see", but with the tongue positioned for the "l" sound.

2. Lips:

• Keep your lips unrounded throughout the sound.

Summary:

• ฦๅ involves the "l" consonant followed by the vowel sound /ɯː/ or /ɨː/ (like a rolled "l" sound, followed by the long "ee" sound).

• This syllable is archaic and rarely used in modern spoken Thai but can appear in classical or religious texts.