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Thai Vowels
Thai | Pronounciation |
---|---|
_า(_) | long aah (medial or final) |
ำ | Short but live, final "ahm" as in "Tom" or "America". Note: can become long in high tone words. |
à¹_ะ | Final, short æ as in "apple" |
à¹_ | Long æ as in halfway between "mem" and "ma'am" (medial or final) |
à¹_ะ | Final, short eh as in "meh" (with just a hint of "may") |
à¹à¹_ | Medial, short eh/ay as in halfway between "take" and "tech" |
à¹_ภ| Long "eu" as in "leurs" or "burn". Note: usually final, this spelling is occasionally medial. |
à¹_ิ_ | Medial, long eu as in the French "bleu" |
_ะ | Final, short "ah" as in "nama rupa" or "Papa John's" |
_ั_ | Medial, short "ah" as in "lot" |
ุ | Short "oo" as in "boot" |
ู | Long "oo" as in "loo" |
à¹_ | Long "oh" as in "loan" |
à¹_ะ | Short, final "oh" as in "go" |
ิ | Short ee as in "tea" |
ี | Long ee as in "cheesy" |
ึ | Short "ü" or "eu" or "ɯ" as in "du champ" |
ื | Long, medial "ɯ/ü/eu" as in "du Paul". |
_ืภ| Long, final "ɯ/ü/eu" as in "du Paul" |
à¹_à¸à¸° | Short, final e/uh as in the French "le" or "de" (or maybe the "e" at the end of "grudge") |
à¹_ | Long eh/ay as in halfway between "may" and "meh". Note: not a dipthong! |
_à¹à¸_ | Short, medial aw/or as in "Lawton" |
à¹_าะ | Short, final aw as in "raw" (with just a hint of "roar") |
_à¸(_) | Long "aw/or" as in halfway between "raw" and "roar" (medial or final) |
_็(_) | Long "aw/or" as in halfway between "raw" and "roar" (only used in one word) |
à¹_à¹_ | Short, medial "æ" as in "bat" (with a hint of "bet") |
_รร | Final, short but live "ahn" as in "flan" |
_ัวะ | Final, short "oo+ah" diphthong. Sounds like "what" with a glotal instead of the "t". Note: occasionally this vowel is written simply as the glide "_ว" (with an implied -ะ "ah") |
_ว_ | Medial, long "oo+ah" diphthong as in "luau" |
à¹_ืà¸(_) | Long "-üa-" diphthong (-eua-). Can be medial or final. |
à¹_ืà¸à¸° | Short, final "-üa" diphthong. Sounds something like "pure". |
à¹_ียะ | Short, final "-ia" diphthong like "ear" with a glotal stop instead of the r |
à¹_ีย(_) | Long "-ia-" diphthong as in "mia". Can be medial or final. |
à¹_า | Short but live final "ah+oo" diphthong as in "tao". Note: can become long in high tone words. |
_าว | Long "ah+oo" glide as in "Lao" |
à¹_ย | Rare, short "-ai" glide used in "Thai" |
à¹_ | Final, short "-ai" diphthong used in only 20 words |
à¹_ | The most common, short, final "-ai" diphthong (sounds like "hi!"). Remember: like all -ai endings, it's alive and becomes long when high tone. |
_ัย | Uncommon phonetic spelling of the terminal, short "-ai" sound |
_าย | Long "-ah+ee" glide. Sounds like "bye!" |
à¹_ย | Long, final "-üi". Maybe "Bernie" without the "n" |
_ิว | Short (but alive) "-iu" glide. Sounds something like "new" (with a bit of "Neo" but not that long) |
_à¹à¸à¸¢ | Short but live (!) final "-aw+yi". Sounds like "toy" |
_à¸à¸¢ | Long "-aw+yi" glide. "Oy! Come back!" or "aw yeah!" minus the "eah" |
à¹_ย | Long "-oh+yi" glide as in "boy" |
_ุย | Short but live, final "-oo+ee" as in "buoy" |
_ึย | Short, final "-eu+yi" glide as in "Louie" |
à¹_ว | Long "-eh/ay+oh" glide. ("Heyo!") |
à¹à¹à¸§ | Short but live, final "-eh+oo" "-eo" glide. |
à¹_ว | Long "-æo" glide. (æ as in "apple") |
à¹à¹à¸§ | Short "-æo" glide. (æ as in "apple") |
_วย | Short (!) but live triphthong "-oo+ah+ee" as in "why" |
_ัว | Long, final "-oo+ah" diphthong (as in "luau" without the last "w" sound or "sewer" cut short) |
à¹_ืà¸à¸¢ | Long "-eu+ah+ee" triphthong / glide. |
à¹_ียว | Long "-ee+ah+oo" triphthong as in Liao |
_วาย | Long "-oo+ah+ee" triphthong as in "Kwai" |
_รร_ | Short, medial "ah" used sometimes (esp in Sanskrit terms) instead of ั |