There are 28 simple vowels, including 12 each in a short and a long version. Not for each vowel is an own vowel sign available so that some are composed of several characters. In this case, it is important that the vowel characters are regarded as a unit. A decomposition into individual characters is not permitted, as in part the result of the individual characters have a completely different sound.
To name a vowel, the word สระ
[sa\
ra\
] = vowel, followed by the sound of the character is spoken.
The red O ANG in the following pictures indicate only the position of the consonant. However, Black O ANG are part of the vowel combination.
Two or three characters composite vowel combinations. They must be regarded and learned as a unit.
Rarely used vowels in consonantal characters with examples:
Short vowel |
Long vowel
|
|
|
|
|
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ฦ
|
lü
|
LO LÜ
|
No Thai word with short LO LÜ
|
|
|
รร
|
a
|
รอหัน
Double RO RUA = ra:w--
han\/
with following consonant
|
สรรพ
sap\
|
|
|
รร
|
an
|
รอหัน
Double RO RUA = ra:w--
han\/
without following consonant
|
สรรหา
san\/
ha:\/
สวรรค์
sa\
wan\/
|
|
|
Change in the notation for vowels
The spelling of some vowels in the word may change to address problematic cases.
The short vowel -ะ
(วิสรรชนีย์)
is used only if the syllable has no final consonant. Example: จะ
[dja\].
In syllables with final consonant, the character ไม้หันอากาศ
is used. Example: จัก
[jak\].
The character -ะ is also used to shorten long vowels like เ-ะ [e] and แ-ะ [ae]. In syllables with final consonants, however, it is replaced by ็
(ไม้ไต่คู้)
[may/tay\khu:/]. Therefore, instead of เปะน
[pen-], เป็น
[pen-] is written.
For the vowel combination เ-า
[ao] the วิสรรชนีย์
is not used to short (it is short already), it becomes an entirely different vowel: เ-าะ
is the short [aw]. Does the modified syllable also has a tone mark
้ (ไม้โท)
[may/
tho:--],
this changes also the spelling. เก้าะ
is changed to ก็
[gaw/\
]. This is an absolute exception, because it is only this one word to which the rule applies.
The vowel combination -ัว
[ua] is so written only if no final consonant in the syllable follows: หัว
[hu:a\/].
Together with a final consonant, ไม้หันอากาศ,
and the character ว comes directly between the initial and final consonant: รวย
[ru:ai--],
ด้วย
[du:ai/\].
Unwritten vowels
Under certain circumstances, vowels are spoken where not found written. A familiar example is the word for street: ถนน
[tha\
non\/].
Here are both a short "a" and a short "o" is inserted in speaking. Two rules are determined for that:
1.) If a syllable has only two consonants, so the initial and final consonant directly consecutive, will be a short "o" spoken in between.
2.) When the initial consonant of a syllable is preceded by another consonant, which acts neither as tone mark (ย,
อ) nor can be spoken fluently together with the second consonant, there is spoken a short 'a' after the first consonant.
In order to avoid mistakes, it is of utmost importance to determine the syllable boundaries within a compound word exactly. Otherwise, it could read from the example ถนน
[tha\
non\/]
a word like [thon--
na/]which is wrong.
With true clusters at the beginning of a syllable there is no insertet "a", because this consonants can be spoken together without a twist in the tongue. For more about clusters see here.
Exeption:At the word for company บริษัท
[bô:--
ri/
sat\
] the first two consonants can be spoken together as [bri\
sat\],
in other words บร
at the beginning like บราทุกรา
[bra:--
thu/
gra:--
] or บรึ๋ย
[breui\/]
they will be spoken together (although this double initial consonant is not defined as true cluster). Nicht jedoch bei บริษัท
[bô:--
ri/
sat\
]. Moreover, no "a" but "a:w"is inserted. This exception applies to Thai words that begin with บริ-,
but not to English loanwords like
บริเตน
[bri\
te:n--]
(Britain) oder บริดจ์
[brit\]
(Bridge). In addition, the exemption also applies to many Thai words that begin with มร-. Examples: มรณะ
[ma:w--
ra/
na/
] and มรกต
[ma:w--
ra/
got\
]. Another word to which this exception applies, I have found จระเข้
[dja:w\
ra/
khe:/\
] - probably there are more of them. It is necessary even more to learn these words in its entirety.