As we describe each sound of Thai, we'll also teach you how that sound is written using the pronunciation guide system of your choice. Read on...
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One of my biggest frustrations when trying to learn or use Thai language on the web is that I can never read the microscopic Thai letters that everyone seems to use on their web pages! At slice-of-thai.com, we proudly present to you the buttons that every site should have. Choose your Thai font and font size and we will remember your setting and instantly apply it to all pages on slice-of-thai.com. |
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As you've probably noticed, nearly every book and website uses a different pronunciation guide system (also known as "romanization," "karaoke language," "transliteration," or "phonemic transcription" systems) for helping you learn the pronunciation of native Thai words. Here at slice-of-thai.com, we let you choose the system(s) you want to see. Check your favorite system(s) below, and we will remember your setting and instantly apply it to all pages on slice-of-thai.com. Pronunciation guides are a useful crutch, but they have hidden pitfalls which may surprise you: learn more about this, as well as how each system differs, at Pronunciation Guide Systems for Thai. Also, you can click on any system below for more information. |
System | Description | Example คุณ เก็บ เสื้อ ไว้ ไหน | |
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Paiboon+ | Used in all recent Paiboon titles | [kun-gèp-sʉ̂ʉa-wái-nǎi] | |
Paiboon | Benjawan Poomsan Becker's Thai for Beginners | [kun-gèp-sʉ̂a-wái-nǎi] | |
Easy Thai | Spells out each syllable using simple Thai | [คุนM-เก็บL-เซื่อF-ไว้H-ไหฺนR] | |
TLC | From the fantastic thai-language.com | [khoonM-gepL-seuuaF-waiH-naiR] | |
Tiger | Thai learning books from Tiger Press | [koon-gèp-sûea-wái-nǎi] | |
Haas | Mary Haas (adopted by AUA, US Peace Corps) | [ˈkhun ˈkèp ˈsʉ̂a ˈwáy ˈnǎy] | |
IPA | International Phonetic Alphabet: nerds love it | [ˈkʰun ˈkèp ˈsɯ̂ːa ˈwáj ˈnǎj] | |
ALA-LC | ALA / US Library of Congress | [khunM-kepL-sư̄aF-waiH-naiR] | |
TYT | Teach Yourself Thai by David Smyth | [ˈkOOn ˈgèp ˈsêu-a ˈwái ˈnǎi] | |
LP | System from the Lonely Planet guidebooks | [khun-kèp-sêua-wái-nǎi] | |
T2E | From thai2english.com | [kun-gèp-sêua-wái-nǎi] | |
Thai Govt+ | Lame system used for Thai road signs + tones | [khun-kèp-sûea-wái-nǎi] | |
Example of how it will look: [sʉ̂ʉa, sʉ̂a, เซื่อF, seuuaF, sûea, ˈsʉ̂a, ˈsɯ̂ːa, sư̄aF, ˈsêu-a, sêua, sêua, sûea] |
System example shows: | |
Paiboon+ Used in all recent Paiboon titles [kun-gèp-sʉ̂ʉa-wái-nǎi] | |
Paiboon Benjawan Poomsan Becker's Thai for Beginners [kun-gèp-sʉ̂a-wái-nǎi] | |
Easy Thai Spells out each syllable using simple Thai [คุนM-เก็บL-เซื่อF-ไว้H-ไหฺนR] | |
TLC From the fantastic thai-language.com [khoonM-gepL-seuuaF-waiH-naiR] | |
Tiger Thai learning books from Tiger Press [koon-gèp-sûea-wái-nǎi] | |
Haas Mary Haas (adopted by AUA, US Peace Corps) [ˈkhun ˈkèp ˈsʉ̂a ˈwáy ˈnǎy] | |
IPA International Phonetic Alphabet: nerds love it [ˈkʰun ˈkèp ˈsɯ̂ːa ˈwáj ˈnǎj] | |
ALA-LC ALA / US Library of Congress [khunM-kepL-sư̄aF-waiH-naiR] | |
TYT Teach Yourself Thai by David Smyth [ˈkOOn ˈgèp ˈsêu-a ˈwái ˈnǎi] | |
LP System from the Lonely Planet guidebooks [khun-kèp-sêua-wái-nǎi] | |
T2E From thai2english.com [kun-gèp-sêua-wái-nǎi] | |
Thai Govt+ Lame system used for Thai road signs + tones [khun-kèp-sûea-wái-nǎi] | |
Example of how it will look: [sʉ̂ʉa, sʉ̂a, เซื่อF, seuuaF, sûea, ˈsʉ̂a, ˈsɯ̂ːa, sư̄aF, ˈsêu-a, sêua, sêua, sûea] |
Instead, when we're talking about Thai language, "long" and "short" mean exactly what they say: you say a "long" vowel for a longer time than a "short" vowel, but both vowels have exactly the same voice quality (the same timbre). It's like the difference between "ah" and "aaaaaaaaah."
The surprising and amazing part is that in Thai, you can have two words that differ only by whether their vowel is long or short. For example, In English, if you say "man" or you draw out the vowel like "maaaaaaaaaan," you're nearly always saying the same word. But in Thai, many vowels have two versions: one that has a short duration and one that has a long duration. You need to use the right one, otherwise you will say the wrong word. For example, the words มัน [man, man, มันM, manM, man, ˈman, ˈman, manM, ˈmun, man, man, man] (n. it, fat, oil) and มาร [maan, maan, มานM, maanM, mahn, ˈmaan, ˈmaːn, mānM, ˈmahn, maan, maan, man] (n. devil; supreme spirit of evil) differ only in the length of the vowel!
The pronunciation guide systems represent vowel length in different ways:
Here are the basic vowel sounds of Thai. Alongside each basic sound, we have listed some of the symbols used for long and short versions of that sound in the pronunciation guide system(s) that you have chosen.
Wherever you see a play button below, you can click to hear the sound.
If you see a blue asterisk (*) next to a pronunciation guide symbol below, you can click it to read more details about how that symbol works in the system(s) you have chosen:
We have also listed some of the long and short written Thai vowels for that sound. We'll give you more detail on which sound is long and which is short in a later section.
Sound | Description | ||
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[a, a, −ะ/−ั−◌ะ/ั◌, a, a, a, a, a, a/u−, a, a, a] [−ะ/−ั−◌ะ/ั◌] [aa, aa, −า/−า−◌า/◌า◌, aa, ah, aa, aː, ā, ah, aa, aa, a] | This is the "aah" sound that gives Boston English its characteristic twang. Think Charles Emerson Winchester III from the old TV show In US and UK News English, this sound never appears by itself, but it does appear as the first half of the vowel pair in English words like lie, how, and house. So, if you're too young to have seen Contrary to what many books (and our old flashcards!) say, for most speakers, this is not the sound in US and UK News father (say "father's house": only the second "a" sound is correct). Depending on your English dialect, the sound in father is either close to the Thai [ɔɔ, ɔɔ, −อ/−อ−◌อ/◌อ◌, aaw, aw, ɔɔ, ɔː, ǭ, or, aw, or/o−, o], or halfway between [a, a, −ะ/−ั−◌ะ/ั◌, a, a, a, a, a, a/u−, a, a, a] and [ɔɔ, ɔɔ, −อ/−อ−◌อ/◌อ◌, aaw, aw, ɔɔ, ɔː, ǭ, or, aw, or/o−, o] (and thus not a Thai sound at all). Either way, using "father" as your learning word is likely to get you misunderstood. This "a" sound is also found in many European languages as spoken by native speakers of that language (e.g. "amigo" in Spanish, "amico" in Italian). But keep in mind that when foreign words get loaned into English, their pronunciation often changes. For example, many Americans will pronounce "amigo" as "uh-migo," differently than a native Spanish speaker, and "uh-migo" is not the correct "a" sound we're trying to identify here. So only use the European examples if you are, or have access to, a native speaker. Sample words:
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[e, e, เ−ะ/เ−็−เ◌ะ/เ็◌, eh/e−*, e, e, e, e, e, e, e, e] [เ−ะ/เ−็−เ◌ะ/เ็◌] [ee, ee, เ−/เ−−เ◌/เ◌◌, aeh, ay, ee, eː, ē, ay, eh, ay, e] | In this category, we include two different sounds that are typically grouped together in Thai language study, because no two words in Thai differ only by these two sounds. In other words, you can think of these sounds as two expressions of the same underlying "basic sound" in Thai (in the linguistic jargon, these two sounds are both the same phoneme):
And here's where these two sounds typically occur:
Very few Thais are even aware that they make these two different sounds. Thais have been taught since early childhood that there is just one pale sound; when speaking, they switch to pet automatically without thinking. As a native English speaker, you will probably find yourself speaking the right sound automatically too, because there is a similar pattern in English phonetics. But the problem comes when you try to actually understand when a Thai person speaks to you! Learning both sounds now will help you a lot when you're trying to look up a new Thai word you've heard in the dictionary. When speaking, you can generally make either the pale or pet sound and "get away with it:" you'll be understood, though you might sound a bit funny if you don't follow common conventions. But it's really important not to go too far and make it sound like pat. That is a different basic Thai vowel sound [แ−/แ−−แ◌/แ◌◌], which we will discuss below, and so you will be probably be speaking a different word. For example, to continue our sound example above, here's what the word แพทย์ [pɛ̂ɛt, pɛ̂ɛt, แพดF, phaaetF, pâet, ˈphɛ̂ɛt, ˈpʰɛ̂ːt, phǣtF, ˈpâirt, phâet, pâet, phâet] (n. doctor, physician) sounds like: . In Thai Script, the pale and pet sounds are written with the same set of vowels (the vowels [เ−/เ−−เ◌/เ◌◌] and [เ−ะ/เ−็−เ◌ะ/เ็◌]). For regular syllables whose sound follows the rule above, you could also think of it as if there's a long pale sound written like [เ−/เ−−เ◌/เ◌◌], a short pale sound written like [เ−ะเ◌ะ], and a short pet sound written like [เ−็−เ็◌]. Most pronunciation guide systems write these two sounds with the same symbol. For example, Paiboon, Paiboon+, and LP glom them together into one 'e' symbol, expecting you to figure out whether to say pale or pet from the context. An older version of Paiboon+, present on slice-of-thai.com only from Feb 2008-Feb 2009, separated the two sounds into "e" for pale and "e" for pet, but we removed this distinction in order to be consistent with the Paiboon+ used in Paiboon's new dictionaries released in Feb 2009. Currently, the only system that separates the two sounds is TLC. The ultra-detailed IPA system has the expressive power to distinguish these sounds. That is, one can choose to use IPA phonetically, by using a separate symbol pale and pet. On slice-of-thai.com, we use the IPA phonemically, so both sounds are written with the symbol "e." The pronunciation guide system that you have currently chosen uses these symbols for the two short sounds:
Sample words:
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[ɛ, ɛ, แ−ะ/แ−็−แ◌ะ/แ็◌, ae, ae, ɛ, ɛ, æ, air, ae, ae, ae] [แ−ะ/แ−็−แ◌ะ/แ็◌] [ɛɛ, ɛɛ, แ−/แ−−แ◌/แ◌◌, aae, ae, ɛɛ, ɛː, ǣ, air, ae, ae, ae] | This one's easy; it's the sound from cat. Sample words:
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[ə, ə, เ−อะ/เ−ิ−Sเ◌อะ/เิ◌S, uh/er−, er, ə, ə, œ, er, oe, uh/er−, oe] [เ−อะ/เ−ิ−Sเ◌อะ/เิ◌S] [əə, əə, เ−อ/เ−ิ−เ◌อ/เิ◌, uuhr/eer−, er, əə, əː, œ̄, er, oe, er, oe] | Although this sound is close to that in sofa and about, it's really close to the US News English teacher (just the e; don't include the r sound), and it's also really close to the way some people say "well duuuuuh!" Ask a Thai to hear what this vowel sounds like. Sample words:
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[i, i, −ิ/−ิ−ิ/ิ◌, i*, i, i, i, i, i, i, i, i] [−ิ/−ิ−ิ/ิ◌] [ii, ii, −ี/−ี−ี/ี◌, ee*, ee, ii, iː, ī, ee, ii, ee, i] | In this category, we include two different sounds that are typically grouped together in Thai language study, because no two words in Thai differ only by these two sounds. In other words, you can think of these sounds as two expressions of the same underlying "basic sound" in Thai (in the linguistic jargon, these two sounds are both the same phoneme). We gave you more details on this important concept in our [ee, ee, เ−/เ−−เ◌/เ◌◌, aeh, ay, ee, eː, ē, ay, eh, ay, e] category above; go back and read that first if you haven't already. The two sounds are:
And here's where these two sounds typically occur:
When you make the bit sound, be sure not to go too far and make it sound like bet or bat; those are different basic Thai vowel sounds that we discussed here and here, respectively, and so you will be probably be speaking a different word. In Thai Script, the beet and bit sounds are written with the same set of vowels (the vowels [−ี/−ี−ี/ี◌] and [−ิ/−ิ−ิ/ิ◌]). For regular syllables whose sound follows the rule above, you can think of it as if there's a long beet sound written like [−ี/−ี−ี/ี◌], a short beet sound written like [−ิิ], and a short bit sound written like [−ิ−ิ◌]. Most pronunciation guide systems write these two sounds with the same symbol. For example, Paiboon, Paiboon+, and LP glom them together into one 'i' symbol, expecting you to figure out whether to say beet or bit from the context. An older version of Paiboon+, present on slice-of-thai.com only from Feb 2008-Feb 2009, separated the two sounds into "i" for beet and "ɪ" for bit, but we removed this distinction in order to be consistent with the Paiboon+ used in Paiboon's new dictionaries released in Feb 2009. Currently, the only system that separates the two sounds is TLC. But even TLC is still slightly ambiguous: "i" is always bit, but "ee" could be either one. The ultra-detailed IPA system has the expressive power to distinguish these sounds. That is, one can choose to use IPA phonetically, by using a separate symbol pale and pet. On slice-of-thai.com, we use the IPA phonemically, so both sounds are written with the symbol "e." The pronunciation guide system that you have currently chosen uses these symbols for the two short sounds:
Sample words:
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[o, o, โ−ะ/−−โ◌ะ/◌◌, o/oh−, o, o, o, o, o, o, o, o] [โ−ะ/−−โ◌ะ/◌◌] [oo, oo, โ−/โ−−โ◌/โ◌◌, o:h, oh, oo, oː, ō, oh, oh, oh, o] | This sound is like the US News English (or Irish English) note or go. This sound is not common in other dialects of English, so British readers will have to imagine a Yank or an Irishman saying the words (or just click the play button to hear the sound!). Sample words:
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[ɔ, ɔ, เ−าะ/−็อ−เ◌าะ/็อ◌, aw, aw, ɔ, ɔ, ǫ, or, aw, or/o−, o] [เ−าะ/−็อ−เ◌าะ/็อ◌] [ɔɔ, ɔɔ, −อ/−อ−◌อ/◌อ◌, aaw, aw, ɔɔ, ɔː, ǭ, or, aw, or/o−, o] | This sound is most like the US News English law or bought. It is like the UK News English lot and pot (moreso than the deeper bought or ball). For most English speakers, it is not the same sound as father. Those who are from the midwestern United States will probably have a hard time distinguishing the [a, a, −ะ/−ั−◌ะ/ั◌, a, a, a, a, a, a/u−, a, a, a] and [ɔ, ɔ, เ−าะ/−็อ−เ◌าะ/็อ◌, aw, aw, ɔ, ɔ, ǫ, or, aw, or/o−, o] sounds, since these get merged together in many midwestern dialects, but it's critical to learn the difference, as many Thai words differ only by these sounds. Use the sound files to help you. Sample words:
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[u, u, −ุ/−ุ−ุ/ุ◌, oo, oo, u, u, u, OO, u, u, u] [−ุ/−ุ−ุ/ุ◌] [uu, uu, −ู/−ู−ู/ู◌, uu, oo, uu, uː, ū, oo, uu, oo, u] | This is the sound in boot. Another easy one. Sample words:
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[ʉ, ʉ, −ึ/−ึ−ึ/ึ◌, eu, eu, ʉ, ɯ, ư, eu, eu, eu, ue] [−ึ/−ึ−ึ/ึ◌] [ʉʉ, ʉʉ, −ือ/−ื−ือ/ื◌, euu, ue, ʉʉ, ɯː, ư̄, eu, eu, eu, ue] | This is the one, notorious Thai vowel sound that does not exist in any dialect of English. Find a Thai person to help you practice the sound. To make this sound, say boot, but instead of puckering your lips into a small, rounded opening like a normal oo, spread your lips as far left and right as you can, into a wide smile (but keep your teeth and tongue as you do when saying boot):
For those using the Paiboon, Paiboon+, or IPA pronunciation guide system, you might even think of the horizontal bar across [ʉ] as a little toothpick that holds the edges of your mouth far apart! The [ʉʉ, ʉʉ, อือM, euuM, ue, ˈʔʉʉ, ˈʔɯː, ʿư̄M, ˈeu, eu, eu, ue] is not the same as the French "u" (as in pupitre) or German "ü" (as in über). That sound is made with rounded lips like the English boom, and with the tongue and mouth in a different position than [ʉʉ, ʉʉ, −ือ/−ื−ือ/ื◌, euu, ue, ʉʉ, ɯː, ư̄, eu, eu, eu, ue]. In fact, in some ways, it's the exact opposite sound: it's the sound you get by saying beet with the inside of your mouth, and boot with your lips. Sample words:
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Even for a given speaker, English spelling is frustratingly ambiguous. If you see an "i" in a pronunciation guide, is it supposed to sound like pit? spite? ping? If you see an "o" is it supposed to sound like note? not? noodle?
Our sample words and sounds above answer these questions completely, but for those who use the Paiboon, Paiboon+, or IPA systems, and to some extent all the systems, here is a cool trick which can help remind you what some of the basic vowels sound like.
The key insight here comes from the venerable 1979 Chiang Mai AUA Reading Workbook (J. Marvin Brown, printed at least up until 1998 and possibly still in print), where he says:
The five usual vowel letters (a e i o u) are used as they are in most languages of the world, but not as in English. Even English speakers, though, have a feeling for the 'foreign use' of these vowels from reading foreign words in English (do, re, mi, fa, and tabu)I think every English speaker on the planet still pronounces do, re, mi, fa the same way (thanks to Hollywood and Julie Andrews, sigh), and that is a great way to remember what the o e i and a basic vowels sound like in most pronunciation guide systems. Brown's "tabu" spelling is obsolete, so perhaps a better "foreign" word to use to remember the sound of u would be mumu (for the retro fashion-conscious), ubuntu (for geeks), or tofu (for veggie lovers).
These memory aids won't give you the important fine details we presented above. For example, the "a" doesn't really sound like "fa" and there are two flavors each of "i" and "e". But these aids are a useful trick to start you in the right direction.
Many vowels have both long and short versions, and we show these side-by-side.
Wherever you see a play button below, you can click to hear the long or short sound!
For each vowel, we also list an L or D, indicating whether a syllable ending in that vowel is "Live" or "Dead." This is important for the Thai tone rules, which tell you what tone you must use to speak any given syllable.
Show breakdown of vowels into basic sounds
Show Thai sample words for each vowelShow English definition for Thai sample words
English Example, Basic Sounds | Long | Short | ||||||||
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Guide Symbol | Thai Vowel | L D | Guide Symbol | Thai Vowel | L D | |||||
lie, how, Boston Haavard
| [aa, aa, −า/−า−◌า/◌า◌, aa, ah, aa, aː, ā, ah, aa, aa, a] | [−า/−า−◌า/◌า◌] มา [maa, maa, มาM, maaM, mah, ˈmaa, ˈmaː, māM, ˈmah, maa, maa, ma] vi. come อัตรา [àt-dtraa, àt-dtraa, อัดL-ตฺราM, atL-dtraaM, àt-dtrah, ˈʔàt ˈtraa, ˈʔàt ˈtraː, ʿatL-trāM, ˈùt ˈdtrah, àt-traa, àt-dtraa, àt-tra]n. rate, ratio นาน [naan, naan, นานM, naanM, nahn, ˈnaan, ˈnaːn, nānM, ˈnahn, naan, naan, nan]adv. for a long time มาก [mâak, mâak, มากF, maakF, mâhk, ˈmâak, ˈmâːk, mākF, ˈmâhk, mâak, mâak, mâk]adv. very | L | [a, a, −ะ/−ั−◌ะ/ั◌, a, a, a, a, a, a/u−, a, a, a] | [−ะ/−ั−◌ะ/ั◌] นะ [ná, ná, นะH, naH, ná, ˈná, ˈná, naH, ˈná, ná, ná, ná] part. used to make an utterance gentler กัด [gàt, gàt, กัดL, gatL, gàt, ˈkàt, ˈkàt, katL, ˈgùt, kàt, gàt, kàt]v. bite ชั้น [chán, chán, ชั้นH, chanH, chán, ˈchán, ˈtɕʰán, chanH, ˈchún, chán, chán, chán]n. class, level, floor ชั้นบน [chán-bon, chán-bon, ชั้นH-บนM, chanH-bohnM, chán-bon, ˈchán ˈbon, ˈtɕʰán ˈbon, chanH-bonM, ˈchún ˈbon, chán-bon, chán-bon, chán-bon]n. upper layer, upper story, upstairs พรรค [pák, pák, พักH, phakH, pák, ˈphák, ˈpʰák, phakH, ˈpúk, phák, pák, phák]n. political party นำ [nam, nam, นัมM, namM, nam, ˈnam, ˈnam, namM, ˈnum, nam, nam, nam]v. guide, lead ซ้ำ [sám, sám, ซั้มH, samH, sám, ˈsám, ˈsám, samH, ˈsúm, sám, sám, sám]v. repeat น้ำแข็ง [nám-kɛ̌ng, nám-kɛ̌ng, นั้มH-แข็งR, namH-khaengR, nám-kǎeng, ˈnám ˈkhɛ̌ŋ, ˈnám ˈkʰɛ̌ŋ, namH-khæŋR, ˈnúm ˈkǎirng, nám-khǎeng, nám-kǎeng, nám-khǎeng]n. ice | D | ||||
Thai, sky
| [aai, aai, −าย◌าย, aai*, aai, aay, aːj, āi, ai, ai, aai, ai] | [−าย◌าย] สาย [sǎai, sǎai, สายR, saaiR, sǎai, ˈsǎay, ˈsǎːj, sāiR, ˈsǎi, sǎi, sǎai, sǎi] adj. late กาย [gaai, gaai, กายM, gaaiM, gaai, ˈkaay, ˈkaːj, kāiM, ˈgai, kai, gaai, kai]n. body | L | [ai, ai, ไ−ไ◌, ai*, ai, ay, aj, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai] | [ไ−ไ◌] ภัย [pai, pai, ไพM, phaiM, pai, ˈphay, ˈpʰaj, phaiM, ˈpai, phai, pai, phai] n. danger ไทย [tai, tai, ไทM, thaiM, tai, ˈthay, ˈtʰaj, thaiM, ˈtai, thai, tai, thai]adj. Thai ไม้กวาด [mái-gwàat, mái-gwàat, ไม้H-กฺวาดL, maiH-gwaatL, mái-gwàht, ˈmáy ˈkwàat, ˈmáj ˈkwàːt, maiH-kwātL, ˈmái ˈgwàht, mái-kwàat, mái-gwàat, mái-kwàt]n. broom ไม้เอก [mái-èek, mái-èek, ไม้H-เอกL, maiH-aehkL, mái-àyk, ˈmáy ˈʔèek, ˈmáj ˈʔèːk, maiH-ʿēkL, ˈmái ˈàyk, mái-èhk, mái-àyk, mái-èk]n. first Thai tone mark ได้รับ [dâi-ráp, dâi-ráp, ได้F-รับH, daiF-rapH, dâi-ráp, ˈdây ˈráp, ˈdâj ˈráp, daiF-rapH, ˈdâi ˈrúp, dâi-ráp, dâi-ráp, dâi-ráp]vt. receive ไก่ [gài, gài, ไก่L, gaiL, gài, ˈkày, ˈkàj, kaiL, ˈgài, kài, gài, kài]n. chicken ไม่ [mâi, mâi, ไม่F, maiF, mâi, ˈmây, ˈmâj, maiF, ˈmâi, mâi, mâi, mâi]adj. not ใช้ [chái, chái, ไช้H, chaiH, chái, ˈcháy, ˈtɕʰáj, chaiH, ˈchái, chái, chái, chái]vt. use ไข้ [kâi, kâi, ไค่F, khaiF, kâi, ˈkhây, ˈkʰâj, khaiF, ˈkâi, khâi, kâi, khâi]n. fever ไข้หวัดนก [kâi-wàt-nók, kâi-wàt-nók, ไค่F-หฺวัดL-นกH, khaiF-watL-nohkH, kâi-wàt-nók, ˈkhây ˈwàt ˈnók, ˈkʰâj ˈwàt ˈnók, khaiF-watL-nokH, ˈkâi ˈwùt ˈnók, khâi-wàt-nók, kâi-wàt-nók, khâi-wàt-nók]n. bird flu เป็นไข้ [bpen-kâi, bpen-kâi, เป็นM-ไค่F, bpenM-khaiF, pben-kâi, ˈpen ˈkhây, ˈpen ˈkʰâj, penM-khaiF, ˈbpen ˈkâi, pen-khâi, bpen-kâi, pen-khâi]adj. feverish | L | ||||
chow, powder
| [aao, aao, −าว/−าว−◌าว/◌าว◌, aao, ao, aaw, aːw, āo, ao, ao, aao, ao] | [−าว/−าว−◌าว/◌าว◌] ขาว [kǎao, kǎao, ขาวR, khaaoR, kǎo, ˈkhǎaw, ˈkʰǎːw, khāoR, ˈkǎo, khǎo, kǎao, khǎo] adj. white ดาวน์โหลด [daao-lòot, daao-lòot, ดาวM-โหฺลดL, daaoM-lo:htL, dao-lòht, ˈdaaw ˈlòot, ˈdaːw ˈlòːt, dāoM-lōtL, ˈdao ˈlòht, dao-lòht, daao-lòht, dao-lòt]v. download | L | [ao, ao, เ−า/−าว−Sเ◌า/◌าว◌S, ao, ow, aw, aw, ao, ao, ao, ao, ao] | [เ−า/−าว−Sเ◌า/◌าว◌S] เรา [rao, rao, เราM, raoM, row, ˈraw, ˈraw, raoM, ˈrao, rao, rao, rao] pron. us เม่า [mâo, mâo, เม่าF, maoF, môw, ˈmâw, ˈmâw, maoF, ˈmâo, mâo, mâo, mâo]n. species of insect or rice เล้า [láo, láo, เล้าH, laoH, lów, ˈláw, ˈláw, laoH, ˈláo, láo, láo, láo]n. coop, sty | L | ||||
pale/pet
| [ee, ee, เ−/เ−−เ◌/เ◌◌, aeh, ay, ee, eː, ē, ay, eh, ay, e] | [เ−/เ−−เ◌/เ◌◌] เป้ [bpêe, bpêe, เป้F, bpaehF, pbây, ˈpêe, ˈpêː, pēF, ˈbpây, pêh, bpây, pê] n. backpack เปล [bplee, bplee, เปฺลM, bplaehM, pblay, ˈplee, ˈpleː, plēM, ˈbplay, pleh, bplay, ple]n. hammock เท [tee, tee, เทM, thaehM, tay, ˈthee, ˈtʰeː, thēM, ˈtay, theh, tay, the]vt. pour from a container เขต [kèet, kèet, เขดL, khaehtL, kàyt, ˈkhèet, ˈkʰèːt, khētL, ˈkàyt, khèht, kàyt, khèt]n. area, region, district | L | [e, e, เ−ะ/เ−็−เ◌ะ/เ็◌, eh/e−*, e, e, e, e, e, e, e, e] | [เ−ะ/เ−็−เ◌ะ/เ็◌] เป๊ะ [bpé, bpé, เป๊ะH, bpehH, pbé, ˈpé, ˈpé, peH, ˈbpé, pé, bpé, pé] adv. exactly, precisely เละ [lé, lé, เละH, lehH, lé, ˈlé, ˈlé, leH, ˈlé, lé, lé, lé]adj. mushy, slushy เผ็ด [pèt, pèt, เผ็ดL, phetL, pèt, ˈphèt, ˈpʰèt, phetL, ˈpèt, phèt, pèt, phèt]adj. spicy, hot เม็ด [mét, mét, เม็ดH, metH, mét, ˈmét, ˈmét, metH, ˈmét, mét, mét, mét]n. seed เหม็น [měn, měn, เหฺม็นR, menR, měn, ˈměn, ˈměn, menR, ˈměn, měn, měn, měn]adj. smelly | D | ||||
Beowulf, stay over
| [eeo, eeo, เ−วเ◌ว, aayo, ayo, eew, eːw, ēo, ay-o, ehw, eo, eo] | [เ−วเ◌ว] เลว [leeo, leeo, เลวM, laayoM, layo, ˈleew, ˈleːw, lēoM, ˈlay-o, lehw, leo, leo] adj. bad, poor, evil | L | [eo, eo, เ−วSเ◌วS, eo, eo, ew, ew, eo, eo, ehw, eo, eo] | [เ−วSเ◌วS] เร็ว [reo, reo, เร็วM, reoM, reo, ˈrew, ˈrew, reoM, ˈreo, rehw, reo, reo] adj. fast, quick | L | ||||
cat
| [ɛɛ, ɛɛ, แ−/แ−−แ◌/แ◌◌, aae, ae, ɛɛ, ɛː, ǣ, air, ae, ae, ae] | [แ−/แ−−แ◌/แ◌◌] แปล [bplɛɛ, bplɛɛ, แปฺลM, bplaaeM, pblae, ˈplɛɛ, ˈplɛː, plǣM, ˈbplair, plae, bplae, plae] v. translate, interpret แสง [sɛ̌ɛng, sɛ̌ɛng, แสงR, saaengR, sǎeng, ˈsɛ̌ɛŋ, ˈsɛ̌ːŋ, sǣŋR, ˈsǎirng, sǎeng, sǎeng, sǎeng]n. light | L | [ɛ, ɛ, แ−ะ/แ−็−แ◌ะ/แ็◌, ae, ae, ɛ, ɛ, æ, air, ae, ae, ae] | [แ−ะ/แ−็−แ◌ะ/แ็◌] แกะ [gɛ̀, gɛ̀, แกะL, gaeL, gàe, ˈkɛ̀, ˈkɛ̀, kæL, ˈgàir, kàe, gàe, kàe] n. sheep และ [lɛ́, lɛ́, และH, laeH, láe, ˈlɛ́, ˈlɛ́, læH, ˈláir, láe, láe, láe]conj. and, also แข็ง [kɛ̌ng, kɛ̌ng, แข็งR, khaengR, kǎeng, ˈkhɛ̌ŋ, ˈkʰɛ̌ŋ, khæŋR, ˈkǎirng, khǎeng, kǎeng, khǎeng]adj. hard, stiff | D | ||||
baby waeh waeh
| [ɛɛo, ɛɛo, แ−วแ◌ว, aaeo, aeo, ɛɛw, ɛːw, ǣo, air-o, aew, aew, aeo] | [แ−วแ◌ว] แนว [nɛɛo, nɛɛo, แนวM, naaeoM, naeo, ˈnɛɛw, ˈnɛːw, nǣoM, ˈnair-o, naew, naew, naeo] n. line, row, ridge แถว [tɛ̌ɛo, tɛ̌ɛo, แถวR, thaaeoR, tǎeo, ˈthɛ̌ɛw, ˈtʰɛ̌ːw, thǣoR, ˈtǎir-o, thǎew, tǎew, thǎeo]n. column | L | [ɛo, ɛo, แ−วSแ◌วS, aeo, aeo, ɛw, ɛw, æo, air-o, aew, aew, aeo] | [แ−วSแ◌วS] | L | ||||
sofa, about, duuh!
| [əə, əə, เ−อ/เ−ิ−เ◌อ/เิ◌, uuhr/eer−, er, əə, əː, œ̄, er, oe, er, oe] | [เ−อ/เ−ิ−เ◌อ/เิ◌] เธอ [təə, təə, เทอM, thuuhrM, ter, ˈthəə, ˈtʰəː, thœ̄M, ˈter, thoe, ter, thoe] pron. she (informal), you (intimate) เดิน [dəən, dəən, เดินM, deernM, dern, ˈdəən, ˈdəːn, dœ̄nM, ˈdern, doen, dern, doen]vi. walk ฤกษ์ [rə̂ək, rə̂ək, เริกF, reerkF, rêrk, ˈrə̂ək, ˈrə̂ːk, rœ̄kF, ˈrêrk, rôek, rêrk, rôek]n. auspicious occasion | L | [ə, ə, เ−อะ/เ−ิ−Sเ◌อะ/เิ◌S, uh/er−, er, ə, ə, œ, er, oe, uh/er−, oe] | [เ−อะ/เ−ิ−Sเ◌อะ/เิ◌S] เยอะ [yə́, yə́, เยอะH, yuhH, yér, ˈyə́, ˈjə́, yœH, ˈyér, yóe, yúh, yóe] adj. many, much | D | ||||
sofa yawn
| [əəi, əəi, เ−ยเ◌ย, eeuy, eeuy, əəy, əːj, œ̄i, er-ee, oei, oie, oei] | [เ−ยเ◌ย] เนย [nəəi, nəəi, เนยM, neeuyM, neeuy, ˈnəəy, ˈnəːj, nœ̄iM, ˈner-ee, noei, noie, noei] n. butter เลย [ləəi, ləəi, เลยM, leeuyM, leeuy, ˈləəy, ˈləːj, lœ̄iM, ˈler-ee, loei, loie, loei]adv. farther, beyond | L | [əi, əi, เ−ยSเ◌ยS, eeuy, eeuy, əəy, əj, œi, er-ee, oei, oie, oei] | [เ−ยSเ◌ยS] เห้ย [hə̂i, hə̂i, เฮ่ยISF, heeuyF, hêeuy, ˈhə̂əy, ˈhə̂j, hœiF, ˈhêr-ee, hôei, hôie, hôei] sent. Hey! เฮ่ย [hə̂i, hə̂i, เฮ่ยISF, heeuyF, hêeuy, ˈhə̂əy, ˈhə̂j, hœiF, ˈhêr-ee, hôei, hôie, hôei]sent. Hey! | L | ||||
sofa out
| [əəo, əəo, เ−อวเ◌อว, uaaw, eeuow, əw, əaw, œ̄o, er-o, oeaw, ero, oeaw] | [เ−อวเ◌อว] แม่เกอว [mɛ̂ɛ-gəəo, mɛ̂ɛ-gəəo, แม่F-เกอวM, maaeF-guaawM, mâe-geeuow, ˈmɛ̂ɛ ˈkəw, ˈmɛ̂ː ˈkəaw, mǣF-kœ̄oM, ˈmâir ˈger-o, mâe-koeaw, mâe-gero, mâe-koeaw] n. rare Thai sound group | L | |||||||
beet/bit
| [ii, ii, −ี/−ี−ี/ี◌, ee*, ee, ii, iː, ī, ee, ii, ee, i] | [−ี/−ี−ี/ี◌] มี [mii, mii, มีM, meeM, mee, ˈmii, ˈmiː, mīM, ˈmee, mii, mee, mi] v. have หมี [mǐi, mǐi, หฺมีR, meeR, měe, ˈmǐi, ˈmǐː, mīR, ˈměe, mǐi, měe, mǐ]n. bear มีด [mîit, mîit, มีดF, meetF, mêet, ˈmîit, ˈmîːt, mītF, ˈmêet, mîit, mêet, mît]n. knife อีก [ìik, ìik, อีกL, eekL, èek, ˈʔìik, ˈʔìːk, ʿīkL, ˈèek, ìik, èek, ìk]adv. again | L | [i, i, −ิ/−ิ−ิ/ิ◌, i*, i, i, i, i, i, i, i, i] | [−ิ/−ิ−ิ/ิ◌] ติ [dtì, dtì, ติL, dtiL, dtì, ˈtì, ˈtì, tiL, ˈdtì, tì, dtì, tì] vt. criticize, pick on หิมะ [hì-má, hì-má, หิL-มะH, hiL-maH, hì-má, ˈhì ˈmá, ˈhì ˈmá, hiL-maH, ˈhì ˈmá, hì-má, hì-má, hì-má]n. snow ปิด [bpìt, bpìt, ปิดL, bpitL, pbìt, ˈpìt, ˈpìt, pitL, ˈbpìt, pìt, bpìt, pìt]vt. close, switch off บิน [bin, bin, บินM, binM, bin, ˈbin, ˈbin, binM, ˈbin, bin, bin, bin]v. fly อังกฤษ [ang-grìt, ang-grìt, อังM-กฺริดL, angM-gritL, ang-grìt, ˈʔaŋ ˈkrìt, ˈʔaŋ ˈkrìt, ʿaŋM-kritL, ˈung ˈgrìt, ang-krìt, ang-grìt, ang-krìt]n. England, English | D | ||||
Matthew
| [iu, iu, −ิวิว, iu, ew, iw, iu, iu, ee-oo, iu, iw, io] | [−ิวิว] หิว [hǐu, hǐu, หิวR, hiuR, hěw, ˈhǐw, ˈhǐu, hiuR, ˈhěe-oo, hǐu, hǐw, hǐo] adj. hungry นิ้ว [níu, níu, นิ้วH, niuH, néw, ˈníw, ˈníu, niuH, ˈnée-oo, níu, níw, nío]n. finger, inch | L | |||||||
Mama Mia
| [iia, ia, เ−ีย/เ−ีย−เีย/เีย◌, iia, eea, ia, iːa, īa, ee-a, ia, ia, ia] | [เ−ีย/เ−ีย−เีย/เีย◌] เสีย [sǐia, sǐa, เสียR, siiaR, sěea, ˈsǐa, ˈsǐːa, sīaR, ˈsěe-a, sǐa, sǐa, sǐa] adj. broken, damaged เกลียด [glìiat, glìat, เกฺลียดL, gliiatL, glèeat, ˈklìat, ˈklìːat, klīatL, ˈglèe-at, klìat, glìat, klìat]v. hate เพียบ [pîiap, pîap, เพียบF, phiiapF, pêeap, ˈphîap, ˈpʰîːap, phīapF, ˈpêe-ap, phîap, pîap, phîap]adj. full of, heavily loaded เสียง [sǐiang, sǐang, เสียงR, siiangR, sěeang, ˈsǐaŋ, ˈsǐːaŋ, sīaŋR, ˈsěe-ang, sǐang, sǐang, sǐang]n. sound, tone เสี่ยง [sìiang, sìang, เสี่ยงL, siiangL, sèeang, ˈsìaŋ, ˈsìːaŋ, sīaŋL, ˈsèe-ang, sìang, sìang, sìang]adj. risky เลี้ยง [líiang, líang, เลี้ยงH, liiangH, léeang, ˈlíaŋ, ˈlíːaŋ, līaŋH, ˈlée-ang, líang, líang, líang]vt. give free stuff to, raise, breed เลี่ยง [lîiang, lîang, เลี่ยงF, liiangF, lêeang, ˈlîaŋ, ˈlîːaŋ, līaŋF, ˈlêe-ang, lîang, lîang, lîang]vt. avoid, sneak away | L | [ia, ia, เ−ียะ/เ−ีย−Sเียะ/เีย◌S, ia, ia, ia, ia, ia, ee-a, ia, ia, ia] | [เ−ียะ/เ−ีย−Sเียะ/เีย◌S] เดี๊ยะ [día, día, เดี๊ยะH, diaH, día, ˈdía, ˈdía, diaH, ˈdée-a, día, día, día] adv. exactly, just perfectly | D | ||||
meow
| [iiao, iao, เ−ียวเียว, iaao, eeo, iaw, iaw, īeo, ee-ao, iaw, ieow, iao] | [เ−ียวเียว] เดียว [diiao, diao, เดียวM, diaaoM, deeo, ˈdiaw, ˈdiaw, dīeoM, ˈdee-ao, diaw, dieow, diao] adj. alone, sole | L | |||||||
go (US English)
| [oo, oo, โ−/โ−−โ◌/โ◌◌, o:h, oh, oo, oː, ō, oh, oh, oh, o] | [โ−/โ−−โ◌/โ◌◌] โต [dtoo, dtoo, โตM, dto:hM, dtoh, ˈtoo, ˈtoː, tōM, ˈdtoh, toh, dtoh, to] adj. big, large โชค [chôok, chôok, โชกF, cho:hkF, chôhk, ˈchôok, ˈtɕʰôːk, chōkF, ˈchôhk, chôhk, chôhk, chôk]n. luck | L | [o, o, โ−ะ/−−โ◌ะ/◌◌, o/oh−, o, o, o, o, o, o, o, o] | [โ−ะ/−−โ◌ะ/◌◌] โต๊ะ [dtó, dtó, โต๊ะH, dtoH, dtó, ˈtó, ˈtó, toH, ˈdtó, tó, dtó, tó] n. table, desk ตก [dtòk, dtòk, ตกL, dtohkL, dtòk, ˈtòk, ˈtòk, tokL, ˈdtòk, tòk, dtòk, tòk]vi. crash, fall | D | ||||
go yearly (US English)
| [ooi, ooi, โ−ยโ◌ย, ooy, oy, ooy, oːj, ōi, oi, oy, oi, oi] | [โ−ยโ◌ย] โดย [dooi, dooi, โดยM, dooyM, doy, ˈdooy, ˈdoːj, dōiM, ˈdoi, doy, doi, doi] prep. created by, by way of | L | |||||||
law (US), lot (UK)
| [ɔɔ, ɔɔ, −อ/−อ−◌อ/◌อ◌, aaw, aw, ɔɔ, ɔː, ǭ, or, aw, or/o−, o] | [−อ/−อ−◌อ/◌อ◌] ก่อสร้าง [gɔ̀ɔ-sâang, gɔ̀ɔ-sâang, ก่อL-ซ่างF, gaawL-saangF, gàw-sâhng, ˈkɔ̀ɔ ˈsâaŋ, ˈkɔ̀ː ˈsâːŋ, kǭL-sāŋF, ˈgòr ˈsâhng, kàw-sâang, gòr-sâang, kò-sâng] vt. construct, build กอด [gɔ̀ɔt, gɔ̀ɔt, กอดL, gaawtL, gàwt, ˈkɔ̀ɔt, ˈkɔ̀ːt, kǭtL, ˈgòrt, kàwt, gòt, kòt]v. embrace, hug อุดร [ù-dɔɔn, ù-dɔɔn, อุL-ดอนM, ooL-daawnM, òo-dawn, ˈʔù ˈdɔɔn, ˈʔù ˈdɔːn, ʿuL-dǭnM, ˈÒO ˈdorn, ù-dawn, ù-don, ù-don]n. north | L | [ɔ, ɔ, เ−าะ/−็อ−เ◌าะ/็อ◌, aw, aw, ɔ, ɔ, ǫ, or, aw, or/o−, o] | [เ−าะ/−็อ−เ◌าะ/็อ◌] เกาะ [gɔ̀, gɔ̀, เกาะL, gawL, gàw, ˈkɔ̀, ˈkɔ̀, kǫL, ˈgòr, kàw, gòr, kò] n. island ล็อก [lɔ́k, lɔ́k, ล็อกH, lawkH, láwk, ˈlɔ́k, ˈlɔ́k, lǫkH, ˈlórk, láwk, lók, lók]n. lock | D | ||||
lawyer (US English)
| [ɔɔi, ɔɔi, −อย◌อย, aawy, awy, ɔɔy, ɔːj, ǭi, oi, awy, oi, oi] | [−อย◌อย] ถอย [tɔ̌ɔi, tɔ̌ɔi, ถอยR, thaawyR, tǎwy, ˈthɔ̌ɔy, ˈtʰɔ̌ːj, thǭiR, ˈtǒi, thǎwy, tǒi, thǒi] vi. back away, retreat | L | [ɔi, ɔi, −อยS◌อยS, awy, awy, ɔy, ɔj, ǫi, oi, awy, oi, oi] | [−อยS◌อยS] ผล็อย [plɔ̌i, plɔ̌i, ผฺล็อยR, phlawyR, plǎwy, ˈphlɔ̌y, ˈpʰlɔ̌j, phlǫiR, ˈplǒi, phlǎwy, plǒi, phlǒi] adv. quickly (of falling) | L | ||||
boot
| [uu, uu, −ู/−ู−ู/ู◌, uu, oo, uu, uː, ū, oo, uu, oo, u] | [−ู/−ู−ู/ู◌] พูด [pûut, pûut, พูดF, phuutF, pôot, ˈphûut, ˈpʰûːt, phūtF, ˈpôot, phûut, pôot, phût] v. speak ดู [duu, duu, ดูM, duuM, doo, ˈduu, ˈduː, dūM, ˈdoo, duu, doo, du]vt. look at, view | L | [u, u, −ุ/−ุ−ุ/ุ◌, oo, oo, u, u, u, OO, u, u, u] | [−ุ/−ุ−ุ/ุ◌] พุ [pú, pú, พุH, phooH, póo, ˈphú, ˈpʰú, phuH, ˈpÓO, phú, pú, phú] vi. break out, erupt ดุม [dum, dum, ดุมM, doomM, doom, ˈdum, ˈdum, dumM, ˈdOOm, dum, dum, dum]n. button | D | ||||
Louie, Louie
| [uui, ui, −ูยูย, uuay, ooi, uy, uːj, ūi, oo-ee, ui, ui, ui] | [−ูยูย] อู๊ย [úui, úi, อู๊ยH, uuayH, óoi, ˈʔúy, ˈʔúːj, ʿūiH, ˈóo-ee, úi, úi, úi] sent. Whoa! | L | [ui, ui, −ุยุย, uy, ooi, uy, uj, ui, oo-ee, ui, ui, ui] | [−ุยุย] ทุย [tui, tui, ทุยM, thuyM, tooi, ˈthuy, ˈtʰuj, thuiM, ˈtoo-ee, thui, tui, thui] adj. oval, irregularly shaped | L | ||||
too alone (roughly)
| [uua, ua, −ัว/−ว−ัว/◌ว◌, uaa, ooa, ua, uːa, ūa, oo-a, ua, ua, ua] | [−ัว/−ว−ัว/◌ว◌] ผัว [pǔua, pǔa, ผัวR, phuaaR, pǒoa, ˈphǔa, ˈpʰǔːa, phūaR, ˈpǒo-a, phǔa, pǔa, phǔa] n. husband, hubby ตัว [dtuua, dtua, ตัวM, dtuaaM, dtooa, ˈtua, ˈtuːa, tūaM, ˈdtoo-a, tua, dtua, tua]n. body นวด [nûuat, nûat, นวดF, nuaatF, nôoat, ˈnûat, ˈnûːat, nūatF, ˈnôo-at, nûat, nûat, nûat]vt. massage | L | [ua, ua, −ัวะ/−ว−Sัวะ/◌ว◌S, ua, ua, ua, ua, ua, oo-a, ua, ua, ua] | [−ัวะ/−ว−Sัวะ/◌ว◌S] ผลัวะ [plùa, plùa, ผฺลัวะL, phluaL, plùa, ˈphlùa, ˈpʰlùa, phluaL, ˈplòo-a, phlùa, plùa, phlùa] n. thud | D | ||||
too why (roughly)
| [uuai, uai, −วย◌วย, uay, ooay, uay, uːaj, ūai, oo-ai, uay, uay, uai] | [−วย◌วย] สวย [sǔuai, sǔai, สวยR, suayR, sǒoay, ˈsǔay, ˈsǔːaj, sūaiR, ˈsǒo-ai, sǔay, sǔay, sǔai] adj. pretty หวย [hǔuai, hǔai, หวยR, huayR, hǒoay, ˈhǔay, ˈhǔːaj, hūaiR, ˈhǒo-ai, hǔay, hǔay, hǔai]n. lottery | L | [uai, uai, −วยS◌วยS, uay, uay, uay, uaj, uai, oo-ai, uay, uay, uai] | [−วยS◌วยS] | L | ||||
boot, with a smile
| [ʉʉ, ʉʉ, −ือ/−ื−ือ/ื◌, euu, ue, ʉʉ, ɯː, ư̄, eu, eu, eu, ue] | [−ือ/−ื−ือ/ื◌] มือ [mʉʉ, mʉʉ, มือM, meuuM, mue, ˈmʉʉ, ˈmɯː, mư̄M, ˈmeu, meu, meu, mue] n. hand มืด [mʉ̂ʉt, mʉ̂ʉt, มืดF, meuutF, mûet, ˈmʉ̂ʉt, ˈmɯ̂ːt, mư̄tF, ˈmêut, mêut, mêut, mûet]n. dark ฤๅษี [rʉʉ-sǐi, rʉʉ-sǐi, รือM-สีR, reuuM-seeR, rue-sěe, ˈrʉʉ ˈsǐi, ˈrɯː ˈsǐː, rư̄M-sīR, ˈreu ˈsěe, reu-sǐi, reu-sěe, rue-sǐ]n. hermit, recluse | L | [ʉ, ʉ, −ึ/−ึ−ึ/ึ◌, eu, eu, ʉ, ɯ, ư, eu, eu, eu, ue] | [−ึ/−ึ−ึ/ึ◌] รึ [rʉ́, rʉ́, รึH, reuH, réu, ˈrʉ́, ˈrɯ́, rưH, ˈréu, réu, réu, rúe] conj. or ดึก [dʉ̀k, dʉ̀k, ดึกL, deukL, dèuk, ˈdʉ̀k, ˈdɯ̀k, dưkL, ˈdèuk, dèuk, dèuk, dùek]adv. late at night ฤดู [rʉ́-duu, rʉ́-duu, รึH-ดูM, reuH-duuM, réu-doo, ˈrʉ́ ˈduu, ˈrɯ́ ˈduː, rưH-dūM, ˈréu ˈdoo, réu-duu, réu-doo, rúe-du]n. season พฤศจิกา [prʉ́t-sà~jì-gaa, prʉ́t-sà~jì-gaa, พฺรึดH-สะL~จิL-กาM, phreutH-saL~jiL-gaaM, préut-sà~jì-gah, ˈphrʉ́t sà ˈcì ˈkaa, ˈpʰrɯ́t sà ˈtɕì ˈkaː, phrưtH-saL~čhiL-kāM, ˈpréut sà ˈjì ˈgah, phréut-sà~jì-kaa, préut-sà~jì-gaa, phrúet-sà~chì-ka]n. November | D | ||||
too alone, with a smile
| [ʉʉa, ʉa, เ−ือ/เ−ือ−เือ/เือ◌, euua, uea, ʉa, ɯːa, ư̄a, eu-a, eua, eua, uea] | [เ−ือ/เ−ือ−เือ/เือ◌] เรือ [rʉʉa, rʉa, เรือM, reuuaM, ruea, ˈrʉa, ˈrɯːa, rư̄aM, ˈreu-a, reua, reua, ruea] n. boat เหมือน [mʉ̌ʉan, mʉ̌an, เหฺมือนR, meuuanR, mǔean, ˈmʉ̌an, ˈmɯ̌ːan, mư̄anR, ˈměu-an, měuan, měuan, mǔean]adj. same as, like | L | [ʉa, ʉa, เ−ือะ/เ−ือ−Sเือะ/เือ◌S, eua, eua, ʉa, ɯa, ưa, eu-a, eua, eua, uea] | [เ−ือะ/เ−ือ−Sเือะ/เือ◌S] | D | ||||
too why, with a smile
| [ʉʉai, ʉai, เ−ือยเือย, euuay, ueay, ʉay, ɯaj, ư̄ai, eu-ai, euay, euay, ueai] | [เ−ือยเือย] เหนื่อย [nʉ̀ʉai, nʉ̀ai, เหฺนื่อยL, neuuayL, nùeay, ˈnʉ̀ay, ˈnɯ̀aj, nư̄aiL, ˈnèu-ai, nèuay, nèuay, nùeai] adj. tired เปื่อย [bpʉ̀ʉai, bpʉ̀ai, เปื่อยL, bpeuuayL, pbùeay, ˈpʉ̀ay, ˈpɯ̀aj, pư̄aiL, ˈbpèu-ai, pèuay, bpèuay, pùeai]adj. rotten, decayed | L | |||||||
Louie, with a smile
| [ʉi, ʉi, −ึยึย, euy, uei, ʉy, ɯj, ưi, eu-ee, eui, euy, uei] | [−ึยึย] อึ้ย [ʉ̂i, ʉ̂i, อึ้ยF, euyF, ûei, ˈʔʉ̂y, ˈʔɯ̂j, ʿưiF, ˈêu-ee, êui, êuy, ûei] sent. Yikes! | D |
The vowel −ำำ, which looks like −า◌า but has an extra little circle inbetween, sounds like [a, a, −ะ/−ั−◌ะ/ั◌, a, a, a, a, a, a/u−, a, a, a] or [aa, aa, −า/−า−◌า/◌า◌, aa, ah, aa, aː, ā, ah, aa, aa, a] but also adds on a final consonant [m, m, ม, m, m, m, m, m, m, m, m, m]. So that explains the pronunciation of ทำ [tam, tam, ทัมM, thamM, tam, ˈtham, ˈtʰam, thamM, ˈtum, tham, tam, tham] (v. do) and น้ำ [náam, náam, น้ามH, naamH, náhm, ˈnáam, ˈnáːm, nāmH, ˈnáhm, náam, náam, nám] (n. water). This vowel is usually short, but in a few words like น้ำ it is pronounced long. These are just exception cases you have to memorize. In the case of น้ำ it's actually only long when the word appears by itself or at the end of a compound word! The vowel −ำำ is always live, regardless of its length.
There are many other cases of funky vowels (such as รร which sounds like [a, a, อะIM, aM, a, ˈʔa, ˈʔa, ʿaM, ˈa, a, a, a] or [an, an, อันM, anM, an, ˈʔan, ˈʔan, ʿanM, ˈun, an, an, an]), and many other cases where the familiar vowels above act in irregular ways (such as ไม้ [máai, máai, ม้ายH, maaiH, máai, ˈmáay, ˈmáːj, māiH, ˈmái, mái, máai, mái] (n. wood) being pronounced long as if it were written with the long vowel −าย◌าย), but since this is a page about vowel sounds, further details will have to wait for an upcoming page about written Thai! You can get a pretty generous dose of details right now by looking at our section about Easy Thai: by seeing what makes Easy Thai easy, you can learn what makes Real Thai hard!
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