Khmer block notes

UNGEN: k

k with inherent vowel ɑː or followed by a vowel, eg. ក៏ kɑː also, therefore

k before a subscript consonant, eg. បក្សី ɓak.ˈsəj bird

kʰ when followed by a subscript ម [U+1798 KHMER LETTER MO], ន [U+1793 KHMER LETTER NO] or ល [U+179B KHMER LETTER LO], eg. ក្មេង kʰmeiŋ child, youngster

k in final position, eg. លើក ləːk to lift

ʔ in final position after one of these vowels a, aː, ɑ, ɑː, eə̆, uə̆, iə, ɨə, uə, eg. កក kɑːʔ to freeze

The ɔ-series equivalent is គ [U+1782 KHMER LETTER KO].

UNGEN: kh

kʰ with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. ខាង kʰaːŋ direction

k before a subscript consonant.

ខ្ពុរ kpuː to gargle

k in final position, eg. មុខ muk face, front

ʔ in final position after one of these vowels a, aː, ɑ, ɑː, eə̆, uə̆, iə, ɨə, uə, eg. ពិសាខ pisaːʔ April-May

The ɔ-series equivalent is ឃ [U+1783 KHMER LETTER KHO].

UNGEN: k

k with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. គេ keː he, she, they (polite)

k before a subscript consonant.

k in final position, eg. រោគ roːk rook, disease

kʰ when followed by a subscript ន or ម, eg. គ្នា kʰniə together

ʔ in final position after one of these vowels a, aː, ɑ, ɑː, eə̆, uə̆, iə, ɨə, uə, eg. នាគ niəʔ dragon

The ɑ-series equivalent is ក [U+1780 KHMER LETTER KA].

UNGEN: kh

kʰ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ឃត់ kʰuə̆t to prevent

k before a subscript consonant, eg. ឃ្លាន kʰliən hungry

k (not common) in final position, eg. មេឃ meːk sky

ʔ in final position after one of these vowels a, aː, ɑ, ɑː, eə̆, uə̆, iə, ɨə, uə, eg. មាឃ miəʔ January

* Subscript consonant seldom used.

The ɑ-series equivalent is ខ [U+1781 KHMER LETTER KHA].

UNGEN: ng

ŋ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ងងឹត ŋɔ.ˈŋɨt dark

(Note that this sound appears in syllable initial position in Khmer.)

Not used before a subscript consonant.

ŋ in final position, eg. ដឹង ɗəŋ to know

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Combinations

The combination 1784 17C9 produces the ɑ-series equivalent, eg.

ង៉ាវ ŋaːw noise-maker, sabre

UNGEN: ch

c with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. ចង់ cɑŋ to want

c before a subscript consonant.

c in final position. [c] according to Huffman, eg. តូច touc / tuːc small

The ɔ-series equivalent is ជ [U+1787 KHMER LETTER CO].

UNGEN: chh

cʰ with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel.

ឆា cʰaː stir fry

cʰ or c before a subscript consonant.

ឆ្អឹង cʔəŋ bone

ឆ្នាំ cʰnam year

Not found in final position.

* Subscript consonant seldom used.

The ɔ-series equivalent is ឈ [U+1788 KHMER LETTER CHO].

UNGEN: ch

c with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ជា ciə to be

c before a subscript consonant.

កញ្ជ្រេង kɑɲ.creːŋ fox

c in final position. [c] according to Huffman., eg. រាជ riəc reign

The ɑ-series equivalent is ច [U+1785 KHMER LETTER CA].

UNGEN: chh

cʰ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel.

ឈឺ cʰɨː sick

c(ʰ) before a subscript consonant.

ឈ្លើង cʰləːŋ leech

Not found in final position.

* Subscript consonant seldom used.

The ɑ-series equivalent is ច [U+1785 KHMER LETTER CA].

UNGEN: nh

ɲ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ញី ɲiː female

ɲ in final position, eg. ទាញ tiəɲ to pull

ŋ in final position after iː, eg. រីញ riːŋ dried up

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Shape

The bottom of this character is dropped when followed by a subscript consonant, eg. បញ្ឆោត ɓɑɲ.ˈcʰaot to trick

There are two shapes used for the subscript. When this character appears twice in a cluster, the full form is used. Elsewhere a reduced form is used. For example, compare ប្រាជ្ញា praːc.ˈɲaː intelligence កញ្ញា kaɲ.ˈɲaː young lady

Combinations

The combination ញ៉ [U+1789 KHMER LETTER NYO + U+17C9 KHMER SIGN MUUSIKATOAN] produces the ɑ-series equivalent, eg. ញ៉ាំ ɲam to eat (coll.)

UNGEN: d

ɗ with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. ដុល្លារ ɗol.ˈlaː dollar

ɗ before a subscript consonant.

t in final position, eg. ប្រាកដ praː.ˈkɑt exact

The subscript consonant is the same shape as the subscript of tɑː ត.

Combinations. The syllable-final combination ដ្ឋ [U+178A KHMER LETTER DA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+178B KHMER LETTER TTHA] is also pronounced simply ast.

The ɔ-series equivalent is ឌ [U+178C KHMER LETTER DO].

UNGEN: th

tʰ with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. ឋាន tʰaːn place, site

t before a subscript consonant.

t in final position, eg. បាឋ ɓaːt to tell, recite (clergy)

This consonant is only used in a few words of Pali or Sanskrit origin.

* Subscript is seldom used: often a silent final subscript.

The ɔ-series equivalent is ឍ [U+178D KHMER LETTER TTHO].

UNGEN: d

ɗ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ឌុន ɗun alike

Not found before a subscript consonant.

t in final position, eg. គ្រុឌ krut Garuda

This consonant is rare and is only used in a few words of Pali or Sanskrit origin.

* Subscript is seldom used

The ɑ-series equivalent is ដ [U+178A KHMER LETTER DA].

UNGEN: th

tʰ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ឍាល tʰiəl large drum

Not found before a subscript consonant.

t in final position, eg. អាសាឍ ʔaːsaːt June-July

This consonant is only used in a few words of Pali or Sanskrit origin.

* Subscript consonant is obsolete, or rarely, if ever, used.

The ɑ-series equivalent is ឋ [U+178B KHMER LETTER TTHA].

UNGEN: n

n with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. ណាស់ nah very

n before a subscript consonant.

n in final position, eg. បូរាណ ɓouraːn ancient

* Subscript consonant is seldom used: often a silent final subscript.

The ɔ-series equivalent is ន [U+1793 KHMER LETTER NO].

UNGEN: t

t with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. តា taː grandfather

ɗ at the beginning of two syllable words where the first syllable ends with final nasal, eg. តង្វាយ ɗɔŋʋaaj gift

t before a subscript consonant, eg. ត្រី trəj fish

t in final position, eg. កាត់ kat to cut

Subscript consonant is the same shape as the subscript of ɗɑː ដ.

The pronunciation when a subscript in medial position is unpredictable, sometimes t and sometimes ɗ. As a general rule, but not always, it is pronounced t when a subscript to nɔː ន, and ɗ when a subscript to nɑː ណ, eg. បន្តុះ ɓɑntoh to criticize បណ្តុះ ɓɑnɗoh to grow

The ɔ-series equivalent is ទ [U+1791 KHMER LETTER TO].

UNGEN: th

tʰ with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. ថា tʰaː that; to say

t(ʰ) before a subscript consonant.

t in final position, eg. ប្រមាថ prɑmaːt to scorn, despise

The ɔ-series equivalent is ធ [U+1792 KHMER LETTER THO].

UNGEN: t

t with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ទម្ងន់ tum.ˈŋŭən weight

t before a subscript consonant.

t in final position, eg. បាទ ɓaːt male polite response

The ɑ-series equivalent is ត [U+178F KHMER LETTER TA].

UNGEN: th

tʰ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel.

ភំ tʰom big

t before a subscript consonant.

ធ្មេញ tʰmɨɲ tooth

t in final position.

អាវុធ ʔaː.ˈʋut weapon

* Subscript consonant is seldom used: often a silent final subscript.

The ɑ-series equivalent is ថ [U+1790 KHMER LETTER THA].

UNGEN: n

n with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. នឹង nɨŋ future tense marker

Not found before a subscript consonant.

n in final position, eg. មាន miən to have

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Combinations

In some words, the combination ហ្ន [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+1793 KHMER LETTER NO] produces the ɑ-series equivalent, eg. ហ្នឹង nəŋ that's right

The ɑ-series equivalent is ណ [U+178E KHMER LETTER NNO].

UNGEN: b

ɓ with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. បន្ទប់ ɓɑn.ˈtup room

p when followed by a subscript consonant.

ប្រយ័ត្ន prɑ.ˈjat to be careful

p in final position, eg. ឈប់ cʰup to stop

p in some words just by convention, eg. បច្ច័យ pac.ˈcaj money

Shape. A ligature បា is used when this character is followed by sra-aː, to avoid similarity with hɑː ហ, eg. បាយ ɓaːj cooked rice, food

The same applies when followed by sra-ao បោ and sra-aw បៅ.

Combinations. The combination ប៊ [U+1794 KHMER LETTER BA + U+17CA KHMER SIGN TRIISAP] produces the ɔ-series equivalent, eg. ប៊ុត ɓut a personal name

p in the combination ប៉ [U+1794 KHMER LETTER BA + U+17C9 KHMER SIGN MUUSIKATOAN], eg. ប៉ា paː father

UNGEN: ph

pʰ with inherent vowel ɑː, eg. ផាយ pʰaːj run at full speed

p before a subscript consonant, eg. ផ្សារ psaː market

p in final position. Not common.

* Subscript consonant is obsolete, or rarely, if ever, used.

The ɔ-series equivalent is ភ [U+1797 KHMER LETTER PHO].

UNGEN: p

p with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. ពី piː from

p before a subscript consonant.

ព្រៃ prɨj forest

p in final position, eg. ភាព pʰiəp aspect

Combinations. The combination ព៉ [U+1796 KHMER LETTER PO + U+17C9 KHMER SIGN MUUSIKATOAN] produces the ɑ-series equivalent, eg. ព៉ី pəj flute

UNGEN: ph

pʰ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel.

ភាសា pʰiə.ˈsaː language

p before a subscript consonant.

ភ្នែក pnɛːk eye

p in final position.

លោភ loːp greed

The ɑ-series equivalent is ផ [U+1795 KHMER LETTER PHA].

UNGEN: m

m with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel.

មុខ muk face, front

m before a subscript consonant.

សម្លាប់ sɑm.ˈlap to kill

m in final position.

តាម taːm to follow

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Combinations

The combination ម៉ [U+1798 KHMER LETTER MO + U+17C9 KHMER SIGN MUUSIKATOAN] produces the a-series equivalent.

ម៉ែ mae mother

It may also be produced by the combination ហ្ម [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+1798 KHMER LETTER MO].

ហ្មត់ mɑt fine, powdered

UNGEN: y

j with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. យល់ jŭəl to understand

Not found before a subscript consonant.

iː in final position. Huffman says j, eg. បាយ ɓaːj cooked rice, food

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Combinations. The combination យ៉ [U+1799 KHMER LETTER YO + U+17C9 KHMER SIGN MUUSIKATOAN] produces the ɑ-series equivalent, eg. យ៉ាង jaːŋ kind; variety

UNGEN: r

r with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. រូប ruːp image, figure

Not found before a subscript consonant.

Silent in final position, eg. ខ្មែរ kʰmae Cambodian

There is no final -r sound in Cambodian, but this letter can sometimes disambiguate homonyms, eg. compare កា kaː to address (a letter) ការ kaː work, occupation ពី piː from ពីរ piː two

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Combinations. The combination រ៉ [U+179A KHMER LETTER RO + U+17C9 KHMER SIGN MUUSIKATOAN] produces the ɑ-series equivalent, eg. រ៉ូង ruːŋ rattling noise

UNGEN: l

l with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel.

លុយ luj money

l before a subscript consonant.

ពេលល្ងាច peil ˈlŋiəc evening

l in final position.

កាល kaːl time

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Combinations. In some words, the combination ហ្ល [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+179B KHMER LETTER LO] produces the ɑ-series equivalent.

ហ្លួង luəŋ king

The ɑ-series equivalent letter is ឡ [U+17A1 KHMER LETTER LA].

UNGEN: v

ʋ with inherent vowel ɔː or before a vowel, eg. វៃ ʋɨj quick, clever

Not found before a subscript consonant.

w in final position, eg. អាវ ʔaːw shirt

As a subscript this consonant doesn't determine the pronunciation of the vowel sound, it is determined by the class of the non-subscript consonant.

Combinations. The combination វ៉ [U+179C KHMER LETTER VO + U+17C9 KHMER SIGN MUUSIKATOAN] produces the ɑ-series equivalent, eg. វ៉ៃ ʋaj to hit

In some words the same effect is produced using the combination ហ្វ [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+179C KHMER LETTER VO], eg. ហ្វូង fouŋ / ʋouŋ / pʰouŋ flock, crowd

f is also produced by the combination ហ្វ [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+179C KHMER LETTER VO], eg. ហ្វឹក fək to practice កាហ្វេ kaː.ˈfei coffee

Used only for Pali/Sanskrit transliteration.

Used only for Pali/Sanskrit transliteration.

UNGEN: s

s with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel.

s before a subscript consonant.

ខ្សែស្ពាយ kʰsae ˈspiəj shoulder strap

h in final position

ចាស់ cah old

s in final position in very formal reading style

សូមទោស soum ˈtoːh I beg your pardon

Combinations. The combination ស៊ [U+179F KHMER LETTER SA + U+17CA KHMER SIGN TRIISAP] produces the ɔ-series equivalent, eg. ស៊ី siː to eat (animals)

UNGEN: h

h with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel.

ហាង haːŋ shop, store

Silent before a subscript consonant. See Combinations below.

Not found in final position.

Combinations. f is produced by the combinations:

• ហ្វ [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+179C KHMER LETTER VO] in the ɑ-vowel register. ហ្វឹក fək to practice
• ហ្វ៊ [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+179C KHMER LETTER VO + U+17CA KHMER SIGN TRIISAP] in the ɔ-vowel register. ហ្វ៊ីស៉ិក fiːsik physics

The following combinations with ɔː class subscripts make the following vowel behave as if they were ɑː class consonants:

ហ្វ [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+179C KHMER LETTER VO].

ហ្ម [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+1798 KHMER LETTER MO], .

ហ្ន [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+1793 KHMER LETTER NO].

ហ្ល [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17D2 KHMER SIGN COENG + U+179B KHMER LETTER LO].

Combinations. The combination ហ៊ [U+17A0 KHMER LETTER HA + U+17CA KHMER SIGN TRIISAP] produces the ɔ-series equivalent, eg. ហ៊ាន hiən to dare

UNGEN: l

l with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel, eg. ឡេង leiŋ personal name

Not found before a subscript consonant or in final position.

** Subscript consonant not used in Cambodia (only in Khmer spoken in Thailand).

The ɔ-series equivalent is ល [U+179B KHMER LETTER LO].

ʔ with inherent vowel ɑː or before a vowel

អង្កាល់ ʔɑŋ.ˈkal when

អិស្លាម ʔih.ˈslaːm / ʔeh.ˈslaːm Islam

ʔ or ∅ before a subscript consonant. From Wiktionary data, the latter seems predominant and occurs mostly in word-initial position before n.

អ្នក nĕəʔ person, you (s)

Not found in final position.

When used as a subscript at the beginning of a word this may add an extra syllable after the initial consonant.

ផ្អែម paʔaem sweet (adj)

ស្អាត saʔaːt clean

Combinations. The combination អ៊ [U+17A2 KHMER LETTER QA + U+17CA KHMER SIGN TRIISAP] produces the ɔ-series equivalent. For example, compare the following (first without, then with).

អុំទូក ʔom ˈtuːk to row, paddle

អ៊ុយក្រែន ʔuj.ˈkraen Ukraine

This should be considered an error in the encoding. Use of this character is strongly discouraged; អ [U+17A2 KHMER LETTER QA] should be used instead.

Originally intended only for Pali/Sanskrit transliteration, but not actually a separate character in Khmer.

This should be considered an error in the encoding. Use of this character is discouraged; the sequence អា [U+17A2 KHMER LETTER QA + U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA​] should be used instead.

Originally intended only for Pali/Sanskrit transliteration, but not actually a separate character in Khmer.

UNGEN: i

ʔə eg. ឥត ʔət not

ʔɨ eg. ឥន្ទុ ʔɨntuʔ the moon

ʔəj eg. ឥឡូវ ʔəjləw now

UNGEN: ī

ʔəj eg. ឦសាន ʔəj.ˈsaːn / ʔiː.ˈsaːn northeast

UNGEN: u

u, eg. ឧបម៉ា uppəmaː example

o, eg. ឧកញ៉ា ʔok.ˈɲaː official of ministerial rank

ao, eg. ឧបាសក ʔaoɓaːsɑʔ layman

UNGEN: ū

ou eg. ឩដ្ឋ ʔout camel

uː eg. ឩន ʔuːn deficient (lit.)

UNGEN: ýu

ʔəw eg. ឪពុក ʔəw.puk father

rɨ eg. ឫស rɨh root ឫទ្ធិ rɨt power, strength

rɨː eg. ឬស្សី rɨːhsəj bamboo ឬ rɨː or

lɨ eg. រំឭក rum.ˈlɨk to commemorate

lɨː eg. ស្ដាប់ឮ sɗap ˈlɨː to hear

UNGEN: ae

ae eg. ឯ ʔae at, as, for

UNGEN: ai

aj, eg. ឰរាវ័ណ ʔajrəʋoə̆n Erawan

UNGEN: o

ao, eg. ឱប ʔaop to embrace

UNGEN: âu

ao, eg. ឲ្យ ʔaoj to give

This is a variant of ឱ [U+17B1 KHMER INDEPENDENT VOWEL QOO TYPE ONE] that is only used, according to Unicode, in two words, one of which (the example shown just above) is very common however.

UNGEN: au

aw, eg. ឳទក ʔawtuə̆k water-plant

An invisible character, originally intended (along with 17B5) to represent a phonetic difference not expressed by the spelling, so as to assist in phonetic sorting, however, the Unicode Standard considers those characters to be insufficient for that purpose and errors in the encoding. It should not be used.8₆₇₇

An invisible character, originally intended (along with 17B4) to represent a phonetic difference not expressed by the spelling, so as to assist in phonetic sorting, however, the Unicode Standard considers those characters to be insufficient for that purpose and errors in the encoding. It should not be used.8₆₇₇

UNGEN: ā

aː after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ណា naː which, where

iə after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ជា ciə to be

Combinations

ាំ [U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA + U+17C6 KHMER SIGN NIKAHIT] is regarded as a letter of the Khmer alphabet. Sounds are:

• am after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ចាំ cam to remember
• oə̯m after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ជាំ cŏəm bruised

ាំង [U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA + U+17C6 KHMER SIGN NIKAHIT + U+1784 KHMER LETTER NGO] gives:

• aŋ after an ɑː class consonant, eg. តាំង taŋ to establish
• ɛaŋ after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ទាំង tĕəŋ including, both

ា​់ [U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA + consonant + U+17CB KHMER SIGN BANTOC], where the bantoc sits over a following consonant, gives:

• eə̯ before a velar consonant, eg. compare ពាក់ pĕəʔ to wear ពាក្យ piəʔ word
• oə̯ elsewhere, eg. compare មាន់ mŏən chicken មាន miən to have

UNGEN: i

e after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ចិត្ដ

i after an ɔː class consonant, eg. វិញ ʋɨɲ instead, again

Glottal stop

It is followed by a glottal stop in stressed syllables but not in unstressed, eg. compare the following pairs: មតិ mĕəʔ.ˈteʔ / ma.ˈteʔ opinion កិរិយា ke.ri.jaː conduct, behaviour លទ្ធិ lat.ˈtʰiʔ precept និទាន ni.ˈtiən story

Combinations.

eh / ih is ិះ [U+17B7 KHMER VOWEL SIGN I + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK]. This is noted especially because the combination is regarded as a unit in the Khmer alphabet. This combination has the same sound as េះ [U+17C1 KHMER VOWEL SIGN E + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK], but is much less common. ជិះ cih to ride

əj can be –ិយ [U+17B7 KHMER VOWEL SIGN I + U+1799 KHMER LETTER YO] after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ចេតិយ caet.ˈɗəj stupa

UNGEN: ī

əj after an ɑː class consonant, eg. បី ɓəj three

iː after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ពីរ piː two

Combinations.

iː in ិយ [U+17B7 KHMER VOWEL SIGN I + U+1799 KHMER LETTER YO], eg. ឥន្ត្រិយ ʔəntriː power

UNGEN: ẏ

ə after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ដឹក ɗək transport

ɨ after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ទឹក tɨk water

Combinations.

əh is –ឹះ [U+17B9 KHMER VOWEL SIGN Y + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK], eg. ឆ្កឹះ cʰkəh to prise out

UNGEN: ȳ

əɨ after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ដឺ ɗəɨ fallow

ɨː after an ɔː class consonant, eg. គឺ kɨː as follows

UNGEN: u

o after an ɑː class consonant. It is followed by a glottal stop in open stressed syllables but not in unstressed, eg. compare វត្តុ ʋoə̆ttoʔ artifact កុមារ ko.ˈmaː child

u after an ɔː class consonant. It is followed by a glottal stop in stressed syllables but not in unstressed, eg. compare វិទ្យុ ʋi.ˈtʰjuʔ radio គុលិកា ku.li.kaː pill, tablet

Combinations

ុះ [U+17BB KHMER VOWEL SIGN U + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is regarded as a letter of the Khmer alphabet, and is pronounced:

• oh after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ចុះ coh to go down, fall
• uh after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ពុះ puh to boil; to split (wood)

ុំ [U+17BB KHMER VOWEL SIGN U + U+17C6 KHMER SIGN NIKAHIT] is pronounced:

• om after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ដុំ ɗom piece, morsel
• um after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ទុំ tum ripe

UNGEN: ū

ou after an ɑː class consonant, eg. កូរ kou to stir

uː after an ɔː class consonant, eg. គូ kuː pair

Combinations

ូវ [U+17BC KHMER VOWEL SIGN UU + U+179C KHMER LETTER VO] is
ɨw, eg. នូវ nɨw consisting of

UNGEN: au

uə after any class of consonant, eg. កួរ kuə pod, ear គួរ kuə proper

UNGEN: oe

aə after an ɑː class consonant, eg. បើ ɓaə if

əː after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ឈើ cʰəː wood

Combinations

–ើះ [U+17BE KHMER VOWEL SIGN OE + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is
əh, eg. ចង្កើះ cɑŋ.ˈkəh chopsticks

The normal spelling is ចង្កឹះ ចង្កឹះ

UNGEN: ia

ɨə after any class of consonant, eg. តឿ tɨə dwarfed ជឿ cɨə to believe

UNGEN: ia

iə after any class of consonant, eg. តៀប tiəp bowl ទៀប tiəp nearly

UNGEN: e

ei after an ɑː class consonant, eg. កេរ្តិ៍ kei reputation, honor

eː after an ɔː class consonant, eg. គេ keː he, she, they (polite)

ɨ after an ɔː class consonant but before a palatal, eg. ពេញ pɨɲ full

Combinations

េះ [U+17C1 KHMER VOWEL SIGN E + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is pronounced:

• eh after an ɑː class consonant, eg. សេះ seh horse
• ih after an ɔː class consonant, eg. នេះ nih this, here

This combination has the same sound as ិះ [U+17B7 KHMER VOWEL SIGN I + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK], but is much more common.

UNGEN: ae

ae after an ɑː class consonant, eg. កែ kae to repair

ɛː after an ɔː class consonant, eg. គែ kɛː craw (of bird)

Combinations

ែះ [U+17C2 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AE + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is
eh after an ɔ-class consonant.

កែះ keh wild goat

UNGEN: ai

aj after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ប្រៃ praj salty

ɨj after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ព្រៃ prɨj forest

UNGEN: o

ao after an ɑː class consonant.

កោរ kao to shave

oː after an ɔː class consonant, eg. គោ koː cow

Combinations

ោះ [U+17C4 KHMER VOWEL SIGN OO + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is pronounced:

• ɑh after an ɑː class consonant.

  កោះ kɑh island

• uəh or uh after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ឈ្មោះ cʰmŭəh (given) name នោះ nuh that

UNGEN: au

aw after an ɑː class consonant, eg. តៅ taw bushel

ɨw after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ទៅ tɨw to go

UNGEN: ṃ

Marks final nasalisation, but also changes and shorten the inherent or other vowel. Although it can be equated with the anusvara in Sanskrit, this is usually regarded as a vowel sign or a part of a vowel sign in Khmer.

ɑm after an ɑː class consonant, eg. កំពុង kɑm.ˈpuŋ ongoing action

um after an ɔː class consonant, eg. រំភើប rumɓəːp excited

Combinations.

ុំ [U+17BB KHMER VOWEL SIGN U + U+17C6 KHMER SIGN NIKAHIT] is pronounced:

• om after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ធំ tʰom big
• um after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ខ្លាឃ្មុំ kʰlaːˈkʰmum sun bear

ាំ [U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA + U+17C6 KHMER SIGN NIKAHIT] is:

• am after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ដាំ ɗam to plant
• oə̯m after an ɔː class consonant, eg. នាំ nŏəm to lead

ាំង [U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA + U+17C6 KHMER SIGN NIKAHIT + U+1784 KHMER LETTER NGO] is:

• aŋ after an ɑː class consonant, eg. ម្ហូបបារាំង mhouɓɓaːraŋ French food
• eə̯ŋ after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ទាំង tĕəŋ including, both

In some words of Sanskrit origin, the niʔkəhət represents aŋ or an, eg. សំស្ក្រិត sɑŋskret Sanskrit សំយោគសញ្ញា saŋ.joːk saɲ.ɲaː name of a diacritic

UNGEN: ḥ

Although it can be equated with the visarga in Sanskrit, this is regarded as a vowel sign or part of a vowel sign in Khmer.

ah with an ɑː class inherent vowel, eg. ខ្លះ kʰlah some

eə̆h with an ɔː class inherent vowel or an ɔː class ា [U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA], eg. ផ្ទះ pʰtĕəh house, home

Combinations

h after the normal sounds of short vowels ិ [U+17B7 KHMER VOWEL SIGN I], ឹ [U+17B9 KHMER VOWEL SIGN Y], and ុ [U+17BB KHMER VOWEL SIGN U], eg. ជិះ cih to ride កឹះ kəh to tap on the shoulder ពុះ puh to boil; to split (wood)

–េះ [U+17C1 KHMER VOWEL SIGN E + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is:

• eh with an ɑː class vowel, eg. សេះ seh horse
• ih with an ɔː class vowel, eg. នេះ nih this, here

–ែះ [U+17C2 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AE + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is also
eh with an ɑː class vowel, eg. កែះ keh wild goat

–ើះ [U+17BE KHMER VOWEL SIGN OE + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is:
əh with an ɑː class vowel, eg. ចង្កើះ cɑŋ.ˈkəh chopsticks

–ោះ [U+17C4 KHMER VOWEL SIGN OO + U+17C7 KHMER SIGN REAHMUK] is:

• ɑh with an ɑː class vowel, eg. កោះ kɑh island
• uə̆h with an ɔː class vowel, eg. គោះ kuə̆h to strike

Used as a vowel after consonants that are to be used as stressed syllables at the end of a word, or preceding an internal juncture in compounds.

aʔ as an ɑː class vowel, eg. ស្រៈ sraʔ vowel

eə̆ʔ as an ɔː class vowel, eg. ធុរៈ tʰureə̆ʔ preoccupation

This character is a modern innovation. It is also used in the official Cambodian Dictionary to mark any consonant symbol which is pronounced independently.

Changes the register of a consonant from ɔː to ɑː, affecting the inherent vowel and any other vowel following the consonant, eg. ម៉ត់ចត់ mɑtcɑt careful រ៉ាប់ rap to guarrantee

It is used for the following consonants that don't have equivalents in the ɑː class: ង ញ ម យ រ វ. It is usually written over the right-hand side of the consonant glyph. This is also especially useful for spelling foreign names. Eg. compare យ៉ាង jaːŋ kind; variety យាង jiəŋ go (royalty)

Changes the sound of ɓɑː ប from ɓ to p, eg. ប៉ះ pah to touch

This is the only way to write an ɑː register p. Eg. compare ប៉ាន paːn to cover បាន ɓaːn to have

When a vowel sign appears above the consonant, the ក្បៀសក្រោម kɓiəhkraom form of this character is used. This looks exactly like sra-o អុ, eg. ម៉ឺន məɨn 10,000 ញ៉ាំ ɲam to eat (coll.)

You can prevent this behaviour using a zero-width non-joiner between this character and the following one, eg. ញ៉‌ាំ ញ៉‌ាំ

tmɨɲ kɑnɗao means "rat's teeth".

Changes the class of a consonant from ɔː to oː, affecting the inherent vowel and also any other vowel following the consonant, eg. compare ក្រុមហ៊ុន krom ˈhun / krom.ˈmaʔ hun company ហ៊ាន hiən to dare ហាន haːn shop អ៊ូ ʔuː dry dock អូ ʔou exclamation

This is especially useful for spelling foreign names.

When this appears with a vowel sign above the consonant, the ក្បៀសក្រោម kɓiəhkraom form is used. This looks exactly like sra-o អុ, eg. in ស៊ី siː to eat (animals)

You can prevent this behaviour using a zero-width non-joiner between this character and the following one, eg. ស៊‌ី ស៊‌ី

Always placed above the final consonant in modern Khmer. Basically shortens the preceding vowel. Affects the preceding vowel sound in one of the following ways:

• After an inherent vowel
  • ɑ after an ɑː class consonant, eg. compare ចប់ cɑp to finish ចប cɑːp hoe
  • u after an ɔː class consonant and before a labial consonant, eg. compare លប់ lup bird trap លប lɔːp fish trap
  • uə̯ otherwise after an ɔː class consonant, eg.compare លក់ luə̆ʔ to sell លក lɔːk to channel
• After ា following an ɔː class consonant
  • eə̯ before a velar consonant, eg. compare ពាក់ pĕəʔ to wear ពាក្យ piəʔ word
  • oə̯ elsewhere, eg. compare មាន់ mŏən chicken មាន miən to have
• Otherwise, shortens a long vowel, eg. compare ចាប់ cap to catch ចាប caːp sparrow

Not a very common mark. It represents a final r on the previous consonant (like the Devanagari repha), although it may be pronounced as rə, eg. ទុគ៌ត tuːrəkuə̆t destitute

When it appears word-finally, it typically also silences the final consonant, eg. បរិបូណ៌ ɓɑ.ri.ɓou abundant

It can also convert the vowel sound of the previous consonant from ɔː to ɔə at the same time as silencing the consonant it appears over, eg. ពណ៌ pɔə colour

Hosken says that it is only used on a consonant with an inherent vowel, or with one followed by ា [U+17B6 KHMER VOWEL SIGN AA] or ុ [U+17BB KHMER VOWEL SIGN U]3₆.

Used over a consonant, particularly in loan words, to silence it and any attached vowels or subscripts, eg. សាសន៍ saːh race, ethnicity កេរ្តិ៍ kei reputation, honor រេហ៍ពល rɔ.puə̆l army

It visually ligates with ិ [U+17B7 KHMER VOWEL SIGN I], eg. តែនតិ៍ taen tent

Very rare, but used over a consonant to convey excited emphasis, like an exclamation mark, eg. ណែ៎ nɛː Hey ! នុ៎ះន៎ nuh.nɔː Over there !

Used over two consonants to indicate that they represent two specific words: ក៏ ក៏ kɑː auxiliary: also, then, therefore ដ៏ ដ៏ ɗɑː pronoun which; very

Generally regarded to be a vowel-changer, but actually acts much like a vowel-sign.

a over an ɑː class consonant, eg. ស័ក្តិ saʔ rank ស័ក saʔ era

eə̆ before velar finals, eg. ល័ខ lĕəʔ red dye វ័ង ʋŭəŋ palace

oə̯ over an ɔː class consonant, in general, eg. ទ័ព toə̆p army

(Note that all of the above are the same as if a sra-aː plus niʔkəhət had been used.)

Combinations

័យ [U+17D0 KHMER SIGN SAMYOK SANNYA + U+1799 KHMER LETTER YO] is:

aj after an ɑː class consonant, eg. សម័យ saʔ.ˈmaj era ស្រៈនិស្ស័យ sraʔ nih.ˈsaj dependent vowel

ɨj after an ɔː class consonant, eg. ជ័យ cɨj victory

Gilbert & Hang say that the sound is e usually, when over ʋɔː វ or nɔː ន.

–័រ [U+17D0 KHMER SIGN SAMYOK SANNYA + U+179A KHMER LETTER RO] is:
ɔə (these are always ɔː class consonants), eg. ជ័រ cɔə resin

The sanskrit virama, sometimes used in Sanskrit words to indicate that a final consonant has no vowel sound, eg. អាត្មន៑ ʔaːt.man soul

Sometimes this appears as a bar over the consonant, sometimes as a wide, inverted v-shape under the consonant.

The Cambodian way of spelling such words uses the sanjoːksaɲɲaː អ័.

Serves to indicate in Unicode text that the following consonant should be rendered as a subscript. The shape is arbitrary, since it is never visible in Khmer (unlike Devanagari etc.).

cəːŋ (transcribed in Unicode as COENG) is actually the name given to the subscripted consonants themselves, and this should more accurately be called a cəːŋ generator.

This virama-based model used by Unicode is consistent with the approach to other Indic scripts, however Cambodian people regard the subscripted consonants as different entities to the normal consonant characters, and need to be taught to use a cəːŋ sign to type in Unicode.

Use discouraged in favor of the complete set of lunar date symbols.

UNGEN: .

Equivalent of a period, placed at the end of a sentence.

Also used in the following combination to mean etcetera ។ល។ ។ល។ lanəŋla

Used at the end of a chapter or an entire text.

Used much like a colon in English.

It is typically used after the quotative particle ថា tʰaː that; to say and the copulative គ kɔː mute

Repetition sign. Repeats the word directly before. A common way of providing emphasis, eg. ខ្លាំង ៗ klaŋ klaŋ very strong គាត់មានផ្ទះថ្មី ៗ kaːtʰ miən pʰteə̯h tʰməitʰməi he has a brand new house

Sometimes repeats a phrase rather than a word, eg. បន្តិចម្ដង ៗ ɓɑn.təc mɗɑːŋ ɓɑn.təc mɗɑːŋ little by little

It is also occasionally used to repeat the word at the end of a sentence for the beginning of a new sentence (Huffman), eg. ខ្ញុំទៅផ្ទះខ្ញុំ ៗ នៅជិតផ្សារ kɲomtɨwpteə̆hkɲom pteə̆hkɲom nɨwcɨtpsaː

The sign is usually separated from the text by a space.

UNGEN: ⋯

Means et cetera. Use of this character is discouraged. The preferred representation uses the individual characters, eg. ។ល។ ។ល។

Other spellings for et cetera also exist. These include:

• ។បេ។
• –បេ–
• –ល–

Pronounced lɑʔ.

Marks the beginning of literary and religious texts.

Forms a pair with ៚, which ends a text.

Means cock's eye. It is said to represent the trunk of the elephant-god Ganesha.

Marks the absolute end of a text. Usually used for poetic or religious texts.

Forms a pair with ៙, which starts a text.

Sometimes used in combination as ។៚.

Means cow's urine.

Placed after the amount, eg. ៣០០០ ៛ ɓej poan riəl 3000 riel

A rarely used sign that indicates that the consonant retains its inherent vowel sound.

0 digit.

1 digit.

2 digit.

3 digit.

4 digit.

5 digit.

6 digit.

7 digit.

8 digit.

9 digit.