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Khmer Alphabet and Pronunciation
If you're trying to learn the Khmer Alphabet which is also called Cambodian, check our courses about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Khmer grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and memorize the sounds. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Khmer. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Khmer Alphabet
Learning the Khmer alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Without it, you will not be able to say words properly even if you know how to write those words. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be in speaking the Khmer language.
Below is a table showing the Khmer alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| Khmer Alphabet | Subscript | English Sound | Pronunciation Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| kâ | as in casle | ||
| khâ | as in Khmer | ||
| kô | as in cool | ||
| khô | as in khota | ||
| ngô | as in mango | ||
| châ | as in chat | ||
| chhâ | as in charm | ||
| chô | as in chop | ||
| chhô | watch video below | ||
| nhô | watch video below | ||
| dâ | as in dark | ||
| thâ | watch video below | ||
| dô | as in door | ||
| thô | watch video below | ||
| nâ | as in night | ||
| tâ | as in task | ||
| thâ | watch video below | ||
| tô | as in torsh | ||
| thô | watch video below | ||
| nô | as in north | ||
| bâ | as in bath | ||
| phâ | as in pharmacy | ||
| pô | as in poll | ||
| phô | as in photography | ||
| mô | as in moth | ||
| yô | as in yolk | ||
| rô | as in raw | ||
| lô | as in lock | ||
| vô | as in vault | ||
| shâ | as in sharp | ||
| ssô | watch video below | ||
| sâ | as in sand | ||
| hâ | as in heart | ||
| lâ | as in loud | ||
| qâ | watch video below | ||
| Digraph consonants | UN romanization | ||
| gâ | as in guard | ||
| gô | as in goal | ||
| nâ | as in now | ||
| pâ | as in pouch | ||
| mâ | as in mild | ||
| lâ | as in loud | ||
| fâ, wâ | as in foul or wall | ||
| fô, wô | as in forest or work | ||
| žâ, zâ | as in Zaire | ||
| žô, zô | as in zodiac | ||
| Independent vowels | UN romanization | ||
| â | |||
| a | |||
| ĕ | |||
| ei | |||
| ŏ | |||
| ŭ | |||
| ŏu | |||
| rœ̆ | |||
| rœ | |||
| lœ̆ | |||
| lœ | |||
| é | |||
| ai | |||
| aô, aôy | |||
| âu | |||
| Dependent vowels | romanization a-series | romanization o-series | |
| a | éa | ||
| ĕ | ĭ | ||
| ei | i | ||
| œ̆ | |||
| œ | |||
| ŏ | ŭ | ||
| o | u | ||
| uŏ | |||
| aeu | eu | ||
| eua | |||
| iĕ | |||
| é | |||
| ê | |||
| ai | ey | ||
| aô | oŭ | ||
| au | ŏu | ||
Khmer Pronunciation
You saw how a letter is written and might be pronounced, but there is nothing better than hearing the sound of the letters in a video or audio. Below you will be able to hear how the letters above are pronounced, just press the play button:
| Khmer Pronunciation |
|---|
The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Khmer. Once you're done with the Cambodian alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Khmer lessons here: Learn Khmer. Don't forget to bookmark this page.