Learning the Khmer language alphabet, the script used to write the Khmer language of Cambodia, is a fundamental step in mastering the language. The Khmer script is an abugida, where each consonant has an inherent vowel sound that can be altered or muted by dependent vowel symbols. Here’s a detailed lesson to guide you through the Khmer alphabet:

Overview of the Khmer Alphabet

• Script Type: Abugida
• Origin: Derived from the Brahmi script of ancient India
• Components: 35 consonants (កខគឃង…), 24 dependent vowels (េ ែ ៃ…), and several diacritics.

Consonants (កខគឃង…)

The Khmer script has 35 consonants, each with an inherent ‘a’ or ‘o’ sound.

1. ក (Ka)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘k’ in “kite.”
   • Example: ក្តាម (Kdam) – “Crab”

2. ខ (Kha)

   • Pronunciation: Aspirated ‘k,’ similar to ‘k’ in “khan.”
   • Example: ខ្លា (Kla) – “Tiger”

3. គ (Ko)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘c’ in “cot,” but more aspirated.
   • Example: គោ (Ko) – “Cow”

4. ឃ (Kho)

   • Pronunciation: Strongly aspirated ‘k,’ similar to ‘kh’ in “backhand.”
   • Example: ឃ្លោក (Khlauk) – “Shell”

5. ង (Ng)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ng’ in “singer.”
   • Example: ងងឹត (Ngngut) – “Dark”

6. ច (Ca)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘c’ in “car.”
   • Example: ចេក (Cek) – “Banana”

7. ឆ (Cha)

   • Pronunciation: Aspirated ‘ch,’ like in “church.”
   • Example: ឆាយ (Chay) – “Grill”

8. ជ (Co)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘j’ in “joke.”
   • Example: ជាតិ (Ceat) – “Nation”

9. ឈ (Cho)

   • Pronunciation: Aspirated ‘j,’ like ‘dg’ in “hedgehog.”
   • Example: ឈើ (Chher) – “Wood”

10. ញ (Nyo)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ny’ in “canyon.”
    • Example: ញាតិ (Nyatei) – “Relative”

11. ដ (Da)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘d’ in “dog.”
    • Example: ដង្កៀប (Dangkiep) – “Clip”

12. ឋ (Dha)

    • Pronunciation: Aspirated ‘d,’ similar to ‘th’ in “this.”
    • Example: ឋានសួគ៌ (Than Suok) – “Heaven”

13. ឌ (Do)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘d’ in “dog,” but more forceful.
    • Example: ឌីណា (Dina) – A name “Dina”

14. ឍ (Dho)

    • Pronunciation: Strongly aspirated ‘d,’ like ‘dh’ in “adhere.”
    • Example: ឍី (Dhi) – A name

15. ណ (Na)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘n’ in “nice.”
    • Example: ណាត (Nat) – “Good”

16. ត (Ta)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ in “top.”
    • Example: តាម (Tam) – “Follow”

17. ថ (Tha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ in “top,” but with more breath.
    • Example: ថាម (Tham) – “Battery”

18. ទ (To)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘t’ in “stop.”
    • Example: ទឹក (Teuk) – “Water”

19. ធ (Tho)

    • Pronunciation: Aspirated ‘t,’ similar to ‘th’ in “thick.”
    • Example: ធ្វើ (Thvay) – “Make”

20. ន (N)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘n’ in “no.”
    • Example: នាង (Neang) – “She”

21. ប (Pa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘p’ in “pan.”
    • Example: បន្ទប់ (Bantob) – “Room”

22. ផ (Pha)

    • Pronunciation: Aspirated ‘p,’ like ‘ph’ in “uphill.”
    • Example: ផ្កា (Phka) – “Flower”

23. ព (Po)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘p’ in “spin.”
    • Example: ពិភពលោក (Phiphop Lok) – “World”

24. ភ (Pho)

    • Pronunciation: Aspirated ‘p,’ similar to ‘ph’ in “alphabet.”
    • Example: ភ្នំ (Phnom) – “Mountain”

25. ម (M)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘m’ in “moon.”
    • Example: មាន់ (Mean) – “Chicken”

26. យ (Yo)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘y’ in “yes.”
    • Example: យប់ (Yob) – “Night”

27. រ (Ro)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘r’ in “run.”
    • Example: រថយន្ត (Rot Yeun) – “Vehicle”

28. ល (Lo)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘l’ in “lamp.”
    • Example: លុយ (Luy) – “Money”

29. វ (Vo)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘w’ in “win.”
    • Example: វាល (Veal) – “Field”

30. ឝ (Sso)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ss’ in “hiss.”
    • Example: (Rarely used in modern Khmer)

31. ឞ (Ssa)

    • Pronunciation: Strong ‘ss,’ almost like ‘sh.’
    • Example: (Rarely used in modern Khmer)

32. ស (Sa)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘s’ in “sun.”
    • Example: សង្ឃ (Sang) – “Monk”

33. ហ (Ha)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘h’ in “hat.”
    • Example: ហង្ស (Hang) – “Goose”

34. ឡ (La)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘l’ in “lamp.”
    • Example: ឡាន (Lan) – “Car”

35. អ (‘A)

    • Pronunciation: Glottal stop, similar to the catch in the throat as in “uh-oh.”
    • Example: អម្ពរ (‘Om-Po) – “Shore”

Dependent Vowels

Dependent vowels attach to consonants and modify their inherent vowel sounds.

1. ា (ā)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘a’ in “father.”
   • Example: កា (ka) – Pronounced “kaa,” meaning “to be distant.”

2. ិ (i)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘i’ in “sit.”
   • Example: កិ (ki) – Pronounced “ki,” part of កិច្ចការ (kicchkār) meaning “task.”

3. ី (ī)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ee’ in “see.”
   • Example: កី (kī) – Pronounced “kee,” part of កីឡា (kīlā) meaning “sport.”

4. ឹ (ɨ)

   • Pronunciation: Similar to the ‘e’ in “roses.”
   • Example: កឹ (kɨ) – Pronounced “kə,” part of កឹម (kɨm) meaning “to be careful.”

5. ឺ (ɨ̄)

   • Pronunciation: Similar to the ‘e’ in “roses,” but longer.
   • Example: កឺ (kɨ̄) – Pronounced “keə,” used in កឺកឺ (kɨ̄kɨ̄) meaning “to be weak.”

6. ុ (u)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘u’ in “pull.”
   • Example: កុ (ku) – Pronounced “ku,” part of កុម្មង់ (kumṅ) meaning “order.”

7. ូ (ū)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘oo’ in “food.”
   • Example: កូ (kū) – Pronounced “koo,” part of កូន (kūn) meaning “child.”

8. ួ (uo)

   • Pronunciation: A unique sound close to ‘u’ followed by a brief ‘o.’
   • Example: កួ (kuo) – Pronounced “kuo,” part of កួរ (kuor) meaning “to drill.”

9. ើ (ae)

   • Pronunciation: Like ‘ay’ in “bay.”
   • Example: កើ (kae) – Pronounced “kae,” part of កើត (kaet) meaning “to occur.”

10. ឿ (ai)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ai’ in “Thai.”
    • Example: កឿ (kai) – Pronounced “kai,” part of កឿង (kaing) meaning “pillar.”

11. ៀ (ei)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ei’ in “neigh.”
    • Example: កៀ (kei) – Pronounced “kei,” part of កៀរ (keir) meaning “to rub.”

12. េ (e)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘e’ in “bed.”
    • Example: កេ (ke) – Pronounced “ke,” part of កេរ្តិ៍ (ker) meaning “fame.”

13. ែ (ae)

    • Pronunciation: Similar to ‘a’ in “cat.”
    • Example: កែ (kae) – Pronounced “kae,” part of កែវ (kaev) meaning “glass.”

14. ៃ (ai)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ai’ in “Thai.”
    • Example: កៃ (kai) – Pronounced “kai,” part of កៃរិន្ធ (kairin) meaning “pure gold.”

15. ោ (o)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘o’ in “go.”
    • Example: កោ (ko) – Pronounced “ko,” part of កោះ (koh) meaning “island.”

16. ៅ (au)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘ow’ in “cow.”
    • Example: កៅ (kau) – Pronounced “kow,” part of កៅអី (kau’ei) meaning “chair.”

17. ំ (um/am)

    • Pronunciation: Nasalizes the vowel, similar to ‘um’ in “hum.”
    • Example: កំ (kum/kam) – Pronounced “kum/kam,” part of កំពង់ (kampong) meaning “port.”

18. ះ (ah)

    • Pronunciation: A slight breathy sound, often used to elongate or end words.
    • Example: កះ (kah) – Pronounced “kah,” used in មាត់កះ (mat kah) meaning “lip corner.”

19. ុំ (um)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘um’ in “hum,” combined with the ‘u’ sound.
    • Example: កុំ (kum) – Pronounced “kum,” part of កុំព្យូទ័រ (kum-pyu-tor) meaning “computer.”

20. ុះ (uh)

    • Pronunciation: A combination of ‘u’ and a breathy ‘h.’
    • Example: កុះ (kuh) – Pronounced “kuh,” part of បុះបុះ (buh-buh) meaning “suddenly.”

21. ូំ (um)

    • Pronunciation: Like ‘oom’ in “broom.”
    • Example: កូំ (kūm) – Pronounced “koom,” part of កូំព្រេះ (kūm-preh) meaning “do not destroy.”

22. ូះ (uh)

    • Pronunciation: A combination of ‘oo’ and a breathy ‘h.’
    • Example: កូះ (kūh) – Pronounced “kooh,” rarely used in modern Khmer.

23. េះ (eh)

    • Pronunciation: A combination of ‘e’ and a breathy ‘h.’
    • Example: កេះ (keh) – Pronounced “keh,” part of កេះកេះ (keh-keh) meaning “gradually.”

24. ិះ (ih)

    • Pronunciation: A combination of ‘i’ and a breathy ‘h.’
    • Example: កិះ (kih) – Pronounced “kih,” part of កិះកិះ (kih-kih) meaning “little by little.”

Diacritics

Diacritics in Khmer modify the pronunciation of consonants and vowels.

1. ំ (Nikahit)

   • Function: Adds a nasal sound to the inherent vowel.
   • Pronunciation: Similar to ‘um’ or ‘am’ in English.
   • Example: កំពង់ (Kampŏng) – Pronounced “kam-pong,” meaning “Port.”

2. ះ (Reahmuk)

   • Function: Silences the inherent vowel of a consonant.
   • Pronunciation: Silent or slight aspiration.
   • Example: សះ (Sah) – Pronounced “s-ah,” meaning “Hermitage.”

3. ៈ (Yuukaleapintu)

   • Function: Used to lengthen the sound of certain vowels.
   • Pronunciation: Varies depending on the vowel it is lengthening.
   • Example: សៈសៈ (Sahsah) – An onomatopoeic word imitating the sound of chopping.

4. ័ (Bantak)

   • Function: Shortens and sometimes sharpens the vowel.
   • Pronunciation: Short, clipped vowel sound.
   • Example: ស័ង្ខ (Sáng) – Pronounced “sáng,” meaning “Quiet.”

5. ៍ (Robat)

   • Function: Indicates the consonant is to be pronounced in a more subdued manner.
   • Pronunciation: Subdued or softer pronunciation of the consonant.
   • Example: ធម៍ (Thom) – Pronounced “thom,” meaning “Dharma.”

6. ់ (Sanhyoong)

   • Function: Makes the vowel sound shorter and sometimes higher in pitch.
   • Pronunciation: Short, often higher-pitched vowel sound.
   • Example: ក់ក់ (Kŏk Kŏk) – An onomatopoeic word imitating the sound of knocking.

7. ៌ (Toandakhiat)

   • Function: Rarely used, changes the quality of the vowel sound.
   • Pronunciation: Changes depending on the inherent vowel.
   • Example: Less commonly found in modern usage.

8. ៎ (Kakabat)

   • Function: A rarely used diacritic that modifies vowel pronunciation.
   • Pronunciation: Varies depending on the vowel.
   • Example: Not commonly found in modern Khmer text.

9. ៏ (Ahkaso)

   • Function: Another rarely used diacritic, altering the vowel sound.
   • Pronunciation: Varies.
   • Example: Rarely encountered in contemporary usage.

10. ៑ (Avakrahasanya)

    • Function: A historical diacritic, now obsolete.
    • Pronunciation: Historically varied.
    • Example: Not used in modern Khmer.

11. ៝ (Viriam)

    • Function: Rarely used, it indicates the cancellation of the inherent vowel of a consonant.
    • Pronunciation: The consonant is pronounced without its inherent vowel.
    • Example: Seldom seen in current use.

12. ៞ (Coeng)

    • Function: Used to form consonant clusters or subscript consonants.
    • Pronunciation: The subscript consonant changes the sound of the base consonant.
    • Example: ក្រុង (Krŏng) – Pronounced “krŏng,” meaning “City.”

Reading and Writing Rules

• Consonant Clusters: Consonants can form clusters for specific sounds, written with subscript characters.
• Writing Direction: Khmer is written from left to right.
• Spacing: Khmer script does not use spaces between words, but phrases are typically separated by spaces.

Practice Exercises

• Listening and Speaking: Practice saying words and phrases out loud. Listen to native speakers for pronunciation cues.
• Writing Practice: Write down each letter in both its regular form and with dependent vowels. Practice writing common words.
• Reading Practice: Start with simple texts to familiarize yourself with the script. Children’s books and educational materials can be excellent resources.

Additional Resources

• Language Learning Apps: Apps like Memrise, Anki, or Duolingo might offer Khmer language courses.
• Online Tutorials: YouTube channels and language learning websites offer lessons on the Khmer language and script.
• Language Exchange: Engage with native speakers for conversational practice and immersion.

Conclusion

Learning the Khmer alphabet is a challenging but rewarding process. It requires consistent practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing to gain proficiency. The Khmer script is not only a medium of communication but also a key to understanding Cambodian culture and history.