Module 1: Mastering the Khmer Script (អក្ខរក្រមខ្មែរ)
Welcome, dedicated learner, to the first and most important module in your Khmer language journey. Here, we will build the foundation for everything that follows by mastering the Khmer alphabet. Take your time, practice each lesson, and you will be reading and writing before you know it.
Lesson 1.1: The Golden Rule – Understanding the Two-Series System
Before we look at a single letter, we must understand the "golden rule" of the Khmer script: the two-series system. Every consonant belongs to one of two series:
- The 'a-series' (អឃោសៈ - 'âk-gho-sak')
- The 'o-series' (ឃោសៈ - 'gho-sak')
Lessons 1.2 - 1.7: The Khmer Consonants (ព្យញ្ជនៈ)
We will now learn all 33 consonants, group by group. For each consonant, note its shape, its series, and its sound. Use the listen button to hear the pronunciation.
Lesson 1.2: The Ka Group (វគ្គ ក)
| Khmer | Series | Pronunciation Guide | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ក | 'a'-series | k (like in 'king') | |
| ខ | 'a'-series | kh (aspirated 'k' + air) | |
| គ | 'o'-series | k (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ឃ | 'o'-series | kh (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ង | 'o'-series | ng (like in 'sing') |
Lesson 1.3: The Cha Group (វគ្គ ច)
| Khmer | Series | Pronunciation Guide | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ច | 'a'-series | ch (like in 'chair') | |
| ឆ | 'a'-series | chh (aspirated 'ch' + air) | |
| ជ | 'o'-series | ch (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ឈ | 'o'-series | chh (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ញ | 'o'-series | nh (like in 'canyon') |
Lesson 1.4: The Da Group (វគ្គ ដ)
| Khmer | Series | Pronunciation Guide | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ដ | 'a'-series | d (like in 'dog') | |
| ឋ | 'a'-series | th (aspirated 't' + air) | |
| ឌ | 'o'-series | d (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ឍ | 'o'-series | th (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ណ | 'o'-series | n (like in 'no') |
Lesson 1.5: The Ta Group (វគ្គ ត)
| Khmer | Series | Pronunciation Guide | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ត | 'a'-series | t (like in 'stop') | |
| ថ | 'a'-series | th (aspirated 't' + air, like 'top') | |
| ទ | 'o'-series | t (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ធ | 'o'-series | th (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ន | 'o'-series | n (like in 'now') |
Lesson 1.6: The Ba Group (វគ្គ ប)
| Khmer | Series | Pronunciation Guide | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ប | 'a'-series | b (unaspirated 'p', like 'spy') | |
| ផ | 'a'-series | ph (aspirated 'p' + air, like 'pie') | |
| ព | 'o'-series | b (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ភ | 'o'-series | ph (same sound, 'o' series) | |
| ម | 'o'-series | m (like in 'me') |
Lesson 1.7: The Miscellaneous Group
| Khmer | Series | Pronunciation Guide | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| យ | 'o'-series | y (like in 'yes') | |
| រ | 'o'-series | r (a lightly flapped 'r') | |
| ល | 'o'-series | l (like in 'love') | |
| វ | 'o'-series | v (like in 'voice') | |
| ស | 'a'-series | s (like in 'sun') | |
| ហ | 'a'-series | h (like in 'hat') | |
| ឡ | 'o'-series | l (same 'l' sound, used in specific words) | |
| អ | 'o'-series | ' (silent vowel carrier) |
Lesson 1.8 & 1.9: Khmer Vowels (ស្រៈនិស្ស័យ) & Your First Words
Now we add vowels. Remember the golden rule: the vowel's sound changes based on the consonant's series. The table below shows the vowel symbol and its two resulting sounds.
| Vowel Symbol | With 'a'-series (e.g., ក) | With 'o'-series (e.g., គ) |
|---|---|---|
| ា | កា (aa) | គា (ie) |
| ិ | កិ (e) | គិ (i) |
| ី | កី (ei) | គី (ii) |
| ឹ | កឹ (ə) | គឹ (ɨ) |
| ឺ | កឺ (əɨ) | គឺ (ɨɨ) |
Example: The vowel ា when combined with 'a'-series ក becomes កា (kaa). When combined with 'o'-series គ it becomes គា (kea).
Lesson 1.10 & 1.11: Subscript Consonants (ជើងអក្សរ)
To write two consonants together without a vowel in between (a "cluster"), we use a special subscript form of the second consonant, written underneath the first. Each consonant has a subscript form to learn.
Example: The word for "you" is អ្នក. This is formed from ន (n) + ្ក (subscript of ក). The full breakdown is ន + (subscript ក) + vowel.
| Consonant | Subscript | Consonant | Subscript | Consonant | Subscript |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ក | ្ក | ខ | ្ខ | គ | ្គ |
| ឃ | ្ឃ | ង | ្ង | ច | ្ច |
Lesson 1.12: Independent Vowels (ស្រៈពេញតួ)
These are special vowel characters that can stand on their own at the beginning of a word without needing a consonant carrier.
| Independent Vowel | Sound | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| ឥ | (e) | |
| ឦ | (ei) | |
| ឧ | (o) | |
| ឨ | (ou) | |
| ឪ | (əw) |
Lesson 1.13 & 1.14: Numerals & Special Characters
Khmer has its own beautiful set of numerals. There are also common diacritics used for punctuation and to modify sounds, which we will cover in later modules.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ០ | ១ | ២ | ៣ | ៤ | ៥ | ៦ | ៧ | ៨ | ៩ | ១០ |
Lesson 1.15 & 1.16: Reading Practice & Module Review
Let's put it all together! Try reading these simple words aloud.
- កា (kaa) - teapot
- តា (taa) - grandfather
- មក (mɔɔk) - to come
- គោ (koo) - cow
Module 1 Review
Congratulations! You have now been introduced to all the core components of the Khmer script. You have learned:
- The Two-Series System.
- All 33 Consonants.
- The concept of Dependent and Independent Vowels.
- The concept of Subscript Consonants.
- The Khmer Numerals 0-10.
This is a tremendous accomplishment. Please review all the materials in this module before proceeding.