Short and long vowels

In Thai, vowel length is part of the word. Holding a vowel longer can change the meaning, rather than just adding emphasis. The nine simple vowel sounds have short and long counterparts. Keep both length and vowel quality in mind: English pairs such as ship and sheep differ in quality too, so they aren't an exact model for Thai.

The app doubles a simple vowel to show length: มา has aa, while จะ has a. Combined vowel sounds such as the ia in เรียน, to study, aren't written with doubled letters in the app, even though this vowel counts as long for tone rules. Its short written counterpart is much less common.

Three signs often help you spot a short vowel: ะ at the end of an open syllable, as in จะ; ั above the initial, as in วัน; and ็ above it, as in เล็ก. Read each complete vowel pattern, though. In ตัว, ั belongs to a long ua vowel. ก็ is an exception: despite ็, its vowel is pronounced long.

In an unmarked dead syllable with a low-class initial, a short vowel gives a high tone and a long vowel gives a falling tone: compare มัก with มาก, and รัก with ราก. High- and mid-class dead syllables don't split this way. หัก, to break, and หาก, if, both have a low tone.

Length can also affect tone indirectly. With no final consonant sound, it determines whether a syllable is live or dead. สิ, an urging particle, has a short vowel and a low tone; สี, colour, has a long vowel and a rising tone. Both begin with the same high-class consonant.

• ผมpǒmIรักrákloveอาหารaa-hǎanfoodไทยtaiThaiมากmâakvery

  I love Thai food very much.

  รัก and มาก both end in ก. With these low-class initials, the short vowel gives a high tone and the long vowel gives a falling tone.

• ผมpǒmIมาmaacomeไม่mâinotทันtanin time

  I won't arrive in time.

  มา is long and ทัน is short. Both have a mid tone.

• ไปbpaigoทานtaaneatข้าวkâaorice; mealกันgantogether

  Let's go and eat.

  ทาน with a long vowel means to eat politely. ทัน with a short vowel means to be in time.