"Scan" has 2 syllables in Thai
Sometimes there are words that look like this "สแกน" (scan, for when the vendors ask you to scan QR codes to pay). What are you supposed to do with the consonant that is just... alone? You add the -ะ vowel to the consonant, so it will sound like สะแกน.
There are 5 types of hidden -ะ
1. Leading hidden -ะ
The part that has the hidden -ะ is in the beginning of a word. Some words with single low consonant that supposed to have "ห" in front of the second syllable have to omit them. See Lesson 5. Otherwise, the words will be too croweded. Here are some examples, click on the buttons to hear the pronunciations. On the buttons are how the pronunciations are spelled out phonetically.
| Word | Definition | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ขยะ | trash | |
| จมูก | nose | |
| สมุด | notebook | |
| องุ่น | grape | |
| ตลาด | market | |
| พยาบาล | nurse | |
| ถนน | road | |
| สบาย | comfortable | |
| สวัสดี | hello | |
| สถานี | station | |
| ตลก | funny | |
| ขนม | snack | |
| ขโมย | steal |
2. -อ เ- โ- leading
The beginning of a word has one of these 3 vowels. Then, follows by the hidden -ะ, such as.
| Word | Definition | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| เทวดา | angel | |
| โทรศัพท์ | telephone | |
| โฆษณา | advertisement | |
| ทรยศ | betray | |
| มรสุม | storm |
3. Double use of an ending consonant
The first part is pronouced normally , but the ending consonant of the first syllable doubles as a second syllable with -ะ. For example, สกปรก (dirty) is pronounced as สก กะ ปรก
| Word | Definition | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| สกปรก | dirty | |
| จักรยาน | bicycle | |
| สุขภาพ | health | |
| ผลิตภัณฑ์ | product | |
| จักจั่น | cicada |
4. Borrowed words
We are just sounding out foreign words and trying to fit into Thai. In English, "scan", the "sc" is just one sound, but in Thai, that sound does not exist, so the "s" and the "c" are pronouced separately.
| Word | Definition | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| สกี | ski | |
| สแปม | spam | |
| สแกน | scan | |
| สตรอว์เบอร์รี | strawberry |
5. Looks like a cluster
Sometimes you'll see that the consonants cluster together like a consonant cluster, but they're not one of the regular ones that can be pronouced together like a regular cluster like from Lesson 14. These will pronouce the first consonant with the -ะ and the second consonant with the vowel written. For example, แสตมป์ (stamp) is pronounced as สะ แตม
| Word | Definition | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| แสตมป์ | stamp | |
| เสนอ | present/suggest | |
| เกษตร | argriculture | |
| เผยอ | ajar |