Page 190 - The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand Vol.XIII-2021

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XIII – 2021

7.2 Diphthongs

Diphthongs in Thai are only 3 in number, namely,

Table 16: Thai Diphthongs

diphthongs vowel forms

ia เ-ีย

a เ-ือ

ua -ัว

In Thai, diphthongs do not have short-long sounds especially with a final

consonant. It does not matter if you pronounce short or long, the meaning is still
the same. It is only for the /ua/ vowel that the form will change when it possesses
a final consonant from -ัว to -ว-.

diphthong (without final consonant) (with final consonant)
4
4
/ia/ เสีย /sia / เสียง /siaŋ /
0
0
/a/ เรือ /sa / เรือง /saŋ /
4
4
/ua/ หัว /hua / หวง /huaŋ /

180 The Thai Writing System: Reasons behind Its System