Myanmar Script

Learning guide (Revision F)

by Naing Tinnyuntpu

WITH FREE ONLINE AUDIO SUPPORT

https://www.asiapearltravels.com/language/myanmar-script-learning-guide.php

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Menu ≡

Introduction ........................................................................................4
Vowel: A .............................................................................................6
Vowel: E or I ....................................................................................13
Vowel: U ..........................................................................................20
Vowel: O ..........................................................................................24
Vowel: Ay .........................................................................................28
Vowel: Au ........................................................................................33
Vowel: Un or An ..............................................................................37
Vowel: In ..........................................................................................42
Vowel: Eare ......................................................................................46
Vowel: Ain .......................................................................................51
Vowel: Ome .....................................................................................53
Vowel: Ine ........................................................................................56
Vowel: Oon ......................................................................................59
Vowel: Oun ......................................................................................62
Single Tone Group Overview ..........................................................66
Single Tone: Ate ...............................................................................66

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Single Tone: Et .................................................................................68
Single Tone: Oot ..............................................................................70
Single Tone: Out ..............................................................................71
Single Tone: Ike or Ite......................................................................73
Single Tone: Ut or Up ......................................................................74
Single Tone: Oat ..............................................................................76
Single Tone: It ..................................................................................78
Double-stacked words .....................................................................80
Quick Reference Steps .....................................................................83
Practical Examples............................................................................91
Appendix A: Myanmar Alphabetical Table .....................................96
Appendix B: Myanmar Vowels and Tones ......................................97
Appendix C: Tone Reference Table ..............................................100
Revision History ............................................................................103

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Introduction Menu ≡

§1. Myanmar writing system has 33 main letters or characters

comparable to 26 alphabets from A-Z in English. Unlike English words
which can be formed by combination of alphabets with vowels
A,E,I,O,U, which are found within the 26 alphabetical system, Myanmar
writing system makes use of additional vowel shift symbols, tone
change symbols, and consonant modification symbols.

Vowel shift symbols

§2. Vowel shift symbol changes the main letter which ends with
English equivalent of vowel "a" to some other vowels. For example,
symbols that can change the letter "Pa1" ( y ) to "Pi1"
( yd ) "Pu1" ( yk ), "Po2" ( ydk ), "Pin2"( yif ), "Peare2" ( y,f ) are
categorized in the Tone System as vowel shift symbols. Vowel shift
symbol may also change the tone of the word to an another level in the
new vowel group.

Tone change symbols

§3. Tone change symbol, on the other hand, simply changes the tone
of the existing word without affecting the vowel of the word. For
example, "Pa1" ( y ) can be changed into "Pa2" ( yg ) in the second
tone, and "Pa3" ( yg; ) in the third tone with tone change symbols.

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Consonant modification symbols
§4. Consonant modification symbol neither changes the tone nor the
vowel, but modifies the word into a slightly different consonant when
expressed in English romanization. For example, "Pa1" ( y ) can be
changed to "Pya1" ( jy ) with the consonant modification symbol.

Combinations
§5. Many words in Myanmar written language make use of all three
types of symbols. For example, "Pa1" ( y ) becomes "Pin2" ( yif) with
the vowel shift symbol. Then, the word can be modified into "Pyin2"
( jyif ) with the consonant modification symbol. The tone can be further
changed, such as "Pyin3" ( jyif; ) with the tone change symbol.

"Pa1" (y) : original character

"Pin2" ( yif) : Suffix used after the name of the tree
"Pyin2" ( jyif) : to repair
"Pyin3" ( jyif; ) : intense

§6. In addition, there are less common characters, double-stacked

characters, and other stand alone characters that cannot be combined
with other characters and/or symbols.

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Vowel A Menu ≡

§7. All 33 main letters belong to a single sound group that ends with
inherent vowel “a” and in the first tone in English romanization with
Burmese 1,2,3 Tone System. Exception: letter that starts with the vowel
“A” itself, which is pronounced "Ah1".

Ah1: as in "Art" with silent "rt". (1st. tone)

Ah2: as in "Argentina" with silent "r". (2nd. tone)
Ah3: as in "Artist with silent "r". (3rd. tone)

Examples:

Only common letters are shown. More frequently used letters are
further highlighted. For a complete list, see Appendix A.

Myanmar English Romanization with 1,2,3 Tone System

Script
u Ka1 (as in "Canadian")

c Kha1 (as in "Christmas"; "crazy")

* Ga1 (as in "magazine")

C Ga1 (as in "Greek")

i Nga1 (as in "cling"; add vowel "a" to this = "nga")

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p Sa1 (as in “small”)

q Hsa1 ( "sa1" with more hissing sound )

Z Za1 (as in "israel")

ps Za1 (as in "Elizabeth")

n Nya1 (shorter tone than "Tanya" = Nya2)

w Ta1 (as in "tantalize")

x Hta1 (as in " translate"; " tree"; " travel")

X Hta1 (as in " traffic"; " trouble"; " true")

' Da1 (as in "derivative")

" Da1 (as in "Dracula")

e Na1 (as in "Panama")

y Pa1 ( as in "pagoda")

z Pfa1 (as in "park"; keep lips tight & burst open.)

A Ba1 (sometimes used to represent "Va1")

b Ba1 (as in "tablet"; "blame"; "Brunei")

r Ma1 (as in "Malaysia")

, Ya1 (as in "Ayatollah")

& Ya1 (sometimes used to represent "Ra1")

v La1 (as in "lagoon")

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 0 Wa1 (as in "Watson")

o Tha1 (as in "Methodist"; "three)

[ Ha1 (as in "Hanoi")

t Ah1 (as in "American"; "arise"; "approve")

§8. The example below shows how the letter "La1" can be modified
into a different consonant using consonant modification symbol ha1-
hto3 : S , which looks like an inverted "L" placed below the letter.

v La1

vS Hla1

§9. By adding the tone change symbol yay3-cha1 to the main letter,
the tone of the letter is changed to the second tone.

The symbol yay3-cha1 comes in two shapes. The first type is placed at
the right side of the letter: m . The second type hovers above the top
of the letter like this: g

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Examples:

um Ka2 (as in "cartoon")

cg Kha2

ig Nga2

pg Sa2 (as in "Sardine")

qm Hsa2 (as in "NASA")

nm Nya2 (as in "Tanya")

wm Ta2 (as in "Toyota"; "victor")

'g Da2 (as in "Da Vinci")

em Na2 (as in "seminar"; "Natasha")

yg Pa2 (as in "Permission" with silent "r")

Asm Bya2 (consonant is modified.)

bm Ba2 (as in "Bermuda"; "Bahrain")

rm Ma2 (as in "Martini"; "Masarati", "Mazada)

&m Ya2 (as in "Yamaha")

&Sm Sha2 (consonant is modified.)

&Gm Ywa2 (consonant is modified.)

vm La2 (as in "color")

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 0g Wa2 (as in "Waterloo")

om Tha2 (as in "Mother Theresa")

[m Ha2 (as in "halal"; "harmonica")

tm Ah2 (as in "Argentina" with slient "r")

§10. End with with an another tone change symbol wit-sa1-pout, also
called wit-sa1 hna2 lone3-pout, that looks like a colon ; to change
into the third tone.

Examples:

Myanmar
English Romanization with 1,2,3 Tone System
Script
um; Ka3 (as in “car” with silent "r")

cg; Kha3 (as in "Gurkha")

ig; Nga3

pg; Sa3 (as in "Serbia")

qm; Hsa3 (as in "service")

nm; Nya3

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wm; Ta3 (as in "termite")

xm; Hta3

"m; da3 (as in "darling")

em; Na3 (as in "Banana")

yg; Pa3 (as in "pearl" with silent "rl")

zg; Pfa3

bm; Ba3 (as in "bar" with silent "r")

rm; Ma3 (as in "mother")

zsm; Pfya3 (consonant is modified.)

,m; Ya3 (as in "Yugoslavia")

&Sm; Sha3 (consonant is modified as in Sherman.)

vm; La3 (as in "Dalai Lama")

0g; Wa3 (as in "War")

om; Tha3 (as in "bother"; "brother")

tm; Ah3 (as in "ardent"; "Amish)

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§11. The example below shows how the word "Ka3" in the third tone
can be changed into an another consonant by "J" shaped consonant
modification symbol ya1-pin1: s
um; Ka3 (as in “car” )

usm; Kja3 (meaning: Men's Room; tiger)

§12. Similarly, the word "Pa3" in the third tone can be modified into an

another consonant by consonant modification symbol ya1-yit: ြြ

yg; Pa3

jym; Pya3

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VOWEL E or I Menu ≡

§13. The next sound group ends with the vowel “e” or “i”
(interchangeable).

E1: as in "eat' with silent "t".

E2: as in "Egyptian".
E3: as in "E-commerce".

The first tone that ends with vowel “e” or “i” can be constructed by
adding vowel shift symbol lone3-ji3-tin2 that looks like “o” on top of
the main letter.

Examples:

ud Ki1 (as in “keep” with silent “p”)

pd Si1 (as in “seat” with silent “t”)

nd Nyi1

wd Ti1 (as in "teeth" with silent "th")

xd Hti1

ed Ni1 (as in "neat" with silent "t")

yd Pi1 (as in "Pete" with silent "t")

zd Pfe1

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 bd Bi1 (as in "beat" with silent "t")

rd Mi1 (as in “meat” with silent “t”)

&d Yi1 ( as in "yeast" with silent "st")

od thi1

td E1 (“eat” with silent “t”)

§14. The stand alone character below also belongs to the similar sound
and tone group.

. E1 (“eat” with silent “t”)

§15. The example below shows how the partial word "Yi1" can be
changed into an another consonant by consonant modification symbol
ha1- hto3 : S.

&d Yi1

&Sd Shi1 (consonant is modified.)

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§16. To get the second tone, add downward curve hsun2-khut inside
lone3-ji3-tin2: d which is a tone change symbol: D

Examples:

pD Si2 (as in "seclude"; "seduce")

qD Hsi2 (as in "Taxi"; "xenophobia")

nD Nyi2

wD Ti2 (as in "Aunty")

xD Hti2

'D De2 (as in "delete"; "Kennedy")

eD Ni2 (as in "Manila")

rD Mi2 (as in "Milan")

&D Yi2

oD Thi2

tD E2 (as in "Egyptian"; " Iraqi"; "equator")

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§17. Some letters can be combined with the letter Nya1: n plus a
small open bracket shaped symbol that looks like "c" called thut: f on
top of Nya1: nf to get the same vowel "e" or "i" sound group in the
second tone.

Tha1 o Nya1-thut nf is expressed as "dthi2" onf , which

is softer pronunciation of 'thi2". The symbol thut: f by itself cannot
change the vowel, and cannot be used independently, but Nya1-thut:
nf as a whole can be considered as a vowel shift symbol.

p Sa1 (as in "saloon")

w Ta1 (as in "Tamil")

r Ma1

& Ya1

o Tha1

n Nya1

nf Nya1-thut (vowel shift symbol)

pnf Si2 (as in "Taxi")

wnf Ti2 (as in "Timor")

rnf Myi2 (as in "meander")

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 &nf Yi2 (also pronounced "Yay2)
Dthi2 (softer sound of "Thi2" as in "The End")
onf
(sometimes pronounced "theare2")
jynf Pyi2 (consonant is modified.)

§18. The stand alone character below also belongs to the similar sound
and tone group.

T E2 (as in “equator”)

§19. End with the wit-sa1-pout ; to get the third tone.

uD; Ki3 (as in “key”)

pD; Si3 (as in "see")

qD; Hsi3

ZD; Zi3 (as in "Zebra")

wD; Ti3 (as in "Tina")

xD; Hti3

eD; Ni3 (as in "near")

rD; Mi3 (as in "Miami")

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 oD; thi3 (as in "thesis")

tD; E3 (as in “easy”)

§20. In the following example, the letter "Pa1" is first modified by the
consonant modification symbol ya1-yit: ြြ

y Pa1

j ya1-yit (Consonant modification symbol )

jy Pya1

jyD Pyi2 (pronounced "byi2")

jyD; Pyi3

§21. Nya1-thut: nf can be applied only to a few letters to get the

vowel "e" or "i" sound group in the second tone.

After Nya1-thut: nf , the tone can be changed from the second to the
first by adding tone change symbol out-myit h which looks like a
dot at the bottom.

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In the example below, the letter Ka1 : u with the vowel "a" in the
first tone is first modified by consonant modification symbol ya1-yit: ြြ
to change into kja1 }u . Then, the word "kja1" is shifted into "e" or
"i" vowel group with Nya1-thut: nf.

To change into the third tone, add wit-sa1-pout ; instead of out-

myit h

u Ka1 (character)

j ya1-yit ( consonant modification symbol)

ju Kja1

n Nya1 (character)

nf Nya1-thut (vowel shift symbol)

junf Kji2

junf h Kji1

junf; Kji3

pnf; Si3 (as in "secret")

wnf; Ti3 (sometimes pronounced "teare3")

enf; Ni3 (sometimes pronounced "Neare3")

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VOWEL U Menu ≡

§22. The next sound group ends with the vowel “u".

Yu1: Youth with silent "th".

Yu2: "U" as in "University".
Yu3: "U" as in "User".

The first tone that ends with vowel "u" can be constructed by adding "L"
shaped vowel shift symbol called ta1-choun3-ngin2: k at the
bottom right side of the letter.

Examples:

uk Ku1

ck Khu1

qk Hsu1 (as in "Soup" with silent "p")

wk Tu1 (as in "tooth" with silent "th")

xk Htu1

'k Du1 (as in "dude")

ek Nu1 (as in "nude")

yk Pu1

bk Bu1 (Pronounced "Pfa1" in the word "Pagoda")

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 ok Thu1

vk Lu1 (as in "Luke")

§23. The stand alone character below is usually used for the vowel "u"
itself in the first tone. It is a suffix used such as "egg" in "chicken egg".
the character itself is called "Et-kha1-ya2 U1".

O U1

§24. Add another "I" shape symbol to the left side of "L" shape to get
the tone change symbol hna1-choun3-ngin2: l . It changes the
word that ends with the vowel "u" from the first to the second tone.

Examples:

ul Ku2 (as in "Kuwait")

cl Khu2

*l Gu2 (as in "Guru")

pl Su2 (as in "supervisor"; "Sudan")

ql Hsu2 (as in "tsunami"; "Suzanna"; "Suzuki")

wl Tu2 (as in "together")

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 xl Htu2

yl Pu2 (as in "pudding")

zl Pfu2

jzL Pfyu2 (consonant is modified.)

,l Yu2 (as in "University"; "utensil")

vl Lu2 (as in "lubrication")

ol Thu2 (as in "Lithuania")

tl U2

§25. End with wit-sa1-pout ; to get the third tone.

Examples:

ul; Ku3 (as in "cool" with silent "l")

cl; Khu3

pl; Su3

ql; Hsu3

wl; Tu3 (as in "Two")

xl; Htu3

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 'l; Du3 (as in "Do")

el; Nu3 (as in "noose")

ylk; Pu3 (as in "police")

zl; Pfu3

bl; Bu3 (as in "Boo!)

rl; Mu3

&l; Yu3 (as in "User")

vl; Lu3 (as in "Lucas")

§26. As for the stand alone character Et-kha1-ya2 U1 O in the first

tone, use tone change symbol hsun2-khut D to change into the
second tone.

Since downward curve hsun2-khut D cannot occur independently

without lone3-ji3-tin2: d , this combination is called lone3-ji3-tin2
hsun2-khut . However, no meaningful second tone word exists with
this letter. Use wit-sa1-pout ; to change into the third tone.

O u1

OD; u3 (as in "Uzi")

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VOWEL O Menu ≡

§27. The next sound group ends with the vowel “o",

O1: as in "Rose".
O2: as in "Oasis".
O3: as as "Old" with silent "ld".

Use vowel shift symbols lone3-ji3-tin2: d and ta1-choun3-ngin2: k

to get the vowel "o" sound.

Examples:

ukd Ko2 (as in "Coca Cola")

=udK Kjo2 (consonant is modified.)

cdk Kho2 (as in "khomeini"; "Nicholas" )

csdK Cho2 (consonant is modified.)

idk Ngo2

pdk So2 (as in "Soviet Union")

qkd Hso2

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ndK Nyo2 (as in El Niño)

wdk Toh2 (extra "h" added to avoid confusion with "to")

xkd Hto2

ydk Po2 (as in "polite"; "Polynesian")

jydK Pyo2 (consonant is modified.)

ysKd Pyo2 (consonant is modified.)

zdk Pfo2

jzdK Pfyo2 (consonant is modified.)

bdk Bo2

rdk Mo2 (as in "Monet"; Mona Lisa)

rsKd Myo2 (consonant is modified.)

rSdK Hmo2 (consonant is modified.)

,dk Yo2 (as in "Yokohama"; "Yoko Ono")

vkd Lo2

okd Tho2

[dk Ho2 (as in "hotel")

tdk O2 (as in "Oasis")

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§28. An extra Vowel shift symbol Ya1-thut ,f could follow in an
exception as with the letter "Ka1".

ukd,f Ko2 (as in "Kodak"; "co-author")

§29. An extra vowel shift symbol La1-thut vf follows in exceptions as

in the word "Ku1 Dtho2" (merit) and "Bo2" (Army officer).

ukodkvf Ku1 Dtho2

Adkvf Bo2

§30. To change into the first tone, use out-myit h . To change into
the third tone, use wit-sa1-pout ; .

Examples:

pdk h So1 (sometimes read "Zo1")

ydk h Po1 (as in "Post")

jrdK h Myo1 (consonant is modified.)

odk h Dtho1

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 vdk h Lo1

ukd; Ko3 (as in "cold")

=udK; Kjo3 (consonant is modified.)

udsK; Kjo3 (consonant is modified.)

cdk; Kho3 (as in "Nichole")

csdK; Cho3 (consonant is modified.)

pdk; So3 (as in "so")

qkd; Hso3

wdk; Toe3 (as in "toe")

xdk; Hto3

edK; No3 (as in "no")

Ed_; Hno3 (consonant is modified.)

ydk; Po3 (as in "pole")

bdk; Bo3 (as in "bold")

rdk; Mo3 (as in "more")

rsdK; Myo3 (consonant is modified.)

okd; Tho3 (as in "although")

xkd; Hto3

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§31. An exceptional case for the letter Ka1 u is possible when
spelled with an extra Vowel shift symbol Ya1-thut ,f .

ukd,f h Ko1 (as in "colt")

VOWEL Ay Menu ≡

§32.

Ay1: as in "Ace" with silent "ce".

Ay2: as in "Alienate"
Ay3: as in "Asia"

Vowel "Ay" in the second (neutral) tone can be created by adding

vowel shift symbol thway2-hto3 a which looks like an upside down
"e". Thway2-hto3 a always comes at the left side of the letter.
Exception: Use Nya1-thut nf as in Shay2: &Snf

As with above examples, to change into the first tone, use out-myit h.

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To change into the third tone, use wit-sa1-pout ;.

Examples:

aus Kjay2 (consonant is modified.)

ap Say2

ae Nay2

ay Pay2

az Pfay2

ajz Pfyay2 (consonant is modified.)

ar May2 (as in "May I?")

a& Yay2

&Snf Shay2 (consonant is modified.)

a&$ Shway2 (consonant is modified.)

av Lay2

a0 Way2

ao Thay2

ae Nay2

arh May1 (as in "maize" with silent "ze")

a&h Yay1

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a&S h Shay1 (consonant is modified.)

a&$ h Shway1 (consonant is modified.)

a[h Hay1

a=u; Kjay3 (consonant is modified.)

aus; Kjay3 (consonant is modified.)

aq; Hsay3 (as in "say")

aps; Zay3

aX; Htay3

aw; Tay3

awG; Tway3 (consonant is modified.)

ay; Pay3 (as in "pay")

ar; May3

a&; Yay3

a&S; Shay3 (consonant is modified.)

av; Lay3 (as in "lay")

a0; Way3 (as in "away")

ao; Thay3

aoG; Thway3 (consonant is modified.)

at; Ay3

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§33. The stand alone character below known as "Et-kha1-ya2 ay3" is
already in the third tone. But, it can also be pronounced in the second
tone as in Ay2 Ya2 Wa1 Di2 {&m 0wD river.

{ Ay3 (or) Ay2

§34. The stand alone character below known as "Yway1" is

pronounced as the name itself.

I Yway1

§35. The following example shows how the letter Ma1: r can be
modified by consonant modification symbols ya1-yit: j , wa1-
hsweare3: G below the letter, which is either "o" or triangle shape
depending on the font type, and ha1- hto3 : S . Ha1-hto3 is an
inverted "L" shape in the original form, and appears as a short hyphen
shape to the left side of wa1-hsweare3: G like this: $

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 r Ma1

j ya1-yit (Consonant modification symbol )

ar May2 (as in "May I?")

ajr Myay2 (Consonant is modified.)

ajr; Myay3 (Consonant is modified.)

arG Mway2 (Consonant is modified.)

ajrG Mway2 (Consonant is modified.)

ar$ Hmway2 (Consonant is modified.)

arG; Mway3 (Consonant is modified.)

ar$; Hmway3 (Consonant is modified.)

§36. Another example shows how the letter La1 v is changed into
"Ay" vowel ending by vowel shift symbol Thway2-hto3 a , and again
modified by consonant modification symbol ha1- hto3 : S

av La1

av Lay2

avS Hlay2

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VOWEL Au Menu ≡

§37.

Au1: As in "Auction".
Au2: as in "Australia".
Au3: as in "August".

This vowel is a bit odd. The letters must first be in the second tone by
tone change symbol yay3-cha1: m or g on the right side. Then,
add vowel shift symbol Thway2-hto3 a on the left side of the letter
to get the third tone with the vowel "Au". Unlike other vowels so far,
"Au" already starts in the third tone, so tone change symbol wit-sa1-
pout ; is not used.

Examples:

um Ka2 (as in "cartoon")

cg Kha2

rm Ma2 (as in "Martini")

aum Kau3 (as in "call" with silent "l")

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 acg Khau3 (as in "chorus")

awm Tau3 (as in "Taurus")

a'g Dau3 (as in "doll" with silent "t")

ayg Pau3 (as in "Paul" with silent "l")

arm Mau3 (as in "mall" with silent "l")

a&m Yau3 (as in "yogurt")

avm Lau3 (as in "Law")

aom Thau3 (as in "Thomas"; "authority")

a[m Hau3 (as in "hall" with silent "l")

§38. The stand alone character "Et-kha1-ya2 Au3" below is usually

used for the vowel "Au3" in the third tone.

=o Au3 (as in "August")

§39. For the second tone, add symbol thut: f on top of tone change
symbol yay3-cha1: m or g. This small "c" shaped (thut) when used
in combination with several letters such as Nya1, La1, Ya1, Sa1, Nga1,
etc., acts as a vowel shift symbol . However, when it goes on top of
tone change symbol yay3-cha1: m or g, it acts as a tone change
symbol, and it is called shay1-hto3 mf or :

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Examples:

aumf Kau2 ( as in "cauliflower".)

ac: Khau2

aqmf Hsau2 (as in "solidarity")

aZmf Zau2

awmf Tau2 (as in "torpedo")

a': Dau2 (as in "domino")

aemf Nau2 (as in "neither nor")

ay: Pau2 (as in "politician")

aysmf Pyau2 (consonant is modified.)

az: Pfau2

armf Mau2 (as in "modulation")

a&mf Yau2

aomf Thau2

atmf Au2 (as in "Australia")

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§40. The stand alone character "Au3" can be modifed into "Au2" in the
same way.

a=omf Au2

§41. To change into the first tone to the word with vowel "Au1" from the
original "Au3" in the third tone, use tone change symbol out-myit h
instead of shay1-hto3 mf or :.
Examples:

aqm h Hsau1 (as in "salt" with silent "lt')

awm h Tau1 (as in "top" with silent "p")

ayg h Pau1 (as in "pulse" with silent "lse")

azm h Pfau1

armh Mau1 (as in "Malt" with silent "lt")

aom h Thau1 (as in "thought" with silent "t")

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VOWEL Un (or) An Menu ≡

§42. In the tone system, vowel "un" is sometimes expressed by the

variant "an" in English romanization to avoid ambiguity.

Un1: as in "Aunt" with silent "t".

Un2: as in "Understanding".
Un3: as in "Under".

Use vowel shift symbols Na1-thut: ef or Ma1-thut: rf at the right

side of the letter, or thay3- thay3-tin2 H on top of the letter to get
the vowel "Un" in the second tone.

Na1-thut: ef is a "c" shaped small open bracket thut on top of the

letter Na1 e .
Ma1-thut: rf is a "c" on top of the letter Ma1 r , and
thay3- thay3-tin2 H is a dot on top of the letter itself.

Na1-ji3-thut %f is less common.

37 of 104
Examples:

uef Kun2 ( spelled with Na1-thut)

uH Kun2 ( spelled with thay3-thay3-tin2)

cH Khan2

iH Ngan2

pH Sun2

qef Hsun2

nH Nyan2

^m%f Nyan2 ( spelled with with Na1-ji3-thut)

wef Tan2 (as in Washington)

'%f Dun2

eH Nun2

emrf Nun2

yef Pan2

zef Pfun2

b%f Bun2

rH Mun2 (as in "mundane")

&ef Yan2 (as in "Yangon")

38 of 104
 vef Lun2

oef Thun2

[ef Hun2

tH Un2 (as in "understanding")

§43. The following example shows how the word "Mun2" can be
modified by consonant modification symbols ya1-yit: j and
ha1- hto3 : S.
r Ma1

ref Mun2

jr ef Myan2 (as in "Myanmar")

rSef Hmun2

§44. To change into the first tone, use out-myit h . To change into
the third tone, use wit-sa1-pout ; .

39 of 104
Examples:

uef; Kun3 (as in "cunning" with silent "n")

urf; Kun3 (as in "come" with silent "m")

cef; Khan3

ief; Ngan3

pef; Sun3 (as in "sunny".)

qef; Hsun3

jirf; Nyan3 (consonant is modified.)

wef; Tan3

xef; Htan3

xrf; Htan3

erf; Nun3 (as in "nun"; "none")

yef; Pan3 (as in "pundit")

zrf; Pfun3

&rf; Yan3 (as in "young")

vrf; Lun3 (as in "London")

oef; Thun3 (as in "thunder")

trf; Un3 (as in "under")

uHh Kun1

40 of 104
 cef h Khan1 (as in British "Can't")

qef h Hsun1

nhH Nyan1

vef h Lun1 (as in "lunch" with silent "ch")

tHh Un1 (as in "Aunt" with silent "t")

§45. The following example shows how the word "Kun3" can be
modified by consonant modification symbol ya1-yit: j .

urf; Kun3

=urf; Kjan3 (consonant is modified.)

41 of 104
VOWEL In Menu ≡

§46.

In1: as in "Ink" with silent "k".

In2: as in "insane".
In3: as in stressed "Inn".

Use vowel shift symbols Nga1-thut: if or Nya1-ga1-lay3-thut : Of

at the right side of the character to get the vowel "In" in the second
tone.

Examples:

uif Kin2

cif Khin2

csOf Chin2 (consonant is modified.)

pOf Sin2

pif Sin2 (as in "sincerely")

qif Hsin2

Zif Zin2

nif Nyin2

42 of 104
wif Tin2

xif Htin2

eif Nin2

yif Pin2

zif Pfin2

rSif Hmin2 (consonant is modified.)

jrif Myin2 (consonant is modified.)

,Of Yin2

,mOf Yin2

,if Yin2

&if Yin2

&Sif Shin2 (consonant is modified.)

vif Lin2

0if Win2

oif Thin2

tif In2 (as in "instruction": "interactive")

43 of 104
§47. In some uncommon words, nga1-ga1-lay3-thut, also called kin3-
si3: F , which is a small Nga1-thut: if that goes on top of the
letter, is used. Example below explains the phrase and breaks it down
into words.

r*Fvmyg Min2 gla2 pa2 ( formal greeting)

rif Min2

* Ga1

vm La2

yg Pa2 ( pronounced as "ba2" )

§48. To change into the first tone, use out-myit h . To change into
the third tone, use wit-sa1-pout ; .

Examples:

uif; Kin3 (as in "kinship.)

usOf; Kjin3 (consonant is modified.)

cif; Khin3

jcif; Chin3 (consonant is modified.)

44 of 104
 cGif; Khwin3 (consonant is modified.)

jiif; Nyin3 (consonant is modified.)

wif; Tin3 (as in "tin can")

xif; Htin3

'if; Din3 (as in "dim" with silent "m"; "dinner")

eif; Nin3

eSi;f Hnin3 (consonant is modified.)

yif; Pin3 (as in "pin")

jyif; Pyin3 (consonant is modified.)

rif; Min3 (as in "minaret")

jrif; Myin3 (consonant is modified.)

&if; Yin3

&Sif; Shin3 (consonant is modified.)

vif; Lin3

0if; Win3 (as in "win")

oif; Thin3 (as in "thin")

[if; Hin3

tif; In3 (as in "Inn")

qif h Hsin1 (as in "Sink" with silent "k".)

45 of 104
 eif h Nin1

eSif h Hnin1 (consonant is modified.)

yif h Pin1 (as in "pimp" with silent "mp")

jrif h Myin1 (consonant is modified.)

&iff h Yin1

&Sihf Shin1 (consonant is modified.)

oif h Thin1 (as in "think" with silent "k")

VOWEL Eare Menu ≡

§49.

Eare1: as in "ethical".
Eare2: as in "elementary" with silent "l" ending.
Eare3: as in "Air"

Unlike other vowels, vowel "Eare" can be shifted into either the third
tone or the second tone from the original letters using vowel shift
symbols.

"Eare" in the third tone can be constructed by adding vowel shift

46 of 104
symbol nout-pyit: J that looks like a back slash ( \ ) on top of the
main letter.

In some exceptions, Nya1-thut + wit-sa1-pout: nf; are also used to

get the third tone.

Examples:

uJ Keare3 (as in "care")

cJ Kheare3

*J Geare3 (as in "girl" with silent "rl')

pJ Seare3 (as in "cell" with silent "l")

qJ Hseare3 (as in "sell" with silent "l")

ZGJ Zweare3 (consonant is modified.)

wJ Teare3 (as in "tear")

wnf; Teare3 (also pronounced "Ti3")

enf; Neare3 (also pronounced "Ni3")

yJ Peare3 (as in "pair")

yGJ Pweare3 (consonant is modified.)

jyJ Pyeare3 (consonant is modified.)

zJ Pfeare3

47 of 104
 bJ Beare3 (as in "bear")

rJ Meare3 (as in "nightmare")

rGJ Mweare3 (consonant is modified.)

jrJ Myeare3 (consonant is modified.)

&J Yeare3

vJ Leare3 (as in "Lary")

0J Weare3 (as in "wear")

oJ Theare3

[J Heare3 (as in "Hair" with silent "r")

tJ Eare3 (as in "air'; "Elvis" with silent "l")

§50. Use To change into the first tone, use out-myit h to get the
first tone.

Examples:

uhJ Keare1

cJh Kheare1

wnfh Teare1

xnfh Hteare1

48 of 104
 yhJ Peare1 (as in "pelt" with silent "lt")

rJh Meare1 (as in "melt" with silent "lt")

&J h Yeare1

vJh Leare1 (as in "leopard")

vSnfh Hleare1 (consonant is modified.)

[hJ Heare1 (as in "help" with silent "lp")

{nfh Eare1 (as in "Edward")

§51. Vowel shift symbol Ya1-pet-let thut : ,f or Nya1-thut: nf can

be used to get the vowel "Eare" in the second tone from the original
character with the vowel "A" in the first tone.

Examples:

u Ka1

u,f Keare2 (as in "Michael" with silent "l")

=u,f Kjeare2 (consonant is modified.)

i,f Ngeare2

xnf Hteare2

49 of 104
e,f Neare2 (as in "penalty" with silent "l")

y,f Peare2 (as in "Opel" with silent "l")

z,f Pfeare2

b,f Beare2 (as in "ballerina")

r,f Meare2 (as in "Melamine"; "Melbourne")

&,f Yeare2

&S,f Sheare2 (consonant is modified.)

&G,f Yweare2 (consonant is modified.)

vnf Leare2

vG,f Lweare2 (consonant is modified.)

0,f Weare2

o,f Theare2

[,f Heare2

50 of 104
VOWEL Ain Menu ≡

§52.

Ain1: as in "taint" with silent "t".

Ain2: as in "Captain".
Ain3: as in "maintain".

Use "o" shape vowel shift symbol lone3-ji3-tin2: d in combination

with either vowel shift symbol Ma1-thut: rf or Na1-thut: ef to get the
vowel "Ain" in the second (neutral) tone. Several words in this vowel
category make use of consonant modification symbol ya1-yit: j and
ya1-pin1: s.

Examples:

=udrf Kjain2 (consonant is modified.)

csed f Chain2 (consonant is modified.)

*def Gain2

jidrf Nyain2 (consonant is modified.)

pdef Sain2

51 of 104
 pdrf Sain2

wdrf Tain2 (as in "Captain")

xdef Htain2

ydef Pain2

jrdef Myain2 (consonant is modified.)

vdrf Lain2

tdrf Ain2

§53. Just like other normal vowels, use out-myit h to change into
the first tone, and use wit-sa1-pout ; to change into the third tone.

Examples:

ndrf h Nyain1

edrf h Nain1

rdef h Main1

*drf; Gain3 (as in "gain")

jidrf; Nyain3 (consonant is modified.)

pdrf; Sain3 (as in "sane")

52 of 104
 xdef; Htain3

rdef; Main3 (as in "main")

,drf; Yain3

vdrf; Lain3 (as in "lane")

odrf; Thain3

[ded f; Hain3

VOWEL "Ome" Menu ≡

§54.

Ome1: as in "Comb" without consonant "c" and silent "b".

Ome2: as in "bona-fide"
Ome3: as in "Only".

In the tone system, several words with the vowel "Ome" is spelled with
"n" to avoid confusion with existing English words. For example,
"Sone2" instead of "Some2". On the other hand, "Gome2" with "m" is
used instead of "Gone2".

The words with vowel "Ome" are not modified from the original letters
in vowel "a1" ending, but shifted from other words with vowel "u1". The
words with vowel "u1" as shown earlier are constructed by adding ta1-

53 of 104
choun3-ngin2: k.

§55. Vowel shift symbols Na1-thut: ef or thay3- thay3-tin2 H are

used more frequently than Na1-ji3-thut: %f . Theoretically, it is also
possible to use Ma1-thut: rf but those words come in the form of
double-stacked Ma1 rR with hidden thut: f.

uk Ku1

ukef Kone2

=uHK Kjone2 (consonant is modified.)

cHk Khone2

ckef Khone2

csHK Chone2 (consonant is modified.)

*k%f gome2

iHk Ngome2

pHk Sone2

qHk Hsone2

qkef Hsone2

Zkef Zone2

wkef Tone2

54 of 104
 xkef Htone2

yHk Pone2

zkef Pfone2

bHk Bone2 (as in "bona-fide")

§56. Just like other normal vowels, use tone change symbol
out-myit h to change into the first tone, and use wit-sa1-pout ; to
change into the third tone.

ukef; Kone2 (as in "cone")

csHK; Chone3 (consonant is modified.)

pkef; Sone3 (as in "chromosome" with silent "m")

qHk; Hsone3

wkH; Tone3 (as in "tone")

wkef; Tone3 (as in "tone")

xHk; Htone3

'Hk; Dome3 (as in "dome")

55 of 104
 =uHK h Kjone1 (consonant is modified.)

wHk h Tone1

rkef h Mone1

vH_ h Hlone1 (consonant is modified.)

VOWEL Ine (or) Ime Menu ≡

§57.

Ine1: as in "Bryant" without "r" and silent "t".

Ine2: as in "Carbine".
Ine3: as in "Combine".

The words with vowel "Ine" in the neutral second tones are not
modified from the original letters in vowel "a1" ending, but shifted from
other words with vowel "o2". The words with vowel "o2" as shown
earlier are constructed by adding ta1-choun3-ngin2: k at the bottom,
and lone3-ji3-tin2: d on top of the letter. Vowel shift symbol Nga1-

56 of 104
thut: if or Na1-ji3-thut: %f is used to shift the word already in vowel
"o2" to "Ine2".

udk Ko2

udkif Kine2

=udKif Kjine2 (consonant is modified.)

cdkif Khine2

idkif Ngine2

qdkif Hsine2

wdkif Tine2

xdkif Htine2

'dkif Dine2

edlif Nine2 (as in "nineteen")

ydkif Pine2

jydKif Pyine2 (consonant is modified.)

zdkif Pfine2

rdkif Mine2 (as in "minutely small")

jrdKif Myine2 (consonant is modified.)

,dkif Yine2

57 of 104
 0dkif Wine2

tdkif Ine2

§58. Use wit-sa1-pout ; to change into the third tone and out-myit h
for the first tone, but the words with vowel "ime" or "ine" in the first tone
are not very common.

usLd if; Kyine3 (consonant is modified.)

cdki;f Khine3

*dk%f; Gine3

wdkif; Tine3 (as in "tiny")

xdki;f Htine3

'dki;f Dine3 (as in "dine")

ydki;f Pine3 (as in "pine")

rdki;f Mine3 (as in "mine")

&dkif; Yine3

vdkif; Line3 (as in "line")

0dki;f Wine3 (as in "wine")

odki;f Thine3

58 of 104
 =udKif h Kjine1 (consonant is modified.)

VOWEL Oon Menu ≡

§59.

oon1: similar to "doont" sound in "couldn't".

oon2: as in "carbon".
oon3: as in "Cartoon".

This vowel is different. The original letter must be first modified by

Consonant modification symbol wa1-hsweare3: G at the bottom to
modify the letters into slightly different consonants with "wa1" sound
except for the character "Wa1: 0 " itself. Examples: "Kwa1: uG ",
"Khwa1: cG ", "Swa1:pG ", "Zwa1: ZG ", "Pwa1: yG ", "Ywa1: ,G ",
"Thwa1: oG ", and so on.

The letters are then shifted from vowel "a1" to "oon2 tGef " with
Na1-thut: ef or thay3- thay3-tin2: H in some cases. Curiously,
"wa1" sound becomes silent after Na1-thut.

59 of 104
For example, "Mwa1: rG + Na1-thut: ef = "Moon2", not "Mwoon2".

uG Kwa1

uGef Koon2

uGsef Kjoon2 (consonant is modified.)

cGef Khoon2

pGef Soon2

qGef Hsoon2

ZGef Zoon2

n$ef Hnyoon2 (consonant is modified.)

wGef Toon2

xGef Htoon2

rGef Moon2

&GH Yoon2

vGef Loon2

0ef Woon2

oGef Thoon2

60 of 104
§60. Use wit-sa1-pout ; to change into the third tone and
out-myit h to change into the first tone.

uGsef; Kjoon3 (consonant is modified.)

cGef; Khoon3

*Grf; Goon3 (as in "lagoon")

pGrf; Soon3 (as in "soon")

qGrf; Hsoon3

ZGef; Zoon3 (as in "zoom" with silent "m")

n$ef; Hnyoon3 (consonant is modified.)

wGef; Toon3 (as in "cartoon")

xGef; Htoon3

EGrf; Noon3 (as in "afternoon")

yGef; Poon3 (as in "spoon")

,GGef; Yoon3 (as in "Carl Jung")

vGrf; Loon3 (as in "balloon")

61 of 104
 [Gef; Hoon3

pGef h Soon1

nGef h Nyoon1

wGef h Toon1

tGef h Oon1

VOWEL Oun Menu ≡

§61.

Oun1: as in "Count"
Oun2: as in "Counter-strike".
Oun3: as in "Counsel".

To get this vowel, first use yay3-cha1: m or g. Then use Thway2-

hto3 a on the left side and Nga1-thut: if on the right side.
"Ka2: um " + "oun2: a m if " = "Koun2: aumif ".

62 of 104
Use wit-sa1-pout ; to change into the third tone and out-myit h to
change into the first tone.

um Ka2

aumif Koun2

a=umif Kjoun2 (consonant is modified.)

acgif Khoun2

apgif Soun2

aqmif Hsoun2

anmif Nyoun2

awmif Toun2

axmif Htoun2

aemif Noun2

aygif Poun2

azgif Pfoun2

abmif Boun2

armif Moun2

a,mif Youn2

a&mif Youn2

63 of 104
avmif Loun2

aomif Thoun2

a[mif Houn2

atmif Oun2

aumif; Koun3

a=umif; Kjoun3 (consonant is modified.)

ausmif; Kjoun3 (consonant is modified.)

acgif; Khoun3 (or) Goun3

ajcmif; Choun3 (consonant is modified.)

acsmif; Choun3 (consonant is modified.)

apmif; Soun3 (as in "sound" with silent "d")

aqmif; Hsoun3

anmif; Nyoun3

awmif; Toun3 (as in "town")

axmif; Htoun3

a'gif; Doun3 (as in "down")

aygif; Poun3 (as in "pound")

ajymif; Pyoun3 (consonant is modified.)

azgif; Pfoun3

64 of 104
abmif; Boun3 (as in "bounty")

armif; Moun3

ajrmif; Myoun3 (consonant is modified.)

a,mif; Youn3

a&mif; Youn3

avmif; Loun3 (as in "laundry")

a[mif; Houn3 (as in "greyhound")

atmif; Oun3

a=umif h Kjoun1 (consonant is modified.)

apmif h Soun1

aqmif h Hsoun1

awmif h Toun1

axmif h Htoun1 ( read as "Doun1")

ajzmif h Pfyoun1 (consonant is modified.)

atmif h oun1

65 of 104
Single Tones Group Overview Menu ≡

§62. There are eight categories of single tones which can be

represented by English spelling satisfactorily. Spellings in the Single
tone Groups are standardized in the tone system with the use of "t"
ending whenever possible. The aim is to reduce variations to a
minimum. The words must be pronounced without ending sound. For
example, "Date" should be pronounced with silent "te".

Single Tone (c1) Ate Menu ≡

§63. Use either Ta1-thut: wf or Pa1-thut: yf in most cases.

udwf Kate

=udwf Kjate (consonant is modified.)

udpP Kate Sa1

pdwf Sate

66 of 104
qdwf Hsate

qdyf Hsate

wdwf Tate

xdwf Htate

xdyf Htate

eSdyf Hnate (consonant is modified.)

ydwf Pate

zdwf Pfate

rdwf Mate

&dyf Yate

&dwf Yate

vdyf Late

odyf Thate

odwf Thate

tdyf Ate

tdwf Ate

67 of 104
Single Tone (c2) Et Menu ≡

§64. Use Ka1-thut: uf

=uuf Kjet (consonant is modified.)

usuf Kjet (consonant is modified.)

cuf Khet

csuf Chet (consonant is modified.)

jcuf Chet (consonant is modified.)

*uf(pf) Get(s) (English word "gas")

wuf Tet

xuf Htet

euf Net

yuf Pet

zuf Pfet

buf Bet

ruf Met

rsuf Myet (consonant is modified.)

68 of 104
jruf Myet (consonant is modified.)

&uf Yet

&Suf Shet (consonant is modified.)

&Guf Ywet (consonant is modified.)

,Suf Shet (consonant is modified.)

vuf Let

0uf Wet

ouf Thet

tuf et

69 of 104
Single Tone (c3) Oot Menu ≡

§65. Use wa1-hsweare3: G below the letter except in the letter

"Wa1: 0 " to modify the consonant. Then use Ta1-thut: wf or
Pa1-thut: yf .

uGswf Kjoot (consonant is modified.)

cGyf Khoot

pGwf Soot

pGyf Soot

ZGwf Zoot

xGwf Htoot

yGwf Poot (as in "put")

zGwf Pfoot

0wf Woot

oGwf Thoot

oGyf Thoot

70 of 104
Single Tone (c4) Out Menu ≡

§66. Use Thway2-hto3 a + yay3-cha1: m or g +

Ka1-thut: uf

aumuf Kout

a=umuf Kjout (consonant is modified.)

ausmuf Kjout (consonant is modified.)

acguf Khout

ajcmuf Chout (consonant is modified.)

acsmuf Chout (consonant is modified.)

aqmuf Hsout

awmuf Tout

axmuf Htout

aemuf Nout

ayguf Pout

ajymuf Pyout (consonant is modified.)

71 of 104
aysmuf Pyout (consonant is modified.)

azmuf Pfout

armuf Mout

ajrmuf Myout (consonant is modified.)

arsmuf Myout (consonant is modified.)

arSmuf Hmout (consonant is modified.)

a&muf Yout

avmuf Lout

aomuf Thout

a[muf Hout

atmuf Out

72 of 104
Single Tone (c5) Ike (or) Ite Menu ≡

§67. Use lone3-ji3-tin2: d + ta1-choun3-ngin2: k + Ka1-thut: uf

udkuf Kite

=udKuf Kjite (consonant is modified.)

usdKuf Kjite (consonant is modified.)

cdkuf Khite

idkuf Ngite

pdkuf Site

qdkuf Hsite

wdkuf Tite

xdkuf Htite

ESdKuf Hnite (consonant is modified.)

ydkuf Pike

Adkuf Bite

rdkuf Mite

&dkuf Yite

vdkuf Lite

73 of 104
 odkuf Thite

[dkuf Hite

tdkuf Ike

§68. The stand alone character below means "at".

Y Hnite

Single Tone (c6) Ut (or) Up Menu ≡

§69. Use Pa1-thut: yf or Ta1-thut: wf . Da1-thut: 'f , yay3-cha1 +

Ta1-thut: mwf or yay3-cha1 + Ba1-thut: mbf are used in
exceptional cases.

uyf Kut

u'f Kut (English word, "Card")

usyf Kjut (consonant is modified.)

74 of 104
=uyf Kjut (consonant is modified.)

cyf Khut

csyf Chut (consonant is modified.)

iwf Ngut

pyf Sut

qwf Hsut

Zmwf Zut

nSyf Hnyut (consonant is modified.)

wyf Tut

wwf Tut

xyf Htut

"gwf Dut

ewf Nut

eSyf Hnut (consonant is modified.)

ywf Pup

jywf Pyut (consonant is modified.)

zwf Pfut

vmbf Lut

rwf Mut

75 of 104
 rSwf Hmut (consonant is modified.)

jrwf Myut (consonant is modified.)

&yf Yut

v#yf Hlyut (consonant is modified.)

owf Thut

oyf Thut

[yf Hut

tyf Ut

Single Tone (c7) Oat Menu ≡

§70. Use ta1-choun3-ngin2: k plus either Pa1-thut: yf or

Ta1-thut: wf .

ukwf Koat

usKyf Kjoat (consonant is modified.)

ckwf Khoat

76 of 104
csKyf Choat (consonant is modified.)

*kwf Goat

ikwf Ngoat

pkyf Soat

qkwf Hsoat

wkwf Toat

xkyf Htoat

E_wf Hnoat (consonant is modified.)

ekwf Hnoat (without ha1-hto3)

ykwf Poat

ykyf Poat

zkwf Pfoat

r_wf Hmoat (consonant is modified.)

jrSKyf Myoat (consonant is modified.)

&kyf Yoat

&kwf Yoat

vkyf Loat

okyf Thoat

tkyf Oat

77 of 104
§71. The following is an exception with Et-kha1-ya2 U1: O and
Sa1-thut: pf .

OpPm Oat Sa2

Opf Oat

pm Sa2

Single Tone (c8) It Menu ≡

§72. Use Sa1-thut: pf in most cases. Thway2-hto3 a + Ta1-thut:

wf is used in exceptional cases.

acwf Khit

cspf Chit (consonant is modified.)

ppf Sit

78 of 104
qpf Hsit

npf Nyit

wpf Tit

xpf Htit

epf Nit

eSpf Hnit (consonant is modified.)

ypf Pyit (Exception: Not "Pit")

jzpf Pfyit (consonant is modified.)

&pf Yit

vpf Lit

opf Thit

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Double stacked Words Menu ≡

§73. Examples below show how double-stacked words are

pronounced.

AE<Kv Bun2 Du1 La1 (Burmese Hero)

Aef Bun2 ( Add hidden "thut")

"k - "K Du1 = Du1

v La1

OuUX Oat Ka1 Hta1 (Chairman)

O - tk U1 = U1 (same sound)

tkuf Oat (Add hidden "thut")

u Ka1

X Hta1

urBm Ka1 Ba2 (the World)

urf Kun2

u Ka1 (Ma-thut becomes silent in this case.)

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 bm Ba2

arwWm Myit Ta2 (Loving-Kindness)

arwf Mit similar to "Khit" spelling below.

acwf Khit

ajrwf Myit (Add hidden ya1-yit) and (thut)

wm Ta2

rE Wav; Mun3 da1 Lay3 ( Mandalay City)

ref; Mun3 ( Add hidden "thut" & "wit-sa1-pout".)

w Ta1 ( Soften to "da1" when spoken.)

av; Lay3

o=uFef Thin3 Kjan2 (Burmese Water Festival)

oif; Thin3

=uef Kjan2

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urRXmef; Kun2 Ma1 Htun3

urf Kun2

r Ma1

Xmef; Htun3

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Quick Reference Steps Menu ≡

§74.

Step 1: Do you recognize the main letter? Find out how the initial
consonant sounds:

Does it have "K" sound as in u? "N" sound as in e?

u "k" c "kh" * "g" C "g" i "ng" p "s" q "hs" Z "z"
ps "z" n "ny" X "ht" % "n" w "t" x "ht" ' "d" " "d"
e "n" y "p" z "pf" A "b" b "b" r "m" , "y" & "y"
v "l" 0 "w" o "th" [ "h" t "a" "e" "i" "o" "u"

§75. Step 2: Are there consonant modification symbols? They will

only slightly modify how the consonant will sound. Consonants are the
first letters before the vowels in Romanization as shown below:

ya1-pin1: s

us "kj" cs "ch" *s "j" ys "py" zs "pfy" As "by" rs "my"

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ya1-yit: j

ju "kj" jc "ch" jy "py" jz "pfy" jr "my"

ha1- hto3 S

iS "hng" !S "hny" eS "hn" rS "hm" &S "sh" vS "hl"

wa1-hsweare3: G

uG "kw" cG "khw" *G "gw" iG "ngw" pG "sw" qG "hsw" !G "nyw"

wG "tw" xG "htw" 'G "dw" EG "nw" yG "pw" zG "pfw" AG "bw"
bG "bw" rG "mw" ,G "yw" &G "yw" vG "lw" oGG "thw"

wa1-hsweare3 ha1- hto3 $

!$ "hnyw" E$ "hnw" r$ "hmw" &$ "shw" v$ "hlw"

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§76. Step 3: Figure out how the consonant will sound with vowel and
tone symbols by filling in the blank " ". Example:

Left side Consonant " " Right side Right End Consonant + Vowel
plus symbols
a v ; "l " + ay3 = lay3

Matching Sequence: left - top - bottom - right. Scroll down if

nothing is on the left or top of the letter.

Left side Consonant " " Right side Right End Consonant + Vowel
plus symbols
a " " + ay2

a h " " + ay1

a ; " " + ay3

a m or g " " + au3

a mf or : " " + au2

a mh or gh " " + au1

a m or g uf " " + out

a m or g if " " + oun2

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a m or g if h " " + oun1

a m or g if; " " + oun3

d wf " " + ate

d ef " " + ain2

d ef h " " + ain1

d ef ; " " + ain3

d rf " " + ain2

d rff h " " + ain1

d rf ; " " + ain3

d yf " " + ate

d " " + e1

D " " + e2

D ; " " + e3

dfk " " + o2

dfk h " " + o1

dfk ; " " + o3

dfk uf " " + ike

dfk if " " + ine2

dfk if h " " + ine1

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 dfk if ; " " + ine3

dfk %f ; " " + ine3

dfk vf " " + o2

dfk ,f " " + o2

kH " " + ome2

kH h " " + ome1

kH ; " " + ome3

H " " + un2

H h " " + un1

J " " + eare3

Jh " " + eare1

k eff " " + ome2

k ef h " " + ome1

k ef ; " " + ome3

k rf " " + ome2

k rff h " " + ome1

k rf ; " " + ome3

k wf " " + oat

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 k yf " " + oat

k " " + u1

l " " + u2

l ; " " + u3

G wf " " + oot

G ef " " + oon2

G ef h " " + oon1

G ef ; " " + oon3

G rf " " + oon2

G rf h " " + oon1

G rf ; " " + oon3

G yf " " + oot

" " + a1

m or g " " + a2

m or g ; " " + a3

m Of " " + in2

m %f " " + un2

g wf " " + ut

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 m ef " " + un2

m rf " " + un2

m bf " " + ut

uf " " + et

F " " + in2

if " " + in2

if h " " + in1

if ; " " + in3

pf " " + it

Of " " + in2

Of h " " + in1

Of ; " " + in3

%f " " + un2

wf " " + ut

'f " " + ut

ef " " + un2

ef h " " + un1

ef ; " " + un3

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rf " " + un2

rf h " " + un1

rf ; " " + un3

yf " " + ut

,f " " + eare2

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Practical Examples Menu ≡

§77. The following table shows the spellings of Yangon streets and
landmarks. Note that some words are pronounced differently from the
way they are spelled.

Myanmar Script Spelled as Read as

ဆူးလဘုရားလမ်း hsu3-lay2 bu1-ya3 hsu3-lay2 pfa1-ya3
lun3 lun3

Sule Pagoda Road

ဗိုလ်ချုပ်အောင်ဆန်း bo2-choat oun2-hsun3 bo2-joat oun2-hsun3

lun3 lun3
လမ်း
Bogyoke Aung San
Road

ဗိုလ်ချုပ်အောင်ဆန်း bo2-choat oun2-hsun3 bo2-joat oun2-hsun3

zay3 zay3
ဈေး
Bogyoke Aung San
Market

အနော်ရထာလမ်း a-nau2-ra1-hta2 lun3 a-nau2-ra1-hta2 lun3

Anawrahta Road

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မဟာဗနလလမ်း ma1-ha2 bun2-du1-la1 ma1-ha2 bun2-du1-la1
lun3 lun3

Maha Bandoola Road

မဟာဗနလပန်းခြံ ma1-ha2 bun2-du1-la1 ma1-ha2 bun2-du1-la1

pan3-chan2 pan3-chan2

Maha Bandoola
Garden

ကုန်သည်လမ်း kone2-theare2 lun3 kone2-theare2 lun3

Merchant Road

ကမ်းနားလမ်း kun3-na3 lun3 kun3-na3 lun3

Strand Road

ပန်းဆိုးတန်းလမ်း pan3-hso3-tan3 lun3 pan3-hso3-dun3 lun3

Pansodan Street

ဆိပ်ကမ်းသာလမ်း hsate-kun3-tha2 lun3 hsate-kun3-tha2 lun3

Seik Kan Thar Street

ဗိုလ်အောင်ကျော်လမ်း bo2-oun2-kjau2 lun3 bo2-oun2-jau2 lun3

Bo Aung Kyaw Street

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သိမ်ဖလမ်း thain2-pfyu2 lun3 thain2-pfyu2 lun3

Thein Phyu Road

ဗိုလ်တထောင်ဘုရား bo2-ta1-htoun2 bu1- bo2-ta1-htoun2 pfa1-

ya3 lun3 ya3 lun3
လမ်း
Botahtaung Pagoda
Road

သိမ်ကြီးဈေး thain2-kji3 zay3 thain2-ji3 zay3

Theingyi Market

ရတိဂုံဘုရားလမ်း shway2-ti1-gome2 shway2-da1-gome2

bu1-ya3 lun3 pfa1-ya3 lun3

Shwedagon Pagoda
Road

လသာလမ်း la1-tha2 lun3 la1-tha2 lun3

Latha Street

စဉအိုးတန်းလမ်း sin1-o3-tan3 lun3 sin1-o3-dun3 lun3

Sint Oh Dan Street

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အလံပဘုရားလမ်း a-lun2-pya1 bu1-ya3 a-lun2-pya1 pfa1-ya3
lun3 lun3

Ah Lan Pya Pagoda

Road

ကန်တော်ကြီး kan2-dau2-ji3
kun2-tau2-kji3
Kan Daw Gyi Lake

ဗဟန်းလမ်း ba1-hun3 lun3

ba1-hun3 lun3
Bahan Street

တက္သိုလ်ရိပ်သာလမ်း tet-ka1-tho2 yate-tha2 tet-ka1-tho2 yate-tha2

lun3 lun3

University Avenue

အင်းယားကန် in3-ya3 kun2 in3-ya3 kun2

Inya Lake

လှည်းတန်းလမ်း hleare3-tan3 lun3 hleare3-dun3 lun3

Hledan Road

အင်းစိန်လမ်း in3-sain2 lun3 in3-sain2 lun3

Insein Road

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ပည်လမ်းမကြီး pyay2-lun3 ma1 kji3 / pyay2 lun3 ma1 ji3
pyi2-lun3 ma1 kji3
Pyay Main Road

ကမအေးဘုရားလမ်း ka1-ba2-ay3 bu1-ya3 ka1-ba2-ay3 pfa1-ya3

lun3 lun3

Kaba Aye Pagoda

Road

ရန်ကုန်အပည် yan2-gome2 a-pyi2- yan2-gome2 a-pyi2-

pyi2 hsine2 ya2 lay2 pyi2 hsine2 ya2 lay2
ပည်ဆိုင်ရာ sate zate

လဆိပ် Yangon International

Airport

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Appendix A: Myanmar Alphabet Table Menu ≡

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Appendix B: Summary of Vowels & Tones Menu ≡

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98 of 104
99 of 104
Appendix C: Tone Reference Table Menu ≡

Ah1 "a" in "art" with silent "rt"

Ah2 "ar" in "Argentina" with silent "r"
Ah3 "ar" in "Artist" with slilent "r"
De1 "de" in "deep" with silent "p"
De2 "de" as in "demote"; "demand"
De3 "dee" as in "deer"; "decent"
Ko1 "colt" with silent "lt"
Ko2 as in "co-author"; "cocaine"
Ko3 "cold" wit silent "ld"
Yu1 "u" in "Youth" with silent "th"
Yu2 "u" as in "university"; "utensil"
Yu3 "u" as in "user"; "Unix"
Shun1 as in "shunt" with silent "t"
Shun2 "shun" as in "chandelier"
Shun3 as in "shun"
Au1 as in "auction"
Au2 as in "Australia";"auditor"
Au3 as in "August"

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May1 "maize" with silent "ze"
May2 "may" as in "May I?"
May3 "ay" in "amazing"
Sin1 "sink" with silent "k"
Sin2 "sin" as in "sincerely"
Sin3 "sin" as in "sinful"; "Singapore"
Un1 "aunt" with silent "t"
Un2 "un" in "understanding"; "umbrella"
Un3 "un" as in "under"
Meare1 "melt" with silent "lt"
Meare2 "mel" in "Melbourne" with silent "l"
Meare3 "mare" of "nightmare"
Tain1 "taint" with silent "t"
Tain2 "tain" as in "Captain"
Tain3 "tain" as in "maintain"
Bine1 "Bryant" without "r"
Bine2 as in "carbine"
Bine3 as in "combine"
Dome1 as in "don't"
Dome2 close to "dominate"
Dome3 as in "dome"
Toon1 "doont" in "couldn't"
Toon2 "mon" in "monastery"

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Toon3 "oon" as in "cartoon"
Koun1 "count" with silent "t"
Koun2 "coun" in "counter-strike"
Koun3 "coun" as in "counsel"
ate cake, jade, eight, paid, bake
et wet, set, mad, yet
oot cook, put, look
out out, south, mouse, doubt
ike/ite sight, pipe, night, dice, like
ut up, nut, sucks
oat oat, coat, goat, soak
it it, pit, sit

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Revision History Menu ≡

A 2013-11- Original Release.

13
B 2014-12- Revised and standardized the romanization.
30
C 2015-01- Minor improvements plus Table of Contents with page
06 numbers and Appendix section added.
D 2015-06- Sections expanded to include more examples. Standardized the
02 variations in the terms for tonal change symbols with the usage
by the Myanmar Language Commission. New section on
practical examples added. Improvements made in presentation
format.
E 2017-03- A section on Quick Reference Steps added. Explanation notes
20 are made clearer by adding script and symbols. Two images
added to Appendix B.
F 2017-10- Font size increased for small devices. Front page redesigned.
30 Added similar sounding English words: "user", "El Niño",
"modulation","lunch", "minaret", "Washington", and "put".
Added Appendix C. Minor improvements made in format and
layout.

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 Myanmar Script Learning Guide
Burmese 1,2,3 Tone System is Developed by
Naing Tin-Nyunt-Pu
Copyright © 2013-2017, Naing Tinnyuntpu & Asia Pearl
Travels. All Rights Reserved.
Free to use. Free to distribute without charge.
website: https://www.asiapearltravels.com/language/lesson33.php
email: [email protected]

Zero Kyat

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