Khmer script: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Abugida script for the Cambodian (Khmer) language}}{{Infobox Writing system

|name = Khmer

| fam4 fam6= [[AramaicPallava script|AramaicPallava]]

|sample = Khmer_sample_script.svg

The '''Khmer script''' ({{lang-km|អក្សរខ្មែរ}}, {{transl|km|Âksâr Khmêr}} {{IPA-km|ʔaksɑːʔaʔsɑː kʰmae|}})<ref name="Huffman">Huffman, Franklin. 1970. ''Cambodian System of Writing and Beginning Reader''. [[Yale University Press]]. {{ISBN|0-300-01314-0}}.</ref> is an [[abugida]] (alphasyllabary) script used to write the [[Khmer language]], (the official language of [[Cambodia]]). It is also used to write [[Pali]] in the Buddhist liturgy of Cambodia and Thailand.

There are 35 Khmer [[consonant]] symbols, although modern Khmer only uses 33, two having become obsolete. Each consonant has an [[inherent vowel]]: ''â'' {{IPA|/ɑː/}} or ''ô'' {{IPA|/ɔː/}}; equivalently, each consonant is said to belong to the ''a''-series or ''o''-series. A consonant's series determines the pronunciation of the [[#Dependent vowels|dependent vowel]] symbols which may be attached to it, and in some positions the sound of the inherent vowel is itself pronounced. The two series originally represented [[voiceless consonant|voiceless]] and [[voiced consonant|voiced]] consonants respectively (and are still referred to as such in Khmer); [[sound change]]s during the [[Middle Khmer]] period affected vowels following voiceless consonants, and these changes were preserved even though the distinctive voicing was lost (see [[Khmer language#Phonation and tone|phonation in Khmer]]).

Each consonant, with one exception, also has a subscript form. These may also be called "sub-consonants"; the Khmer phrase is {{lang|km|ជើងអក្សរ}} ''{{transl|km|cheung âksâr}}'', meaning "foot of a letter". Most subscript consonants resemble the corresponding consonant symbol, but in a smaller and possibly simplified form, although in a few cases there is no obvious resemblance. Most subscript consonants are written directly below other consonants, although subscript ''{{transl|km|r}}'' appears to the left, while a few others have ascending elements which appear to the right. Subscripts are used in writing [[consonant cluster]]s (consonants pronounced consecutively in a word with no vowel sound between them). Clusters in Khmer normally consist of two consonants, although occasionally in the middle of a word there will be three. The first consonant in a cluster is written using the main consonant symbol, with the second (and third, if present) attached to it in subscript form. Subscripts were previously also used to write final consonants; in modern Khmer this may be done, optionally, in some words ending ''-ng'' or ''-y'', such as {{lang|km|ឲ្យ}} ''{{transl|km|aôy}}'' ("give").

The consonants and their subscript forms are listed in the following table. Usual phonetic values are given using the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] (IPA); variations are described below the table. The sound system is described in detail at [[Khmer phonology]]. The spoken [[letter name|name]] of each consonant letter is its value together with its inherent vowel. Transliterations are given using the transcription system of the ''Geographic Department of the Cambodian Ministry of Land Management and Urban Planning'' used by the Cambodian government and the [[UNGEGN]] system;<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Geographical Names of the Kingdom of Cambodia |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/8th-uncsgn-docs/inf/8th_UNCSGN_econf.94_INF.30_corr1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508214101/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/8th-uncsgn-docs/inf/8th_UNCSGN_econf.94_INF.30_corr1.pdf |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |access-date= |website=}} ''Reports by Governments on the Situation in Their Countries and on the Progress Made in the Standardization of Geographical Names Since the Seventh Conference.'' Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. Berlin, 27 August-5 September 2002. Item 4 of the provisional agenda.</ref><ref name=un>[http://www.eki.ee/wgrs/rom1_km.pdf Report on the Current Status of United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names – Khmer], UNGEGN Working Group on Romanization Systems, September 2013 (linked from [http://www.eki.ee/wgrs/ WGRS website]).</ref> for other systems see [[Romanization of Khmer]].

! colspan="43" | Name/Full value (with inherent vowel)

! colspan="42" | Consonant value

| ''{{transl|km|kkâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|khkhâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|kkô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|khkhô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ngngô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|chchâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|chhchhâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|chchô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|chhchhô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|nhnhô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ddâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ththâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ddô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ththô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|nnâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ttâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ththâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ttô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ththô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|nnô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|b, pbâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|phphâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|ppô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|phphô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|mmô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|yyô}}''

| {{translIPA|km|rô[rɔː]}}

| ''{{transl|km|rarô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|llô}}''

| ''{{transl|km|vvô}}''

| colspan="85" bgcolor="#E5E5E5" | Obsolete; historically used for [[Voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative|palatal s]]<br>
Used only for [[Pali]]/[[Sanskrit]] transliteration<ref name="KhUnicodeChart">{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1780.pdf|title=Unicode 12.1 Character Code Charts –- Khmer}}</ref>

| colspan="85" bgcolor="#E5E5E5" | Obsolete; historically used for [[voiceless retroflex fricative|retroflex s]]<br>
Used only for [[Pali]]/[[Sanskrit]] transliteration<ref name="KhUnicodeChart" />

| ''{{transl|km|ssâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|hhâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|llâ}}''

| ''{{transl|km|'’â}}''

The letter {{lang|km|ប}} ''{{transl|km|bâ}}'' appears in somewhat modified form (e.g. {{lang|km|បា}}) when combined with certain dependent vowels (see [[#Ligatures|Ligatures]]).

Note that {{lang|km|ដ}} ''{{transl|km|dâ}}'' and {{lang|km|ត}} ''{{transl|km|tâ}}'' have the same subscript form. In initial clusters this subscript is always pronounced {{IPA|[ɗd]}}, but in medial positions it is {{IPA|[ɗd]}} in some words and {{IPA|[t]}} in others.

The letters {{lang|km|ដ}} ''dâ'' and {{lang|km|ឌ}} ''dô'' are pronounced {{IPA|[t]}} when final. The letter {{lang|km|ត}} ''tâ'' is pronounced {{IPA|[ɗd]}} in initial position in a weak syllable ending with a nasal.

The Khmer writing system includes supplementary consonants, used in certain [[loanword]]s, particularly from [[French language|French]] and [[Thai language|Thai]]. These mostly represent sounds which do not occur in native words, or for which the native letters are restricted to one of the two vowel series. Most of them are [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]]s, formed by stacking a subscript under the letter {{lang|km|ហ}} {{transl|km|''hâ}}'', with an additional ''treisăpttreisâpt'' [[#Diacritics|diacritic]] if required to change the inherent vowel to ''ô''. The character for ''pâ'', however, is formed by placing the ''{{transl|km|musĕkâtônd}}'' ("mouse teeth") diacritic over the character {{lang|km|ប}} {{transl|km|''bâ}}''.

! colspan="43" | Full value (with inherent vowel)

! colspan="43" | Consonant value

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hkgâ}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hkgô}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hnnâ}}

| {{transl|km|ppâ}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hmmâ}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hllâ}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hvfâ, vâ}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hvfô, vô}}

| {{langIPA|km-Latn|hsâ[ʒɑː], [zɑː]}}

| ''{{langtransl|km-Latn|hsaža, zo}}''

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hsažâ, zâ}}

| {{IPA|[zɑːʒ], [ʒɑːz]}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hsž, z}}

| {{langIPA|km-Latn|hsô[ʒɔː], [zɔː]}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hs′ažô, zô}}

| {{IPA|[zɔːʒ], [ʒɔːz]}}

| {{langtransl|km-Latn|hsž, z}}

Most Khmer vowel sounds are written using dependent, or [[diacritic]]al, vowel symbols, known in Khmer as {{lang|km|ស្រៈនិស្ស័យ}} ''{{transl|km|srăk nĭssăynissăy}}'' or {{lang|km|ស្រៈផ្សំ}} ''{{transl|km|srăk phsâm}}'' ("connecting vowel"). These can only be written in combination with a consonant (or consonant cluster). The vowel is pronounced after the consonant (or cluster), even though some of the symbols have graphical elements which appear above, below or to the left of the consonant character. Most of the vowel symbols have two possible pronunciations, depending on the inherent vowel of the consonant to which it is added. Their pronunciations may also be different in [[Khmer language#Stress|weak syllables]], and when they are shortened (e.g. by means of a diacritic). [[#Consonants with no dependent vowel|Absence of a dependent vowel]] (or diacritic) often implies that a syllable-initial consonant is followed by the sound of its inherent vowel.

In determining the inherent vowel of a consonant cluster (i.e. how a following dependent vowel will be pronounced), [[Stop consonant|stops]] and [[Fricative consonant|fricatives]] are dominant over [[sonorant]]s. For any consonant cluster including a combination of these sounds, a following dependent vowel is pronounced according to the dominant consonant, regardless of its position in the cluster. When both members of a cluster are dominant, the subscript consonant determines the pronunciation of a following dependent vowel. A non-dominant consonant (and in some words also {{lang|km|ហហ្}} ''hâ'') will also have its inherent vowel changed by a preceding dominant consonant in the same word, even when there is a vowel between them, although some words (especially among those with more than two syllables) do not obey this rule.

! colspan="2" | [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]<ref name="Huffman"/>

! colspan="2" | [[Romanization of Khmer#Geographic Department|GD]]

! colspan="2" | [[Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN|UNGEGN]]UN

! a-series

! o-series

| {{IPA|[ɑː]}}, {{IPA|[ɒː]}} in some dialects

| {{IPA|[iːə]}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontoca0000jaco|url-access=registration|title=Introduction to Cambodian|last=Jacob|first=Judith M.|date=1968|publisher=London ; Bombay [etc.] : [[Oxford University Press]]|others=Internet Archive|pages=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontoca0000jaco/page/19 19], 29–3029-30}}</ref>

! colspan="2" | [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]

! colspan="2" | [[Romanization of Khmer#Geographic Department|GD]]

! colspan="2" | [[Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN|UNGEGN]]UN

! a-series

! o-series

| ''om''

| ''um''

| style="text-align:left;" | The word {{lang|km|ធំ}} {{transl|km|thum}} ("big") is pronounced {{IPA|[tʰom]}} (but {{IPA|[tʰum]}} in some dialects).

| style="text-align:left;" | When followed by {{lang|km|ង}} {{transl|km|''ngô}}'', becomes {{IPA|[aŋ]}}/{{IPA|[eəŋ]}} ''ăng/eăng''.

| {{IPA|[ahaʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[ĕəhĕəʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[eheʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[ihiʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[ohoʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[uhuʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[eheʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[ihiʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[ɑhɑʰ]}}

| {{IPA|[ŭəhŭəʰ]}}

| style="text-align:left;" | The word {{lang|km|នោះ}} {{transl|km|nŏăh}} ("that") can beis pronounced {{IPA|[nuhnuʰ]}}.

The ''bânták{{transl|km|bântăk}}'' (a small vertical line written over the final consonant of a syllable) has the following effects:

The ''yŭkôlpĭntŭyŭkôleăkpĭntŭ'' (pair of dots) represents {{IPA|[a]}} (a-series) or {{IPA|[ĕə]}} (o-series), followed by a glottal stop.

In careful speech, initial consonants without a dependent vowel in weak initial syllables are pronounced with their inherent vowel shortened as if modified by the ''bântákbantak'' diacritic (see previous section). For example the first-series letter "{{lang|km|ច}}" in "{{lang|km|ចន្លុះ}}" ("torch") is pronounced with the short vowel {{IPA|/ɑ/}}. The second-series letter "{{lang|km|ព}}" in "{{lang|km|ពន្លឺ}}" ("light") is pronounced with the short diphthong {{IPA|/ŏə/}}. In casual speech, these are most often reduced to {{IPA|/ə/}} for both series.

Initial consonants in strong syllables without written vowels are pronounced with their inherent vowels. The word {{lang|km|ចង}} ("to tie") is pronounced {{IPA|[/cɑːŋ]/}}, {{lang|km|ជត}} ("weak", "to sink") is pronounced {{IPA|[/cɔːt]/}}. In some words, however, the inherent vowel is pronounced in its reduced form, as if modified by a ''bântăk'' diacritic, even though the diacritic is not written (e.g. {{lang|km|សព}} {{IPA|[sɑp]}} "corpse"). Such reduction regularly takes place in words ending with a consonant with a silent subscript (such as {{lang|km|សព្វ}} {{IPA|[sɑp]}} "every"), although in most such words it is the ''bântákbântăk''-reduced form of the vowel ''a'' that is heard, as in {{lang|km|សព្ទ}} {{IPA|[sap]}} "noise". The word {{lang|km|អ្នក}} "you, person" has the highly irregular pronunciation {{IPA|[nĕəʔ]}}.

Consonants written as the final letter of a word usually represent a word-final sound and are pronounced without any following vowel and, in the case of stops, with [[no audible release]] as in the examples above. However, in some words adopted from [[Pali]] and [[Sanskrit]], what would appear to be a final consonant under normal rules can actually be the initial consonant of a following syllable and pronounced with a short vowel as if followed by {{lang|km|ាក់}}. For example, according to rules for native Khmer words, {{lang|km|សុភ}} ("good", "clean", "beautiful") would appear to be a single syllable, but, being derived from Pali ''subha'', it is pronounced {{IPA|[sopʰĕəʔ]/soʔ pʰĕəʔ/}}.

: {{lang|km|បៅ}} {{transl|km|bau}} {{IPA|[/ɓaw]/}} Another example with {{lang|km|ប}} {{transl|km|bâ}}, forming a similar ligature to that described above. Here the vowel is not a itself, but another vowel (au) which contains the cane-like stroke of that vowel as a graphical element.

: {{lang|km|លា}} {{transl|km|léa}} {{IPA|[/liə]/}} An example of the vowel a forming a connection with the [[serif]] of a consonant.

: {{lang|km|ផ្បា}} {{transl|km|phba}} {{IPA|[/pʰɓaː]/}} Subscript consonants with ascending strokes above the baseline also form ligatures with the {{transl|km|a}} vowel symbol.

: {{lang|km|ម្សៅ}} {{transl|km|msau}} {{IPA|[/msaw]/}} Another example of a subscript consonant forming a ligature, this time with the vowel {{transl|km|au}}.

: {{lang|km|ត្រា}} {{transl|km|tra}} {{IPA|[/traː]/}} The subscript for {{lang|km|រ}} {{transl|km|rô}} is written to the left of the main consonant, in this case {{lang|km|ត}} {{transl|km|tâ}}, which here forms a ligature with {{transl|km|a}}.

Independent vowels are non-diacritical vowel characters that stand alone (i.e. without being attached to a consonant symbol). In Khmer they are called {{lang|km|ស្រៈពេញតួ}} ''srăsrăk pénh tuŏpénhtuŏ'', which means "complete vowels". They are used in some words to represent certain combinations of a vowel with an initial [[glottal stop]] or [[liquid consonant|liquid]]. The independent vowels are used in a small number of words, mostly of Indic origin, and consequently there is some inconsistency in their use and pronunciations.<ref name=Huffman/> However, a few words in which they occur are used quite frequently; these include: {{lang|km|ឥឡូវ}} {{transl|km|ĕlov}} {{IPA|[ʔəjləw]}} "now", {{lang|km|ឪពុក}} {{transl|km|âupŭk}} {{IPA|[ʔəwpuk]}} "father", {{lang|km|ឬ}} {{transl|km|rœ}} {{IPA|[rɨː]}} "or", {{lang|km|ឮ}} {{transl|km|lœ}} {{IPA|[lɨː]}} "hear", {{lang|km|ឲ្យ}} {{transl|km|aôy}} {{IPA|[ʔaoj]}} "give, let", {{lang|km|ឯង}} {{transl|km|êng}} {{IPA|[ʔaeŋ]}} "oneself, I, you", {{lang|km|ឯណា}} {{transl|km|ê na}} {{IPA|[ʔae naːʔaenaː]}} "where".

Independent vowel letters are named similarly to the dependent vowels, with the word {{lang|km|ស្រៈ}} ''srăsrăk'' {{IPA|[sraʔ]}} ("vowel") followed by the principal sound of the letter (the pronunciation or first of the pronunciations listed above), followed by an additional glottal stop after a short vowel. However the letter ឥ is called {{lang|km|ស្រៈឥ}} ''sră ĕ'' {{IPA|[sraʔ ʔeʔ]}}.<ref>Huffman (1970), p. 29.</ref>

The Khmer writing system contains several [[diacritic]]s ({{lang|-km|វណ្ណយុត្តិ}}, {{transl|km|vônnâyŭttĕ}}, {{IPA-km|ʋannajut|pron}}), used to indicate further modifications in pronunciation.

| {{lang|km|យុគលពិន្ទុ}} ''{{transl|km|yŭkoălpĭntŭyŭkôleăkpĭntŭ}}''

| {{lang|km|ត្រីស័ព្ទត្រីសព្ទ}} ''{{transl|km|treisăpttreisâpt}}''

| {{lang|km|ក្បៀសក្រោម}} ''{{transl|km|kbiĕskbiĕh kraôm}}''

| Also known as {{lang|km|បុកជើង}} ''{{transl|km|bŏk cheungbŏkcheung}}'' ("collision foot"); a vertical line written under a consonant, used in place of the diacritics ''treisăpt{{transl|km|treisâpt}}'' and ''{{transl|km|musĕkâtônd}}'' when they would be impeded by superscript vowels.

| {{lang|km|បន្តក់}} ''{{transl|km|bântákbântăk}}''

| {{lang|km|របាទ}} ''{{transl|km|rôbat}}''<br/>{{lang|km|រេផៈ}} ''{{transl|km|réphărépheăk}}''

| This superscript diacritic occurs in Sanskrit loanwords and corresponds to the [[Devanagari]] diacritic ''repha''. It originally represented an ''r'' sound (and is romanized as ''r'' in the UNGEGNUN system). Now, in most cases, the consonant above which it appears, and the diacritic itself, are unpronounced. Examples: {{lang|km|ធម៌}} {{transl|km|thôrm}} {{IPA|[tʰɔə]/tʰɔː/}} ("dharma"), {{lang|km|កាណ៌}} {{transl|km|karn}} {{IPA|[/kaː]/}} (from karṇa), {{lang|km|សួគ៌ា}} {{translIPA|km|suŏrkéa}}/suərkie {{IPA|[suəkiə]~ suəkie/}} ("[[Svarga]]").

| {{lang|km|ទណ្ឌឃាដ}} ''{{transl|km|tôndôkhéadtôndâkhéat}}''

| Written over a final consonant to indicate that it is unpronounced. (Such unpronounced letters are still romanized in the UNGEGNUN system.)

| {{lang|km|សំយោគសញ្ញា}} ''{{transl|km|sâmyoŭksanhyoŭk sânhnhéasannha}}''

| A mostly obsolete diacritic, corresponding to the [[virāmavirama]], which suppresses a consonant's inherent vowel.

As mentioned above, the four [[#Modification by diacritics|configurations with diacritics]] exemplified in the syllables {{lang|km|អុំ អំ អាំ អះ}} are treated as dependent vowels in their own right, and come in that order at the end of the list of dependent vowels. Other configurations with the ''reăhmŭkh'' [[#Diacritics|diacritic]] are ordered as if that diacritic were a final consonant coming after all other consonants. Words with the ''bântákbântăk'' and ''sâmyoŭksanhyoŭk sânhnhéasannha'' diacritics are ordered directly after identically spelled words without the diacritics.

Words spelled with a consonant modified by a diacritic follow words spelled with the same consonant and dependent vowel symbol but without the diacritic. {{dubious|date=July 2016}} {{cit|date=July 2016}} However, words spelled with {{lang|km|ប៉ }} (a ''bâ'' converted to a ''p'' sound by a diacritic) follow all words with unmodified {{lang|km|ប}} ''bâ'' (without diacritic and without subscript). {{dubious|date=July 2016}} {{cit|date=July 2016}} Sometimes words in which {{lang|km|ប}} is pronounced ''p'' are ordered as if the letter were written {{lang|km|ប៉.}}.

Western-style [[punctuation mark]]s are quite commonly used in modern Khmer writing, including French-style [[guillemetguillemets]]s for [[Non-English usage of quotation marks|quotation marks]]. However, traditional Khmer punctuation marks are also used; some of these are described in the following table.

| {{lang|km|ខណ្ឌ}} ''khândkhăn''

| {{lang|km|លេខទោ}} ''lékh toŭlékhtoŭ'' <br/>("figure two")

| {{lang|km|បរិយោសាន}} ''bârĭyoŭsanbâriyaôsan''

| {{lang|km|គោមូត្រ}} ''koŭmutrkoŭmot'' <br/>("cow urine")

| {{lang|km|ភ្នែកមាន់}} ''phnêk moănphnêkmoăn'' <br/>("cock's eye")

|{{lang|km|ចំណុចពីរគូស}} ''châmnŏch pirpi kus'' <br/>"two dots (and a) line"

A [[hyphen]] (Khmer name {{lang|km|សហសញ្ញា}} ''sâhâ sânhnhéasânhnha'') is commonly used between components of personal names, and also as in English when a word is divided between lines of text. It can also be used between numbers to denote ranges or dates. Particular uses of Western-style periods include grouping of digits in large numbers (see ''[[#Numerals|Numerals]]'' hereinbefore) and denotation of [[abbreviation]]s.

[[File:Bhuddha Sutra in Thai-Khmer Font.JPG|thumb|''{{transl|km|ÂksârÂksâr khâmkhâm}}'' ({{lang|km|អក្សរខម}}), or ''AksonAksar khomKhom'' ({{lang|th|อักษรขอม}}), an antique style of the Khmer script as written in Uttaradit, Thailand. In this picture, although it was written with Khmer script, all texts in this manuscript are in Thai languages.]]

*'''''{{transl|km|Âksâr chriĕng}}''''' ({{lang|km|អក្សរជ្រៀង}}) refers to [[oblique type|oblique]] letters. Entire bodies of text such as novels and other publications may be produced in ''{{transl|km|âksâr chriĕng}}''. Unlike in [[Standard written English|written English]], oblique lettering does not represent any grammatical differences such as [[Emphasis (typography)|emphasis]] or quotation. Handwritten Khmer is often written in the oblique style.

*'''''{{transl|km|Âksâr chhôr}}''''' ({{lang|km|អក្សរឈរ}}) or '''''{{transl|km|Âksâr tráng}}''''' ({{lang|km|អក្សរត្រង់}}) refers to upright or 'standing' letters, as opposed to oblique letters. Most modern Khmer [[typeface]]s are designed in this manner instead of being oblique, as text can be italicized by way of word processor commands and other computer applications to represent the oblique manner of ''{{transl|km|âksâr chriĕng}}.''.

*'''''{{transl|km|Âksâr khâm}}''''' ({{lang|km|អក្សរខម}}), also known as the [[Khom Thai script]], is a style used in Pali [[palm-leaf manuscript]]s. It is characterized by sharper serifs and angles and retainment of some antique characteristics, notably in the consonant ''kâ'' ({{lang|km|ក}}). This style is also for [[yantra tattooing|yantra tattoos]] and [[yantra]]s on cloth, paper, or engravings on brass plates in Cambodia as well as in Thailand.<ref>May, Angela Marie. (2014). ''Sak Yant: The Transition from Indic Yantras to Thai Magical Buddhist Tattoos (Master's thesis)'' (p. 6). The University of Alabama at Birmingham.</ref><ref>Igunma, Jana. (2013). Aksoon Khoom: Khmer Heritage in Thai and Lao Manuscript Cultures. ''Tai Culture, 23: Route of the Roots: Tai-Asiatic Cultural Interaction''.</ref><ref>Tsumura, Fumihiko. (2009). Magical Use of Traditional Scripts in Northeastern Thai Villages. ''Senri Ethnological Studies, 74'', 63–7763-77.</ref><ref>This particular style of Khmer shall not be confused with another script with the same name, described by [[Paul Sidwell]] (see [[Khom script (Ong Kommadam)]]).</ref>

*'''''{{transl|km|Âksâr mul}}''''' ({{lang|km|អក្សរមូល}}) is [[calligraphical]] style similar to ''{{transl|km|âksâr khâm}}'' as it also retains some characters reminiscent of antique Khmer script. Its name in Khmer means literally 'round script' and it refers to the bold and thick lettering style. It is used for titles and headings in Cambodian documents, on books, banknotes, shop signs and banners. It is sometimes used to emphasize royal names or other important names.

The Unicode block for basic Khmer characters is U+1780–U1780&ndash;U+17FF:

The first 35 characters are the [[#Consonants|consonant letter]]s (including two obsolete). The symbols at U+17A3 and U+17A4 are deprecated (they were intended for use in Pali and Sanskrit transliteration, but are identical in appearance to the consonant {{lang|km|អ}}, written alone or with the ''a'' vowel). These are followed by the 15 [[#Independent vowels|independent vowels]] (including one obsolete and one variant form). The code points U+17B4 and U+17B5 are invisible combining marks for inherent vowels, intended for use only in special applications. Next come the 16 [[#Dependent vowels|dependent vowel signs]] and the 12 [[#Diacritics|diacritics]] (excluding the ''kbiĕh kraôm'', which is identical in form to the ''ŏ'' dependent vowel); these are represented together with a dotted circle, but should be displayed appropriately in combination with a preceding Khmer letter.

The block with additional lunar date symbols is U+19E0–U19E0&ndash;U+19FF: