Thai Nikhahit

To type ํ, the Thai nasal mark also called nikkhahit, use ShiftY with the Thai Kedmanee keyboard layout active. It marks a nasal sound in Pali or Sanskrit written in Thai script. You can also encounter it as a component of the vowel sign ำ, Sara Am.

Text symbol

What ํ means

On Thai Kedmanee, press ShiftY after the base consonant.

Select the Thai Kedmanee input layout first. Plain Y produces ั, Mai Han-Akat: missing Shift changes the written mark, not just its appearance.

What does nikhahit do?

It marks a nasal sound in Thai-script Pali or Sanskrit.

Pali and Sanskrit are languages of South Asian origin that can be written in Thai letters. Nikhahit corresponds to Pali niggahita and Sanskrit anusvara, their nasal marks. In Thai Pali reading, examples with ํ are pronounced with a final ng sound, like the end of English “sing”. This is an inherited writing convention, not a computer-created decoration.

Why does Sara Am split?

Text software can handle Sara Am as two components.

The vowel sign ำ can be represented as ํ า for text processing and display. This splitting is called decomposition. Software that positions Thai letters and marks may handle the components separately; nearby tone marks can also affect their placement.

Part of the collection

ก

Thai Alphabet & Letters

Who writes ํ

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Don't confuse it with

ั

Thai Character Mai Han-Akat

Mai Han-Akat marks a short vowel, not a nasal ending. Do not substitute it for ํ.

ำ

Thai Character Sara Am

Sara Am is a complete vowel sign. The small upper mark ํ alone does not replace the whole sign.

Questions people ask

Why does ํ show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.