Thai Vowel Sign Sara Ue

It supplies a short vowel sound, not a standalone meaning. Thai sara ue, or สระอึ, combines with consonants to form syllables. The pronunciation symbol /ɯ/ describes a vowel made without rounding your lips. In a display such as ◌ึ, the dotted circle only shows where a consonant would go; it is not part of the spelling.

How do I type ึ?

Type the consonant first, then the vowel sign. The text stores ึ after the consonant, but the font positions it above. With the Thai Kedmanee keyboard layout active, press 6 without Shift. Enter ึ itself rather than assembling its shape from separate marks.

How did this vowel sign develop?

Its spelling evolved within Thai’s consonant-based writing system. Inscriptions—writing carved on stone—from the Sukhothai period in the late thirteenth century document an earlier stage. Research distinguishes short and long vowels there, although short /ɯ/ did not always have a dedicated sign.

The circle-topped form is recorded in Middle Ayutthaya, a later period of Thai history. Related vowel shapes continued changing through late Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin, approaching their modern appearance. These are stages of spelling development, not changes from a picture into a vowel.