Welcome to the Khmer typing course! This course is best suited for learners who already know how to type in another language, but will be helpful to anyone. You can use any Khmer keyboard layout, but we recommend the Khmer NIDA layout, which is standard in Cambodia. And, remember to switch your keyboard layout to Khmer before starting each lesson! If it's still set as English or another language, you'll... have problems.
Here are some recommendations to improve your experience in the course: (1) Practice at least 5 or 6 days every week. (2) Each lesson has multiple screens; make sure to complete them all. However, you should only complete one lesson at a time; don't try to complete 2 lessons in one day. (3) Look at the screen, not at the keyboard. (4) Maintain good posture when typing; sit up straight, with your feet on the floor, and don't rest your wrists on the keyboard. (5) Say the name of each letter as you type it, especially if you haven't yet mastered the Khmer alphabet.
We hope you'll have a good experience in this course! To see the Khmer keyboard layout, check out rebrand.ly/kh-keyboard. If you need assistance, you can reach us at jaredratcliff.com/contact.

In Section A, we will learn the 33 consonants of the Khmer alphabet, as well as the subconsonant for each.

In Section B, we will learn the 24 dependent vowels (pronounced: srak) of the Khmer alphabet. You should note that each vowel has two sounds: the vowel’s “first sound” for consonants (like កខចឆ) that end in an “-a” sound, and the vowel’s “second sound” for consonants (like គឃជឈ) that end in an “-o” sound. The dependent vowels are the most common type of vowel in the Khmer language, and are attached to the consonant the sound follows. Here’s a few examples of vowels attached to the letter “ga ក”: [កា កឺ កោ កុ]. When typing this, first type the consonant, then the vowel.

In Section C, we will finish learning the last pieces of the Khmer alphabet. We’ll start with the independent vowels. Unlike the vowels we learned in Section B, the independent vowels are not written around consonants; they are independent from them. (Hence the name.) Additionally, we will learn diacritics and punctuation that are placed around Khmer words and sentences. And finally, we will learn the Khmer numbers. Khmer uses a 10-base numbering system, similarly to western languages. Actually, it often uses the Khmer numbers and the English numbers interchangeably, and most people in Cambodia know both sets of numbers.