The four vowel signs, explained

Four little marks change everything. Here is how each vowel reshapes a syllable.

Every Tibetan consonant already carries an inherent “a” sound — ཀ alone is “ka”. Add one of these four small marks above or below the letter and the vowel changes; the consonant itself never moves.

Here is each of the four vowel signs applied to ཀ (ka), so you can see exactly where each mark sits and hear how it reshapes the syllable.