Thai Script

Mid-Class Consonants (9 letters)

1. ก (ก ไก่  gor gai) – 🐓 chicken (g sound)
ไก่ gai: gor gai, sara ai, mai ek
"A chicken is guarding the gate."

2. จ (จ จาน jor jaan) – 📋 plate (j sound)
จาน jaan: jor jaan, sara aa, no nuu
"Jan eats from a plate."

3. ฎ (ฎ ชฎา dor cha-daa) – 👑 headdress (d sound)
ชฎา cha-daa: cho chang, dor cha-daa, sara aa 
"The dancer’s headdress dazzles."

4. ฏ (ฏ ปฏัก dtor bpa-dtak) – 🛡 spear (dt sound)
ปฏัก bpa-tak: bpor bplaa, dtor bpa-dtak, sara a, gor gai
"A warrior holds a spear."

5. ด (ด เด็ก dor dek) – 👶 child (d sound)
เด็ก dek: dor dek, sara ee, mai tai khu (◌็ - shorterns vowel), gor gai
"The child is learning."

6. ต (ต เต่า dtor tao) – 🦶 turtle (dt sound)
เต่า tao: tor tao, sara ao (เอา), mai ek
"The turtle takes its time."

7. บ (บ ใบไม้ bor bai-mai) – 🍃 leaf (b sound)
ใบไม้ bai-mai: bor bai mai, sara ai, mo ma, sara ai, mai tho
"The breeze shakes the leaf."

8. ป (ป ปลา  bpor bplaa) – 🐟 fish (bp sound)
ปลา bplaa: bpor bplaa, lor ling, sara aa
"The fish swims in the pond."

9. อ (อ อ่าง or aang) – 🔴 basin (silent or o sound)
อ่าง aang: or aang, sara aa, ngor nguu, mai ek
"A red basin catches rainwater."

High-Class Consonants (11 letters)

1. ข (ข ไข่ kho khai) – 🥚 egg (k sound)
ไข่ khai: kho khai, sara ai, mai ek
"The chicken lays an egg."

2. ฃ (ฃ ขวด kho khuat) – 🍼 bottle (k sound, rarely used)
ขวด khuat: kho khuat, wo waen, dor dek
"A baby holds a bottle."

3. ฉ (ฉ ฉิ่ง cho ching) – 🔔 cymbals (ch sound)
ฉิ่ง ching: chor ching, sara i, ngor nguu, mai ek
"The cymbals ring loudly."

4. ฐ (ฐ ฐาน thor than) – 🏛 pedestal (th sound)
ฐาน than: thor than, sara aa, nor nuu
"A statue stands on a pedestal."

5. ถ (ถ ถุง thor thung) – 🛍 bag (th sound)
ถุง thung: thor thung, sara u, ngor nguu
"A shopper carries a bag."

6. ผ (ผ ผึ้ง pho phueng) – 🐝 bee (ph sound)
ผึ้ง phueng: phor phueng, sara ue, ngor nguu, mai thoo
"The bee buzzes by."

7. ฝ (ฝ ฝา fo fa) – 🌈 lid (f sound)
ฝา fa: for faa, sara aa
"The pot’s lid is colorful like a rainbow."

8. ศ (ศ ศาลา so sala) – 🛕 pavilion (s sound)
ศาลา sala: sor sala, sara aa, lor ling, sara aa
"A pavilion offers shade."

9. ษ (ษ ฤๅษี  so rue-si) – 🧙‍♂️ hermit (s sound)
ฤๅษี rue-si: ror rue, sara rue, sor rue-si, sara ii
ฤ is actually ror ruea (ร) in its sound base but written uniquely as ฤ, which can represent vowel or consonant sounds depending on the context. In this word, ฤ behaves as a consonant plus vowel combo, giving the "rue" sound.
"A wise hermit meditates."

10.  ส (ส เสือ so sua) – 🐯 tiger (s sound)
เสือ sua: sor sua, sara ueea (เอือ), or aang
"The tiger stalks its prey."

11.  ห (ห หีบ ho hip) – 👜 chest (h sound)
หีบ hip: hor heep, sara ii, bor bai-mai
"A treasure chest holds secrets."

Low-Class Consonants (24 letters)

1. ค (ค ควาย kho khwai) – 🐃 buffalo (k sound)
ควาย khwai: khor khwaai, wor waen, sara aa, yo yak
"The buffalo grazes in the field."

2. ฅ (ฅ คน kho khon) – 🧍‍♂️ person (k sound, rarely used)
คน khon: khor khwaai, no nuu
"A person stands tall."

3. ฆ (ฆ ระฆัง kho rakhang) – 🔔 bell (k sound)
ระฆัง rakhang: ror ruea, sara a, khor khang, sara a, ngor nguu
"The bell echoes in the distance."

4. ง (ง งู ngo ngu) – 🐍 snake (ng sound)
งู ngu: ngor nguu, sara uu
"The snake slithers silently."

5. ช (ช ช้าง cho chang) – 🐘 elephant (ch sound)
ช้าง chang: cho chang, sara aa, ngo ngu, mai tho
"An elephant marches through the jungle."

6. ซ (ซ โซ่ so so) – 🦈 chain (s sound)
โซ่ so: sor sua, sara oo, mai ek
"A chain secures the boat."

7. ฌ (ฌ เฌอ cho cher) – 🌺 tree (ch sound)
เฌอ cher: chor cher, sara oee (เออ)
"The tree blooms with flowers."

8. ญ (ญ หญิง yo ying) – 👩 woman (y sound)
หญิง ying: hor heep, yo ying, sara i, ngor nguu
ห is a high-class tone carrier that modifies the tone rules for a low-class consonant. It doesn't contribute any sound but determines the tone of the word. 
"A woman smiles gracefully."

9. ฑ (ฑ มณโฑ thor mon-tho) – 👸 dancer (th sound)
มณโฑ mon-tho: mo ma, no nen, thoh mon-tho, sara o
"A royal dancer performs."

10.  ฒ (ฒ ผู้เฒ่า thor phu-thao) – 👴 elder (th sound)
ผู้เฒ่า phu-thao: pho phueng, sara uu, mai tho, thaw thao, sara ao (เอา), mai ek
"An elder shares wisdom."

11.  ณ (ณ เณร no nen) – 🛐 monk (n sound)
เณร nen: nor nen, sara e, ro ruea
In many cases, the final ร is pronounced like -n, especially in words of Pali or Sanskrit origin. 
"A monk meditates."

12.  ท (ท ทหาร tho thahan) – 🪖 soldier (th sound)
ทหาร thahan: tho thahan, hor heep, sara aa, ro ruea
"The soldier stands guard."

13.  ธ (ธ ธง tho thong) – 🏳️ flag (th sound)
ธง thong: tho thong, ngor ngoo
"The flag flutters in the wind."

14.  น (น หนู no nuu) – 🐭 mouse (n sound)
หนู nuu: ho hip, no nuu, sara uu
ห is used as a tone modifier. By adding ห before น, the word follows the tone rules for high-class consonants, resulting in a rising tone.
"A mouse nibbles on cheese."

15.  พ (พ พาน pho phan) – 🎋 tray (ph sound)
พาน phan: pho phan, sara aa, no nuu
"A tray holds offerings."

16.  ฟ (ฟ ฟัน fo fan) – 🦷 tooth (f sound)
ฟัน fan: fo fan, sara a, no nuu
"A child shows off a missing tooth."

17.  ภ (ภ สำเภา pho sam-phao) – 🚢 sailboat (ph sound)
สำเภา sam-phao: so sua, sara am ( ำ), pho sam-phao, sara ao (เอา)
"A sailboat glides on the water."

18.  ม (ม ม้า mo ma) – 🐴 horse (m sound)
ม้า ma: mo ma, sara aa , mai tho
"A horse gallops through the field."

19.  ย (ย ยักษ์ yo yak) – 🛕 giant (y sound)
ยักษ์ yak: yo yak, sara a, ko kai (ก), so rue-si, thanthakhat (◌์ - silent letter)
When ษ is followed by ์ (thanthakhat), the ษ becomes silent. This is often used to indicate that the word is derived from Pali or Sanskrit and modifies the spelling without changing pronunciation.  
"A giant guards the temple."

20.  ร (ร เรือ ro ruea) – 🚤 boat (r sound)
เรือ ruea: ro ruea, sara uea (เ-ือ)
Sara uea is a compound vowel that includes the prefix เ, which modifies the vowel sound ue (อือ) to uea, similar to combining ue + a in one syllable.
"A boat races across the river."

21.  ล (ล ลิง lo ling) – 🐒 monkey (l sound)
ลิง ling: lo ling, sara i, ngo ngoo
"A monkey swings from a tree."

22.  ว (ว แหวน wo waen) – 💍 ring (w sound)
แหวน waen: ho hip, wo waen, sara aae (แอ), no nuu
ห modifies the tone, the word follows the high-class consonant tone rule, resulting in a low tone. 
"A ring sparkles on her finger."

23.  ฬ (ฬ จุฬา lo ju-laa) – 🎏 kite (l sound)
จุฬา chulaa: jo jaan, sara u, lo ju-laa, sara aa
"A colorful kite flies high."

24.  ฮ (ฮ นกฮูก ho nok-huk) – 🦜 owl (h sound)
นกฮูก nok-huk: no nuu, ko kai, ho nok-huk, sara uu, ko khai
"An owl hoots at night."

Simple Vowels (23 symbols)

1. อะ (a) – short (alternative form: -ั), pronounced like a in "cat" or ā in Chinese "lǎo (老)"

2. อา (aa) – long, pronounced like a in "father" or ā in "mā (妈)"

3. อิ (i) – short, pronounced like i in "bit" or ī in "mǐ (米)"

4. อี (ii) – long, pronounced like ee in "see" or ī in "yī (衣)"

5. อึ (ue) – short, no exact English equivalent; pronounced like ü in Chinese "lǜ (绿)"

6. อือ (uee) – long, extended version of อึ, similar to ü in "lǜ (绿)" but longer

7. อุ (u) – short, pronounced like u in "put" or ū in "hū (呼)"

8. อู (uu) – long, pronounced like oo in "cool" or ū in "zhū (猪)"

9. เอะ (e) – short, pronounced like e in "pet" or ē in "hěn (很)"

10. เอ (ee) – long, pronounced like ay in "say" or ē in "méi (没)"

11. แอะ (ae) – short, pronounced like a in "man" or ē in "gǎn (赶)"

12. แอ (aae) – long, extended version of แอะ, pronounced like ā in "gān (甘)"

13. โอะ (o) – short, pronounced like o in "go" (short) or ō in "gōng (公)"

14. โอ (oo) – long, pronounced like o in "go" (long) or ō in "dōng (东)"

15. เอาะ (aw) – short, pronounced like aw in "saw" or ǎ in "lǎo (老)"

16. ออ (aaw) – long, pronounced like aw in "saw" (long) or ā in "hā (哈)"

17. เออะ (oe) – short, no exact English equivalent; similar to er in Chinese "ér (儿)"

18. เออ (oee) – long, extended version of เออะ, similar to ē in "hé (和)"

19. เอียะ (ia) – short, pronounced like ia in "idea" or iā in "xià (下)"

20. เอีย (iia) – long, extended version of เอียะ, similar to iā in "miàn (面)"

21. อัวะ (ua) – short, pronounced like ua in "dual" or uā in "guǎn (馆)"

22. อัว (uua) – long, extended version of อัวะ, similar to uā in "huān (欢)"

23. ฤ (rue) – short, no exact English equivalent; similar to r in "rì (日)"

24. ฤๅ (ruue) – long, extended version of ฤ, similar to r in "rì (日)" but longer

25. ฦ (lue) – short, similar to lü in "lǜ (绿)" (rare, used in Pali/Sanskrit)

26. ฦๅ (luue) – long, extended version of ฦ, pronounced similarly to lü in "lǜ (绿)"

Compound Vowels (9 symbols)

27. เ-า (ao) – diphthong, pronounced like ow in "cow" or āo in "dào (道)"

28.  ำ (am) – short vowel with a nasal ending, pronounced like um in "thumb" or āng in "tàng (烫)"

29. ไ- (ai mai malai) – diphthong, pronounced like ai in "Thai" or āi in "ài (爱)"

30. ใ- (ai mai muan) – diphthong, also pronounced like ai in "Thai" or āi in "ài (爱)"

31. เ-าะ (aw) – short diphthong, pronounced like aw in "saw" or āo in "hǎo (好)"

32. เ-อะ (oe) – short, pronounced like er in "her" or ē in "ér (儿)"

In addition to compound vowels, Thai has 4 main vowel series that are considered modifications of basic vowels rather than separate compound vowels. These series are:

1. เ- series – includes variations such as เ-ะ (e), เ-อ (oee), and เ-ือ (uea).

2. แ- series – includes แ-ะ (ae) and แ- (aae).

3. โ- series – includes โ-ะ (o) and โ- (oo).

4. อ- series – includes อะ (a), อา (aa), and อือ (uee), where อ functions as a vowel carrier.

These series shape a wide range of vowel sounds in the Thai language through prefix and vowel positioning rules.

Other vowel rules:

• The absence of a vowel diacritic gives an implied 'a' or 'o'.

• ◌็ mai tai khu - shortens vowel

•  ◌์  thanthakhat - indicates silent letter

Tone Classes of Thai Consonants 

Thai consonants are categorized into three tone classes: High, Mid, and Low. 

1. High-Class Consonants (11 letters):

   • ข ฃ ฉ ฐ ถ ผ ฝ ศ ษ ส ห

2. Mid-Class Consonants (9 letters):

   • ก จ ฎ ฏ ด ต บ ป อ

3. Low-Class Consonants (24 letters):

   • ค ฅ ฆ ง ช ซ ฌ ญ ฑ ฒ ณ ท ธ น พ ฟ ภ ม ย ร ล ว ฬ ฮ

The Five Tones กา ก่า ก้า ก๋า ก๊า
Tone Mark / Pitch Contour Symbol / Cantonese Equivalent

      Mid Tone ( – ) 天 (tin1), 魚 (yu4) / 嫁、各（第一声）

 ่ Mai Ek - Low Tone ( \ )  牛 (ngau6), 人 (yan6) / 嘎（第三声）

 ้ Mai Tho - Falling Tone ( ^ )  界 (gaai3), 力 (lik6)  / 家（第四声）

 ๋ Mai Chattawa - High Tone ( / ) 雨 (yu2), 火 (fo2) / 賈

 ๊ Mai Tri - Rising Tone (v)    米 (mai5), 女 (neui5) / 可 (第二声）

Tone Mark Effects by Consonant Class

1. No tone mark

   • Low-class consonant: Mid tone

   • Mid-class consonant: Mid tone

   • High-class consonant: Rising tone

2. Mai Ek (◌่)

   • Low-class consonant: Falling tone

   • Mid-class consonant: Low tone

   • High-class consonant: Low tone

3. Mai Tho (◌้)

   • Low-class consonant: High tone

   • Mid-class consonant: Falling tone

   • High-class consonant: Falling tone

4. Mai Tri (◌๊) (used only with mid-class consonants)

   • Low-class consonant: N/A

   • Mid-class consonant: High tone

   • High-class consonant: N/A

5. Mai Chattawa (◌๋) (used only with mid-class consonants)

   • Low-class consonant: N/A

   • Mid-class consonant: Rising tone

   • High-class consonant: N/A

Thai has five tones:

• Mid Tone (Maintain mid pitch) → 妈-汉（第一声）

  • Examples: kOOn, Krai, bpai

• Low Tone (Maintain low pitch) → 马-汉（第三声）

  • Examples: sip, baht

• Falling Tone (From high pitch to low) → 骂-汉（第四声）

  • Examples: chai, dai

• High Tone (From mid to rapidly high pitch) → “妈阿”-汉

  • Examples: lot, lek

• Rising Tone (From low pitch to high) → 麻-汉（第二声）

  • Examples: sorng, kor, pom

Tone rules:

1. Low-Class Initial Consonant

• Low class initial consonant + live ending = mid-tone

• Low class initial consonant + dead ending + short vowel = high-tone

• Low class initial consonant + dead ending + long vowel = falling-tone

• Low class initial consonant + tone mark "◌่" (Mai Ek) = falling-tone

• Low class initial consonant + tone mark "◌้" (Mai Tho) = high-tone

2. Mid-Class Initial Consonant

• Mid class initial consonant + live ending = mid-tone

• Mid class initial consonant + dead ending + short vowel = low-tone

• Mid class initial consonant + dead ending + long vowel = falling-tone

• Mid class initial consonant + tone mark "◌่" (Mai Ek) = low-tone

• Mid class initial consonant + tone mark "◌้" (Mai Tho) = falling-tone

• Mid class initial consonant + tone mark "◌๊" (Mai Tri) = high-tone

• Mid class initial consonant + tone mark "◌๋" (Mai Chattawa) = rising-tone

3. High-Class Initial Consonant

• High class initial consonant + live ending = rising-tone

• High class initial consonant + dead ending + short vowel = low-tone

• High class initial consonant + dead ending + long vowel = falling-tone

• High class initial consonant + tone mark "◌่" (Mai Ek) = low-tone

• High class initial consonant + tone mark "◌้" (Mai Tho) = falling-tone
  
  

Tonal Modification with Silent Consonants

High-class silent consonants, such as ห (hor heep) and อ (hor aang), are used to modify the tone of words with low-class consonants. The silent high-class consonant shifts the tone rules to follow the high-class pattern.

• Examples:

  • หนู (nuu): Without ห, น would have a mid tone, but ห changes it to rising tone.

  • หมา (maa): Without ห, ม would also have a mid tone, but ห changes it to rising tone.

This pattern is especially common with low-class consonants where rising tones would otherwise not occur.

1. Obsolete Consonants (No Longer Used)

These consonants were once used in Thai but are now completely obsolete:

• ฃ (kho khuat - ฃ ขวด) → Replaced by ข (kho khai)

• ฅ (kho khon - ฅ คน) → Replaced by ค (kho khwai)

2. Rarely Used Consonants

These consonants still exist but are rarely used in modern Thai, appearing mainly in Sanskrit/Pali loanwords, old texts, religious terms, or formal writing:

• ฆ (kho ra-khang - ฆ ระฆัง) → Mostly in Pali loanwords. Example: ฆราวาส (kha-raa-wâat) – layperson.

• ฌ (cho chaang - ฌ เฌอ) → Rare in modern Thai, mostly in Buddhist terms. Example: ฌาปนกิจ (chaa-pa-na-kìt) – cremation.

• ญ (yo ying - ญ หญิง) → Often replaced by ย in pronunciation. Example: ปัญญา (pan-yaa) – wisdom.

• ฎ (do chada - ฎ ชฎา) → Found in Sanskrit/Pali terms. Example: กฎ (gòt) – rule, law.

• ฏ (to patak - ฏ ปฏัก) → Found in formal and religious terms. Example: ปฏิบัติ (pa-tì-bàt) – practice.

• ฐ (tho than - ฐ ฐาน) → Mostly in Pali-derived words. Example: ฐานะ (thǎa-ná) – status, position.

• ฑ (tho montho - ฑ มณโฑ) → Often replaced by ท in modern writing. Example: คณาธิปไตย (kha-naa-thí-pa-tai) – oligarchy.

• ฒ (tho phu-thao - ฒ ผู้เฒ่า) → Found in old texts. Example: วุฒิ (wút-thí) – qualification, maturity.

• ณ (no nen - ณ เณร) → Used in formal or legal writing. Example: สถานที่ (sà-thǎan-thîi) – location.

• ศ (so sala - ศ ศาลา) → Sounds the same as ส in modern Thai. Example: ศึกษา (sùk-sǎa) – study.

• ษ (so ruesi - ษ ฤๅษี) → Also sounds the same as ส. Example: เศรษฐี (sèet-thǐi) – rich person.

• ฬ (lo chu-la - ฬ จุฬา) → Rare, found in some old words. Example: กีฬา (kii-laa) – sports.

• ภ (pho sam-phao - ภ สำเภา) → Used in Sanskrit-based words but less common than พ. Example: ภาษา (phaa-sǎa) – language.