Learn Thai
A comprehensive reference for Thai consonants, vowels, and tone rules — plus an interactive quiz to test yourself.
Thai Consonants
44 consonants organized by tone class. The class determines how tone marks affect pronunciation.
Mnemonic
ไก่จิกเด็กตายบนปากโอ่ง
"A chicken pecks a child to death on the rim of a jar"
กอ ไก่ (gaw gai)
chicken
The loop at top looks like a chicken's head pecking grain — G for "gawk"
จอ จาน (jaw jaan)
plate
Curved like a plate with a hook — J for "jar"
ฎอ ชฎา (daw cha-daa)
headdress
Ornate curls like a decorative crown — D for "diadem"
ฏอ ปฏัก (dtaw bpa-dtak)
spear/goad
A pointed shaft driven into the ground — DT for the "thud" of impact
ดอ เด็ก (daw dek)
child
A child reaching up with one arm — D for "dek" (kid)
ตอ เต่า (dtaw dtao)
turtle
The loop is a turtle's shell with its head poking out — DT for "turtle"
บอ ใบไม้ (baw bai-maai)
leaf
Gentle curves like a bowed leaf — B for "botanical"
ปอ ปลา (bpaw bplaa)
fish
A fin shape — a fish going "blurp" — BP for the splash
ออ อ่าง (aw aang)
basin
An open circle like a basin — mouth shaped for "aw"
ขอ ไข่ (khaw khai)
egg
An egg balanced in a cup — KH for "crack" the shell
ฃอ ขวด (khaw khuat)
bottle
Taller and thinner than ข, like a bottle — KH for "cork"
ฉอ ฉิ่ง (chaw ching)
cymbals
Two loops side by side like a pair of cymbals — CH for "clang"
ฐอ ฐาน (thaw thaan)
pedestal/base
Wide at the bottom like a sturdy pedestal — TH for "throne"
ถอ ถุง (thaw thung)
bag
Puffy shape with a loop like a drawstring bag — TH for "tote"
ผอ ผึ้ง (phaw phueng)
bee
Curvy antennae like a buzzing bee — PH for "phueng" (buzz)
ฝอ ฝา (faw faa)
lid/cover
A flat top like a lid being lifted — F for "flap"
ศอ ศาลา (saw saa-laa)
pavilion
A pointed roof like a pavilion or shelter — S for "shade"
ษอ ฤๅษี (saw rue-sii)
hermit
A figure sitting cross-legged in meditation — S for "sage"
สอ เสือ (saw suea)
tiger
Coiled and ready to spring like a crouching tiger — S for "stealthy"
หอ หีบ (haw hiip)
chest/box
Boxy shape like a treasure chest — H for "hiding inside"
คอ ควาย (khaw khwaai)
buffalo
Twin hooks like a buffalo's horns — KH for "charge"
ฅอ คน (khaw khon)
person
A stick figure of a person standing — KH for "khon" (person)
ฆอ ระฆัง (khaw ra-khang)
bell
A rounded bottom like a bell — KH for the bell's "clang"
ชอ ช้าง (chaw chaang)
elephant
Tall and curving like an elephant's trunk reaching up — CH for "charge"
ซอ โซ่ (saw soh)
chain
Linked loops like chain links — S for "shackles"
ฌอ เฌอ (chaw choe)
tree
Branching lines like a tree spreading — CH for "cherry tree"
ฑอ มณโฑ (thaw mon-thoo)
Montho (a queen in the Ramakien)
Graceful curves like a queen's flowing robes — TH for "the queen"
ฒอ ผู้เฒ่า (thaw phuu-thao)
elder/old person
An old person hunched with a walking stick — TH for "the elder"
ทอ ทหาร (thaw tha-haan)
soldier
Standing upright at attention like a soldier — TH for "the soldier"
ธอ ธง (thaw thong)
flag
A pole with a banner waving — TH for "the flag"
พอ พาน (phaw phaan)
tray/pedestal tray
A raised tray for offerings — PH for "present"
ฟอ ฟัน (faw fan)
teeth
Two pointed peaks like sharp fangs — F for "fangs"
ภอ สำเภา (phaw sam-phao)
sailboat/junk
A mast and hull like a sailing ship — PH for "phantom ship"
ฮอ นกฮูก (haw nok-huuk)
owl
Round shape with curves like an owl's face — H for "hoot hoot"
งอ งู (ngaw nguu)
snake
A coiled snake curving back — NG like the hiss that li-NG-ers
ญอ หญิง (yaw ying)
woman
Flowing curves like a woman's long hair — Y for "young woman"
ณอ เณร (naw nen)
novice monk
A figure with a shaved head like a novice monk — N for "novice"
นอ หนู (naw nuu)
mouse
Small and rounded like a little mouse — N for "nibble"
มอ ม้า (maw maa)
horse
Flowing shape like a horse's mane — M for "mane"
ยอ ยักษ์ (yaw yak)
giant/demon
An imposing tall figure like a giant — Y for "yikes!"
รอ เรือ (raw ruea)
boat
The curve is a boat's hull on water — R for "rowing"
ลอ ลิง (law ling)
monkey
A curled shape like a monkey's long tail — L for "long tail"
วอ แหวน (waw waen)
ring
A round loop like a wedding ring — W for "wedding ring"
ฬอ จุฬา (law ju-laa)
kite
A diamond shape with a string like a kite flying — L for "lofty kite"
Thai Vowels
32 vowel forms shown with อ as the placeholder consonant. Note where each vowel sits relative to the consonant.
short "a" as in "about"
long "a" as in "father"
short "i" as in "bit"
long "ee" as in "see"
short "u" as in "put"
long "oo" as in "food"
short "ue" — no English equivalent; like French "u" in "tu"
long "uue" — like sustained French "u"
short "e" as in "get"
long "ay" as in "day"
short "ae" as in "cat"
long "aae" as in "bad" (extended)
short "o" as in "go" (clipped)
long "oh" as in "go"
short "aw" as in "saw" (clipped)
long "aw" as in "saw"
short "er" as in "fern" (clipped)
long "er" as in "fern"
short "ia" — glide from "i" to "a"
long "ia" — glide from "ee" to "ah"
short "uea" — glide from "ue" to "a"
long "uea" — glide from "ue" to "ah"
short "ua" — glide from "u" to "a"
long "ua" — glide from "oo" to "ah"
"ai" as in "Thai"
"ai" as in "Thai" (same sound as ไอ)
"ao" as in "ow"
"am" — combines vowel and final "m"
"rue" — short Sanskrit vowel
"ruue" — long Sanskrit vowel
"lue" — obsolete Sanskrit vowel
"luue" — obsolete long Sanskrit vowel
Tone Rules
Thai has 5 tones. The tone of a syllable depends on the consonant class, the tone mark, and whether the syllable is live or dead.
The 5 Tones
สามัญ (saa-man)
Flat, level pitch in the middle of your range. The "neutral" tone.
กา (gaa) — crow
เอก (ek)
Starts low and stays low, slightly flat.
ก่า (gaa) — (with mai ek)
โท (toh)
Starts high and falls sharply. Like saying "no!" emphatically.
ก้า (gaa) — (with mai tho)
ตรี (dtrii)
Starts high and stays high, slightly rising.
ก๊า (gaa) — (with mai tri)
จัตวา (jat-dta-waa)
Starts low then rises. Like asking a question.
ก๋า (gaa) — (with mai chattawa)
The 4 Tone Marks
Tone marks are written above the initial consonant of a syllable. Here's what each one looks like on ก (gaw gai).
ไม้เอก (mai ek)
A single downward stroke — the simplest mark, the first one to learn
ก่อน (gawn) — before
Most common tone mark. On mid-class: produces low tone. On high-class: produces low tone. On low-class: produces falling tone.
ไม้โท (mai tho)
Two strokes — the second mark, a bit more complex
ก้อน (gawn) — lump
On mid-class: produces falling tone. On high-class: produces falling tone. On low-class: produces high tone.
ไม้ตรี (mai tri)
Three-pointed shape — the third mark, getting fancier
ก๊า (gaa) — (used in loanwords)
Only used with mid-class consonants. Produces high tone. Mainly in Chinese loanwords.
ไม้จัตวา (mai jat-dta-waa)
The most ornate mark with a cross — the fourth and rarest
ก๋วย (guay) — (used in loanwords)
Only used with mid-class consonants. Produces rising tone. Rare, mainly in Chinese loanwords.
Without any tone mark, the tone is determined by the consonant class and syllable type alone (see the rule table below).
3 Consonant Classes
อักษรกลาง
The 9 "default" consonants. Can use all 4 tone marks. With no mark on a live syllable, they produce a mid tone.
ก จ ฎ ฏ ด ต บ ป อ
ไก่จิกเด็กตายบนปากโอ่ง
อักษรสูง
The 11 aspirated/fricative consonants. With no mark on a live syllable, they produce a rising tone.
ข ฃ ฉ ฐ ถ ผ ฝ ศ ษ ส ห
ผี ฝาก ถุง ข้าว สาร ให้ ฉัน
อักษรต่ำ
The 24 remaining consonants (14 paired + 10 sonorants). With no mark on a live syllable, they produce a mid tone. Can only use mai ek and mai tho.
ค ฅ ฆ ง ช ซ ฌ ญ ฑ ฒ ณ ท ธ น พ ฟ ภ ม ย ร ล ว ฬ ฮ
Live vs Dead Syllables
Live Syllable (คำเป็น)
Ends with a long vowel, or with a sonorant final (ง น ม ย ว). The syllable can be "held" or sustained.
Dead Syllable (short vowel) (คำตาย (สระเสียงสั้น))
Ends with a short vowel and a stop final (ก/k, บ/p, ด/t), or a short vowel with no final. The syllable is "cut off".
Dead Syllable (long vowel) (คำตาย (สระเสียงยาว))
Ends with a long vowel and a stop final (ก/k, บ/p, ด/t).
Tone Determination Flowchart
Follow the arrows: pick the consonant class, check for a tone mark, then determine the syllable type to find the resulting tone.
Tone Rule Table
Find the consonant class (column), check the tone mark and syllable type (row), and read the resulting tone.
| Tone Mark | Syllable | Mid | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No mark | Live | mid | rising | mid |
| Dead (short) | low | low | high | |
| Dead (long) | low | low | falling | |
| ก่mai ek | Live | low | low | falling |
| Dead (short) | low | low | falling | |
| Dead (long) | low | low | falling | |
| ก้mai tho | Live | falling | falling | high |
| Dead (short) | falling | falling | high | |
| Dead (long) | falling | falling | high | |
| ก๊mai tri | Live | high | — | — |
| Dead (short) | high | — | — | |
| Dead (long) | high | — | — | |
| ก๋mai chattawa | Live | rising | — | — |
| Dead (short) | rising | — | — | |
| Dead (long) | rising | — | — |
Quick Reference
All 44 consonants at a glance. The dot indicates tone class.
Class Mnemonic Sentences
Mid Class
ไก่จิกเด็กตายบนปากโอ่ง
A chicken pecks a child to death on the rim of a jar
High Class
ผี ฝาก ถุง ข้าว สาร ให้ ฉัน
A ghost entrusts a bag of rice to me
Low Class
No single standard mnemonic — the 24 low-class consonants are learned as the "everything else" category (14 paired + 10 sonorants).
More Resources
Complementary tools to continue your Thai learning journey.
- GorGai.net
Free writing and tracing practice for all 44 consonants and vowels
- Get with the Script
iOS app with visual pictorial mnemonics for Thai reading
- Thai Alphabet Stats
Character frequency statistics to prioritize what to learn first