Thai Alphabet with Audio: Consonants, Vowels and Tones
Tap any letter to hear it and see simple words that use it. The part of the word that matches the letter is underlined, so you can hear where the sound is. Use ▶ Play to listen to a whole row, or Flashcards to hear a sound first and then check the letter.
Thai letters are printed in two styles: looped (the style children learn and books use) and loopless (signs, ads and menus). Switch between them to get used to both.
Romanisation: tone marks a mid, à low, â falling, á high, ǎ rising. Long vowels are doubled (aa, ii). ɔ as in “saw”, ɛ as in “bed”, ə as in “ago”, ʉ is u with spread lips. kh, th, ph are said with a puff of air; k, t, p without.
Consonants
Mid class High class Low class The class decides the tone of a syllable.
Mid Class
9 letters
High Class
11 letters
Low Class — Paired
14 letters: same sounds as high-class letters
Low Class — Single
10 letters: no high-class partner
Final Sounds
How consonants sound at the end of a syllable
Only eight sounds can end a syllable. Several letters share each one.
Vowels
Short Vowels
◌ marks where the consonant goes
Long Vowels
Same sounds, held longer
Diphthongs
One vowel gliding into another
Vowels Ending in y or w
Vowel + ย / ว
Special Vowels
ำ ไ ใ เา and vowel letters
Tones
The Five Tones
Five syllables, five meanings
Tone Marks
Written above the consonant
Tone Practice Sentences
Short sentences: listen for the rise and fall
How Tones Are Decided
Consonant class × syllable type × tone mark
| Class | No mark, live | No mark, dead (short) | No mark, dead (long) | ◌่ | ◌้ | ◌๊ | ◌๋ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid | mid | low | low | low | falling | high | rising |
| High | rising | low | low | low | falling | – | – |
| Low | mid | high | falling | falling | high | – | – |
Live = ends in a long vowel or in m, n, ng, y, w. Dead = ends in a short vowel or in k, t, p.
Other Marks
Signs that are not tones
Consonant Clusters
Consonant Clusters
Two consonants, said together
In everyday speech the r is often dropped or said as l: ครับ khráp → kháp.
Clusters with a Silent ร
Written as two, said as one
Leading ห and อ
A silent first letter that changes the tone
A silent ห (or อ) in front of a low consonant gives the syllable the tone of a high (or mid) consonant.
Audio: Google Cloud TTS. Romanisation, notes and example words are still being checked by native speakers.