บ + ◌้
บ้
+
า
+
น
Alphabets
The Thai alphabet อักษรไทย
Meet every letter of Thai, hear how it sounds, and learn how letters join to make words.
About Thai
Thai is written in the Thai script (อักษรไทย) from left to right. Each of its 44 consonants has a name word that children learn: ก ไก่ (ko kai, chicken), ข ไข่ (kho khai, egg). The consonants are divided into three classes – middle, high and low – which, together with the tone marks and the vowel length, decide the tone of a syllable. Vowels are written before, after, above or below the consonant, or around it.
- 44
- consonants พยัญชนะ
- 32
- vowel forms สระ
- 4
- tone marks
- 5
- tones
Vowels สระ
Vowels are written around the consonant – ◌ shows where the consonant goes, here on ก. Tap a letter to hear it.
Four tone marks
Mai ek – low or falling tone.
Mai tho – falling or high tone.
Mai tri – high tone.
Mai chattawa – rising tone.
Consonants พยัญชนะ
The 44 consonants in their three classes, each with its name word. Tap a letter to hear it.
Middle class อักษรกลาง
9 consonants
High class อักษรสูง
11 consonants
Low class อักษรต่ำ
24 consonants
The class of the first consonant decides the tone: ขา (khā, leg) with a high-class letter has a rising tone, but คา (khā, stuck) with a low-class letter has a mid tone.
How letters join to make words
A Thai syllable is a consonant with a vowel around it, sometimes a final consonant and a tone mark.
-
1
Vowel after the consonant
Some vowels follow the consonant.
ก +า =กา -
2
Vowel before the consonant
Some vowels come first – and you type them first.
เ +ก =เก -
3
Tone mark on top
A tone mark sits on the consonant, above any vowel.
บ +◌้ +า +น =บ้าน
Where does the vowel go?
After
กา กะ
Written after the consonant.
Before
เก แก โก ไก
Written before the consonant.
Above
กิ กี กึ
Sits on top.
Below
กุ กู
Hangs underneath.
Build real words
น + ◌้
น้
+
ำ
แ
+
ม
+
ว
ไ
+
ท
+
ย
ร + ◌ั
รั
+
ก
เ
+
พ + ◌ื + ◌่
พื่
+
อ
+
น
Good to know
No spaces between words
ฉันรักภาษาไทย is "I love the Thai language" – spaces only separate phrases.
Five tones
Mid, low, falling, high and rising – the consonant class and the tone mark tell you which.
Type as you write
For เก press เ first – Thai is typed in written order, not spoken order.
Ready to type in Thai?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.