Every letter has a story.

Consonants, grouped the way tones need them

Every consonant belongs to one of three classes, and the class is half of what decides a syllable's tone. Learn the nine mid-class letters first: they are the smallest group and the most common.

Mid class

9 letters · อักษรกลาง, aksorn klang

ก Play ko kai

ko kai A person sitting cross-legged - like a chicken roosting k

จ Play cho chan

cho chan A plate with food - the curve is the rim of the dish ch

ฎ Play do chada

do chada A royal crown - tall and ornate, used mainly in Pali/Sanskrit words d

ฏ Play to patak

to patak A goad stick used to guide elephants - stiff and pointed t

ด Play do dek

do dek A child jumping with arms raised - simple and common d

ต Play to tao

to tao A turtle pulling its head into its shell - round and compact t

บ Play bo bai mai

bo bai mai A leaf on a branch - notice the stem at the top b

ป Play po plaa

po plaa A fish with its tail pointing up - like it's jumping p

อ Play o aang

o aang A basin or tub - also serves as the vowel placeholder in Thai script

High class

11 letters · อักษรสูง, aksorn suung

ข Play kho khai

kho khai Like ก with an extra leg kicked out - an egg rolling away kh

ฃ Play kho khuad

kho khuad An obsolete letter - rarely seen, like an antique bottle kh

ฉ Play cho ching

cho ching Two small cymbals clinking together at the top ch

ฐ Play tho thaan

tho thaan A pedestal base - solid and wide at the bottom th

ถ Play tho thung

tho thung A bag with a knot tied at the top - the little bump is the knot th

ผ Play pho phueng

pho phueng A bee with wings spread - the crossbar represents the wings ph

ฝ Play fo fa

fo fa A lid placed over a pot - flat on top with a small handle f

ศ Play so sala

so sala A pavilion with columns - used in formal/Sanskrit words s

ษ Play so rue-si

so rue-si A hermit's staff - mostly in Sanskrit loanwords s

ส Play so suea

so suea A tiger crouching low - the most common 's' consonant s

ห Play ho hip

ho hip A chest or box - also used as a leading consonant to raise tone class h

Low class

24 letters · อักษรต่ำ, aksorn tam

ค Play kho khwai

kho khwai A buffalo's curved horns pointing upward kh

ฅ Play kho khon

kho khon An obsolete letter for 'person' - faded from modern use kh

ฆ Play kho rakhang

kho rakhang A bell with a long hanging clapper kh

ง Play ngo ngu

ngo ngu A coiled snake - notice the curling tail at the bottom ng

ช Play cho chaang

cho chaang An elephant's trunk curling downward to drink water ch

ซ Play so soh

so soh Chain links looped together - follow the curves s

ฌ Play cho choe

cho choe A rare letter for a rare tree - mainly seen in formal writing ch

ญ Play yo ying

yo ying A woman with long flowing hair - the tail hangs down gracefully y

ฑ Play tho montho

tho montho Named after Montho, the queen in Ramayana - regal and rare th

ฒ Play tho phuu thao

tho phuu thao An elderly person hunched over a walking stick th

ณ Play no nen

no nen A novice monk's robe tied at the shoulder - a formal, Pali letter n

ท Play tho thahaan

tho thahaan A soldier standing at attention - tall and straight th

ธ Play tho thong

tho thong A flag fluttering - the curved strokes are the fabric in the wind th

น Play no nu

no nu A little mouse sitting up - the most common 'n' letter in Thai n

พ Play pho phaan

pho phaan A ceremonial tray on a tall stand - used in offerings ph

ฟ Play fo fan

fo fan A set of teeth - two bumps like front teeth showing f

ภ Play pho sampao

pho sampao A traditional sailing junk with a curved hull ph

ม Play mo maa

mo maa A horse galloping - one of the most common consonants in Thai m

ย Play yo yaak

yo yaak A giant standing tall - broad shoulders, wide stance y

ร Play ro ruea

ro ruea A boat on the water - the tail is the wake behind the hull r

ล Play lo ling

lo ling A monkey swinging - the curl at the bottom is its tail l

ว Play wo waen

wo waen A ring - round at the top, like a band of gold w

ฬ Play lo chula

lo chula A kite flying high - rare, seen mostly in the word จุฬา (Chulalongkorn) l

ฮ Play ho nok-huk

ho nok-huk An owl hooting at night - a low-class 'h', only in loanwords h

Want them without the vowels underneath? All 44 on one page.

Prefer to practise on paper? Preview the Thai Alphabet workbook and flashcards on Etsy.

Vowels wrap around the consonant

A Thai vowel can sit after, before, above or below the consonant it follows in speech, sometimes in two places at once. The อ marks where the consonant goes.

อา Play sara aa

sara aa Long 'a' as in 'father' long

อั Play sara a

sara a Short 'a' as in 'cut' (with a final consonant) short

อิ Play sara i

sara i Short 'i' as in 'sit' short

อี Play sara ii

sara ii Long 'ee' as in 'see' long

อึ Play sara ue

sara ue Short 'ue' - lips forward, tongue back short

อือ Play sara uu

sara uu Long 'ue' - the same position held longer long

อุ Play sara u

sara u Short 'u' as in 'put' short

อู Play sara uu

sara uu Long 'oo' as in 'food' long

เอ Play sara ee

sara ee Long 'e' as in 'café' long

แอ Play sara ae

sara ae Long 'ae' as in 'cat' long

โอ Play sara oo

sara oo Long 'o' as in 'go' long

ออ Play sara or

sara or Long 'or' as in 'more' long

Then five marks sit above the line.

◌่ ◌้ ◌๊ ◌๋ ◌์ mai ek, mai tho, mai tri, mai chattawa and thanthakhat. The first four decide the tone, and thanthakhat silences the letter beneath it.

Read the tone rules →

That is twelve of them. See all 19.