Sabai Thai letter bo bai mai (บ)
Mid-class consonant 26 of 44. It is written บ ใบไม้ in full, the way Thai children learn it, and sounds like "b" at the start of a syllable.
Remember it
A leaf on a branch - notice the stem at the top.
Thai children learn the letter by its full name, บ ใบไม้ bo bai mai, picture and all. Say the whole thing and the shape comes with it.
What its class does to the tone
Mid class is the smallest group and the only one that can take all four tone marks. With no mark it gives a mid tone on a live syllable and a low tone on a dead one. These three lines cover most of what you will meet, and they hold for บ exactly as they do for every other mid-class letter.
The examples are whichever mid-class word shows the rule most clearly. The full grid for all three classes is here.
Letters that sound the same
Nothing else makes this sound. บ is the only letter that gives "b" at the start of a syllable, which is worth knowing before you meet the letters that do share one.
Easy to mix up with
Each pair differs by one stroke, and each mistake changes the word.
Words that use it
Every line here is one you will meet again in a lesson. Press play to hear it.
Where it turns up in the course
828 course words use บLearn บ early and these are the chapters it pays off in first.
Drill all 68 characters in the app
Listening and recall drills, with audio on every character.
What free includes