Thai has 44 consonant letters. Each one has a traditional name (like ก ไก่, "gor gai" — chicken) that helps you remember its sound. Start with the most common letters below, then practice them with interactive exercises in the app.
| Thai | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ก | gɔɔ | G as in chicken (ไก่) |
| จ | jɔɔ | J as in plate (จาน) |
| ด | dɔɔ | D as in child (เด็ก) |
| ต | dtɔɔ | DT as in turtle (เต่า)This is an UNASPIRATED t - no puff of air |
| บ | bɔɔ | B as in leaf (ใบไม้) |
| ป | bpɔɔ | BP as in fish (ปลา)This is an UNASPIRATED p - no puff of air |
| อ | ɔɔ | Silent consonant / basin (อ่าง)This consonant is silent at the start of words - it carries the vowel sound |
| ฎ | dɔɔ | D as in crown headdress (ชฎา)Same sound as ด but different letter |
| ฏ | dtɔɔ | DT as in goad/spear (ปฏัก)Same sound as ต but different letter |
| ข | khɔ̌ɔ | KH as in egg (ไข่)ASPIRATED - with a puff of air, unlike ก |
| ฉ | chɔ̌ɔ | CH as in cymbals (ฉิ่ง) |
| ถ | thɔ̌ɔ | TH as in bag (ถุง)Aspirated T - NOT like English 'th' in 'the' |
| ผ | phɔ̌ɔ | PH as in bee (ผึ้ง)Aspirated P - NOT like English 'f' |
| ฝ | fɔ̌ɔ | F as in lid (ฝา) |
| ส | sɔ̌ɔ | S as in tiger (เสือ)Most common of the three S letters |
| ห | hɔ̌ɔ | H as in chest/box (หีบ)Also used as a 'silent leader' to change tone of low-class consonants |
| ง | ngɔɔ | NG as in snake (งู)This NG sound can start a word in Thai! |
| น | nɔɔ | N as in mouse (หนู) |
| ม | mɔɔ | M as in horse (ม้า) |
| ย | yɔɔ | Y as in giant (ยักษ์) |
| ร | rɔɔ | R as in boat (เรือ) |
| ล | lɔɔ | L as in monkey (ลิง) |
| ว | wɔɔ | W as in ring (แหวน) |
| ช | chɔɔ | CH as in elephant (ช้าง)Remember: ช้าง (elephant) - your mascot is an elephant! |
| ค | khɔɔ | KH as in buffalo (ควาย) |
| ท | thɔɔ | TH as in soldier (ทหาร) |
| พ | phɔɔ | PH as in tray (พาน) |
| ฟ | fɔɔ | F as in teeth (ฟัน) |
Thai has 44 consonants divided into 3 classes: Middle, High, and Low. The class determines the tone of a syllable. We start with middle-class because they have the simplest tone rules!
Thai has 2 more middle-class consonants: ฎ and ฏ. They're rare and mostly appear in words borrowed from Sanskrit and Pali (ancient Indian languages). They sound identical to ด and ต.
Here are all 9 middle-class consonants: ก จ ฎ ฏ ด ต บ ป อ Remember: Middle-class consonants give you access to ALL 5 tones!
High-class consonants typically produce a RISING tone in live syllables (no tone mark). There are 11 high-class consonants, but 2 are obsolete (ฃ, ฬ). Focus on the 9 common ones!
Hear native pronunciation, do interactive exercises, and review with spaced repetition flashcards in the LearnThai app.
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