Thai vowels come in short and long pairs, and vowel length changes the meaning of a word. This guide covers the essential vowel sounds with romanization so you can start reading Thai.
| Thai | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| –ะ | a | Short 'a' (like 'u' in 'cut')Written AFTER the consonant: กะ |
| –ิ | i | Short 'i' (like 'i' in 'bit')Written ABOVE the consonant: กิ |
| –ุ | u | Short 'u' (like 'oo' in 'book')Written BELOW the consonant: กุ |
| เ–ะ | e | Short 'e' (like 'e' in 'get')Written AROUND the consonant: เกะ |
| –า | aa | Long 'aa' (like 'a' in 'father')Written AFTER: กา = gaa (crow) |
| –ี | ii | Long 'ii' (like 'ee' in 'see')Written ABOVE: กี = gii |
| –ู | uu | Long 'uu' (like 'oo' in 'moon')Written BELOW: กู = guu |
| เ– | ee | Long 'ee' (like 'ay' in 'say')Written BEFORE: เก = gee |
| แ– | aee | Long 'ae' (like 'a' in 'cat' but longer)Written BEFORE: แก = gaee |
| โ– | oo | Long 'oo' (like 'o' in 'go')Written BEFORE: โก = goo |
| เ–ีย | ia | Glides from 'ee' to 'ah'Example: เสีย (sǐa) - broken/damaged |
| เ–ือ | uea | Glides from 'ue' to 'ah'Example: เรือ (ruea) - boat |
| ไ– | ai | AI sound (like in 'Thai')Example: ไก่ (gài) - chicken |
| เ–า | ao | AO sound (like 'ow' in 'cow')Example: เกา (gao) - to scratch |
| –ำ | am | AM - vowel with built-in MExample: ทำ (tham) - to do/make |
Unlike English, Thai vowels can appear BEFORE, AFTER, ABOVE, BELOW, or AROUND a consonant! The dash (–) shows where the consonant goes.
In Thai, vowel LENGTH changes meaning! Short vowels are quick, long vowels are held longer.
Compound vowels combine two vowel sounds into one syllable. They often 'glide' from one sound to another.
ไ (mai malai) and ใ (mai muan) both make the 'ai' sound. ใ is only used in 20 common words! Here are the important ones:
Hear native pronunciation, do interactive exercises, and review with spaced repetition flashcards in the LearnThai app.
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