The Thai Alphabet | ก-ฮ

Before we get started. Hello! My name is Phon and this is my first post! I'm super excited to share this with you guys and to accompany you through your Thai learning journey!!!

'The time has come,' the Chicken said, To talk of many things: Of eggs — and bottles — and buffaloes — Of people — and snakes — And why the elephant is running off — And whether or not you know your consonants!'

Many people have asked me if learning the Thai script is necessary if your goal is just to be able to have conversations in Thai and get yourself out of trouble. I'll just be real and say 'No'

If you're travelling to Thailand and will be staying here for a couple of weeks or months and you have someone with you who can speak and read Thai for you, then go for the roman script. Otherwise, for your own sake, just learn them. Plus, learning the Thai script helps with your pronunciation as well!

So... There are a few, nay a lot of, things you have to know before you get started.

1. There are 44 letters in the Thai alphabet

2. The 44 letters are divided into 3 main groups. Those groups are called 'consonant classes' which affect the tones. Because of this, I don't recommend you go through them in alphabetical order but instead in groups.

3. Every letter is pronounced with the 'or' /ɔː/ vowel sound (when it's not in a word).

4. Every letter has a name. That's because there are many letters that make the same sound, for instance, ค ฅ ฆ are all Ks (with mid-tone), so when you're spelling it out for someone you're telling them which of the Ks you're talking about.

5. Nobody uses the traditional font anymore. Ok ok, I might be exaggerating. Let's say 99.999999999% of people don't use the traditional font anymore. However, it's still used in textbooks. My advice is: once you can differentiate all the letters written in the traditional font, try learning the modern fonts right away.

6. There's a shortcut to learning the Thai alphabet (although I do not recommend it). It is to forget about the names, and classes and just focus on the sound each letter makes and kind of wing it when you're reading the tones. This is the approach many people use when they only have a couple of weeks to learn the whole thing. It is always best to have a strong foundation though. So.... find yourself some time, and have fun learning the whole thing!

That's it! Ready to get started? Buckle up and LET'S GOOOOO

Here's a full list of the letters in alphabetical order.

Notice: All high-class consonants have the rising tone as the default tone.

Now it's time to practise! Check out my writing practice playlist here:

Free Anki decks for the 3 classes (audio & pictures included)

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Paired vs Unpaired

Did you notice that we have three Ks in the low class and two Ks in the high class? So... we have five Ks!!!!

Basically, all low-class consonants with the same sounds as the ones in the high class are called 'paired low-class consonants'. This is not so important but the idea of having these paired consonants is that you get all 5 tones when you use that sound from both classes. (Check out: How to Read Thai Tones)

Congratulations! You've made it here. Keep on practising! Láew jer gan kâ!