Thai Alphabet – 44 Consonants
Writing and reading are both main skills in learning a language. However, many people skipped them and put their focus on speaking and listening skills for a short visit to Thailand. Many people can of course learn speaking & listening without knowing the alphabet too, but please bear in mind Thai Romanization isn’t always consistent… So if you want to learn Thai in long term, learning Thai alphabet can open many new doors to immerse yourself in Thailand and make your learning Thai journey much easier!
Thai alphabet or Thai script (อักษรไทย /àk-sŏn tai/) has 44 consonants (พยัญชนะ /pá-yan-chá-ná/) and 32 vowels (สระ /sà-rà/). The vowel can be grouped as short vowels (สระเสียงสั้น /sà-rà-sĭang-sân/) and long vowels (สระเสียงยาว /sà-rà-sĭang-yaao/). In addition, Thai language also has special characters and 4 tone marks.
Here is a complete list of 44 Thai consonants
Thai Consonant |
Thai Name |
Romanization (Consonant) |
Romanization (Name) |
English name (Meaning) |
Initial sound |
Final sound |
Class |
ก |
ไก่ | Gor | Gai | Chicken | g- | -k | Mid |
ข |
ไข่ | Kor | Kai | Egg | k- | -k | High |
*ฃ |
ขวด | Kor | Kuuat | Bottle | k- | -k | High |
ค |
ควาย | Kor | Kwaai | Buffalo | k- | -k | Low |
*ฅ |
คน | Kor | Kon | Person/People | k- | -k | Low |
ฆ |
ระฆัง | Kor | Ra-kang | Bell | k- | -k | Low |
ง |
งู | Ngor | Ngoo | Snake | ng- | -ng | Low |
จ |
จาน | Jor | Jaan | Plate/Dish | j- | -t | Mid |
ฉ |
ฉิ่ง | Chor | Ching | Cymbals | ch- | – (N/A) | High |
ช |
ช้าง | Chor | Chaang | Elephant | ch- | -t | Low |
ซ |
โซ่ | Sor | Soh | Chain | s- | -t (-s) | Low |
ฌ |
เฌอ | Chor | Cher | Tree | ch- | -t | Low |
ญ |
หญิง | Yor | Ying | Woman | y- | -n | Low |
ฎ |
ชฎา | Dor | Cha-daa | Thai headdress | d- | -t | Mid |
ฏ |
ปฏัก | Dtor | Bpa-dtak | Goad | dt- | -t | Mid |
ฐ |
ฐาน | Tor | Taan | Base | t- | -t | High |
ฑ |
มณโฑ | Tor | Mon-toh | Mandodari | t- | -t | Low |
ฒ |
ผู้เฒ่า | Tor | Poo-tao | Elder | t- | -t | Low |
ณ |
เณร | Nor | Nayn | Novice monk | n- | -n | Low |
ด |
เด็ก | Dor | Dek | Kid/Child | d- | -t | Mid |
ต |
เต่า | Dtor | Dtao | Turtle | dt- | -t | Mid |
ถ |
ถุง | Tor | Tung | Sack/Bag | t- | -t | High |
ท |
ทหาร | Tor | Ta-haan | Soldier | t- | -t | Low |
ธ |
ธง | Tor | Tong | Flag | t- | -t | Low |
น |
หนู | Nor | Noo | Mouse/Rat | n- | -n | Low |
บ |
ใบไม้ | Bor | Bai-mai | Leaf | b- | -p | Mid |
ป |
ปลา | Bpor | Bplaa | Fish | bp- | -p | Mid |
ผ |
ผึ้ง | Por | Pueng | Bee | p- | – (N/A) | High |
ฝ |
ฝา | For | Faa | Lid | f- | – (N/A) | High |
พ |
พาน | Por | Paan | Offering tray | p- | -p | Low |
ฟ |
ฟัน | For | Fan | Teeth | f- | -p | Low |
ภ |
สำเภา | Por | Sam-pao | Sailing boat | p- | -p | Low |
ม |
ม้า | Mor | Maa | Horse | m- | -m | Low |
ย |
ยักษ์ | Yor | Yak | Giant | y- | -i | Low |
ร |
เรือ | Ror | Ruea | Boat | r- | -n | Low |
ล |
ลิง | Lor | Ling | Monkey | l- | -n | Low |
ว |
แหวน | Wor | Waen | Ring | w- | -o | Low |
ศ |
ศาลา | Sor | Saa-laa | Pavillion | s- | -t | High |
ษ |
ฤาษี | Sor | Rue-see | Hermit | s- | -t | High |
ส |
เสือ | Sor | Suea | Tiger | s- | -t | High |
ห |
หีบ | Hor | Heep | Chest | h- | – (N/A) | High |
ฬ |
จุฬา | Lor | Ju-laa | Star-shaped kite | l- | – (N/A) | Low |
อ |
อ่าง | Aor | Aang | Basin | – (N/A) | – (N/A) | Mid |
ฮ |
นกฮูก | Hor | Nok-hook | Owl | h- | – (N/A) | Low |
Note: *ฅ (kor kon) and *ฃ (kor kuuat) are no longer used, even the words คน (kon ‘person’) and ขวด (kuuat ‘bottle’) are spelled with other K.
DOWNLOAD FREE PDF HERE
Need more help?
If you are still struggling with trying to learn how to read and write Thai by yourself but not successful yet, please check out my Read Thai in 2 Weeks intensive course! I can help you master all you need for reading & writing: consonants, vowels, special characters, tone marks, tone rules and exceptions!
Learning Thai isn’t as complicated as it seems. With the right way to learn, you can learn how to read and write Thai successfully! I hope to see you soon. 🙂
See all the Thai lesson packages
