The Thai Alphabet — 44 Consonants
A complete reference for all 44 Thai consonants with RTGS romanization, tone class, initial and final sounds, and mnemonic examples. Everything you need to start reading Thai.
The Thai script has 44 consonants (พยัญชนะ), organized into 3 tone classes: mid (กลาง), high (สูง), and low (ต่ำ). Each consonant has an initial sound (used at the start of a syllable) and a final sound (used at the end), which are often different.
The tone class of a consonant directly determines the tone of the syllable — so learning the class is just as important as learning the sound itself. Thai is a tonal language with 5 tones.
Unlike Western alphabets, Thai has no capital letters, no spaces between words (spaces mark sentence boundaries), and is written left to right.
Mid Class (คลาสกลาง) — 9 consonants
Produce the natural "middle" tone. The best starting point for beginners.
High Class (คลาสสูง) — 11 consonants
Tend to raise the tone. Include the aspirated sounds (kh, th, ph).
Low Class (คลาสต่ำ) — 24 consonants
The largest class. Tend to lower the tone and include all voiced consonants.
Mid Class Consonants MID
| Letter | RTGS | Name / Example Word | Meaning | Initial | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ก | k | ก ไก่ (gor gai) | 🐔 Chicken | g- | -k |
| จ | j | จ จาน (jor jaan) | 🍽️ Plate | j- | -t |
| ด | d | ด เด็ก (dor dek) | 👶 Child | d- | -t |
| ต | t | ต เต่า (tor tao) | 🐢 Turtle | dt- | -t |
| บ | b | บ ใบไม้ (bor baimai) | 🍃 Leaf | b- | -p |
| ป | p | ป ปลา (por plaa) | 🐟 Fish | bp- | -p |
| อ | — | อ อ่าง (or aang) | 🏺 Basin | — | — |
| ฎ | d | ฎ ชฎา (dor cha-daa) | 👑 Headdress | d- | -t |
| ฏ | t | ฏ ปฏัก (tor pa-tak) | 🗡️ Goad | dt- | -t |
High Class Consonants HIGH
| Letter | RTGS | Name / Example Word | Meaning | Initial | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ข | kh | ข ไข่ (khor khai) | 🥚 Egg | kh- | -k |
| ฃ | kh | ฃ ขวด (khor khuat) | 🍾 Bottle | kh- | -k |
| ฉ | ch | ฉ ฉิ่ง (chor ching) | 🎵 Cymbals | ch- | — |
| ฐ | th | ฐ ฐาน (thor thaan) | 🏛️ Pedestal | th- | -t |
| ถ | th | ถ ถุง (thor thung) | 👜 Bag | th- | -t |
| ผ | ph | ผ ผึ้ง (phor pheung) | 🐝 Bee | ph- | — |
| ฝ | f | ฝ ฝา (for faa) | 🪪 Lid | f- | — |
| ศ | s | ศ ศาลา (sor saala) | ⛩️ Pavilion | s- | -t |
| ษ | s | ษ ฤๅษี (sor reusi) | 🧙 Hermit | s- | -t |
| ส | s | ส เสือ (sor suea) | 🐯 Tiger | s- | -t |
| ห | h | ห หีบ (hor hiip) | 📦 Chest | h- | — |
Low Class Consonants LOW
| Letter | RTGS | Name / Example Word | Meaning | Initial | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ค | kh | ค ควาย (khor khwai) | 🐃 Buffalo | kh- | -k |
| ฅ | kh | ฅ คน (khor khon) | 👤 Person | kh- | -k |
| ฆ | kh | ฆ ระฆัง (khor ra-khang) | 🔔 Bell | kh- | -k |
| ง | ng | ง งู (ngor nguu) | 🐍 Snake | ng- | -ng |
| ช | ch | ช ช้าง (chor chaang) | 🐘 Elephant | ch- | -t |
| ซ | s | ซ โซ่ (sor soo) | ⛓️ Chain | s- | -t |
| ฌ | ch | ฌ เฌอ (chor choe) | 🌳 Tree | ch- | — |
| ญ | y | ญ หญิง (yor ying) | 👩 Woman | y- | -n |
| ฑ | th | ฑ มณโฑ (thor monthoo) | 🎭 Character | th- | -t |
| ฒ | th | ฒ ผู้เฒ่า (thor phu-thao) | 👴 Elder | th- | -t |
| ณ | n | ณ เณร (nor neen) | 🧘 Novice monk | n- | -n |
| ท | th | ท ทหาร (thor thahaan) | ⚔️ Soldier | th- | -t |
| ธ | th | ธ ธง (thor thong) | 🚩 Flag | th- | -t |
| น | n | น หนู (nor nuu) | 🐭 Mouse | n- | -n |
| พ | ph | พ พาน (phor phaan) | 🫙 Tray | ph- | -p |
| ฟ | f | ฟ ฟัน (for fan) | 🦷 Tooth | f- | -p |
| ภ | ph | ภ สำเภา (phor samphao) | ⛵ Junk boat | ph- | -p |
| ม | m | ม ม้า (mor maa) | 🐴 Horse | m- | -m |
| ย | y | ย ยักษ์ (yor yak) | 👹 Giant | y- | -y |
| ร | r | ร เรือ (ror reua) | 🚢 Boat | r- | -n |
| ล | l | ล ลิง (lor ling) | 🐒 Monkey | l- | -n |
| ว | w | ว แหวน (wor waen) | 💍 Ring | w- | -w |
| ฬ | l | ฬ จุฬา (lor julaa) | 🪁 Kite | l- | -n |
| ฮ | h | ฮ นกฮูก (hor nok-huk) | 🦉 Owl | h- | — |
How to Memorize the 44 Thai Consonants
Every Thai consonant has a traditional keyword that Thai children learn at school, and using them is the easiest way to remember the letters. For example: ก ไก่ (gài, chicken), ข ไข่ (khài, egg), ค ควาย (khwaai, buffalo), ง งู (nguu, snake), จ จาน (jaan, plate), ช ช้าง (cháang, elephant), ม ม้า (máa, horse) and ป ปลา (plaa, fish).
Don't try to learn all 44 at once. A realistic plan is 5 or 6 letters a day, reviewing the previous days before adding new ones. Learn the consonant together with its class (mid, high or low), because the class decides the tone of the syllable.
- Learn the 9 mid-class consonants first: they are the most regular for tone rules.
- Then the 11 high-class consonants, which are fewer than the low class.
- Finish with the 24 low-class consonants, many of which come in pairs with a high-class twin sharing the same sound.
- Write the letters by hand: the stroke order helps memory more than reading alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many consonants are in the Thai alphabet?
The Thai alphabet has 44 consonant letters, but two of them (ฃ and ฅ) are obsolete and no longer used in modern writing, so 42 letters are used in everyday Thai. These letters represent only 21 distinct initial sounds, which is why several letters share the same sound.
Why does Thai have so many letters for the same sound?
Historically the letters came from a language with more sounds. Today they are kept for spelling and for a practical reason: each letter belongs to a consonant class (mid, high or low), and that class is what determines the tone of the syllable.
How long does it take to learn the Thai script?
With daily practice, many learners can read simple Thai slowly after a few weeks. Reading comfortably takes longer, and it depends on how much you practice. The consonants are the biggest part of the work, followed by vowels and tone rules.
Is Thai written with spaces between words?
No. Thai is written without spaces between words. Spaces are used mainly to separate phrases or sentences, so recognizing word boundaries is a skill that comes with practice.
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