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Consonant Reference

LetterNameRoman Equivalent (initial/final)MeaningClass
¡¡ ä¡è gor gaig/kChickenMiddle
¢¢ ä¢è kor kaik/kEggHigh
¤¤ ¤ÇÒ kor kwaik/kBuffaloLow
¦¦ ÃЦѧ kor rakangk/kBellLow
§§ §Ù ngor ngoong/ngSnakeLow
¨¨ ¨Ò¹ jor janj/tPlateMiddle
©© ©Ôè§ chor chingch/tAltocymbalsHigh
ªª ªéÒ§ chor changch/tElephantLow
«« â«è sor sohs/tChainLow
¬¬ à¬Í chor cherch/-TreeLow
­­ Ë­Ô§ yor yingy/nWomanLow
®® ª®Ò dtor chadad/tCrown type head dressMiddle
¯¯ »¯Ñ¡ dtor badakdt/tSpearMiddle
°° °Ò¹ tor tant/tPedestalHigh
±± Á³â± tor montoht/tFemale character from storyLow
²² ¼Ùéà²èÒ tor putaot/tOld manLow
³³ à³Ã nor nenn/nNovice monkLow
´´ à´ç¡ dor dekd/tChildMiddle
µµ àµèÒ dtor dtaodt/tTurtleMiddle
¶ ¶Ø§ tor tungt/tBagHigh
·· ·ËÒÃ tor tahant/tSoldierLow
¸¸ ¸§ tor tongt/tFlagLow
¹¹ ˹٠nor noon/nRatLow
ºº ãºäÁé bor baimaib/pLeafMiddle
»» »ÅÒ bpor bplabp/pFishMiddle
¼¼ ¼Öé§ por peungp/pBeeHigh
½½ ½Ò for fahf/pLidHigh
¾¾ ¾Ò¹ por panp/pType of tray or bowl with baseLow
¿¿ ¿Ñ¹ for fanf/pTeethLow
ÀÀ ÊÓàÀÒ por sampaop/pChinese Junk (Boat)Low
ÁÁ ÁéÒ mor mahm/mHorseLow
ÂÂ ÂÑ¡Éì yor yagy/yGiantLow
Ãà àÃ×Í ror reuar/nBoatLow
ÅÅ ÅÔ§ lor lingl/nMonkeyLow
ÇÇ áËǹ wor wenw/wRingLow
ÈÈ ÈÒÅÒ sor salas/tBuilding with no walls, pavillionHigh
ÉÉ ÄåÉÕ sor reusees/tHermitHigh
ÊÊ àÊ×Í sor seuas/tTigerHigh
ËË ËÕº hor heeph/-Chest/trunkHigh
ÌÌ ¨ØÌÒ lor julal/nStar shaped kiteLow
ÍÍ ÍèÒ§ oh ang-/-BowlMiddle
ÎÎ ¹¡ÎÙ¡ hor nog hookh/-Barn OwlLow

The above table shows the 42 consonants used in the Thai language. Two more are no longer in use (¥ and £). Some letters are never used as final consonants, this explains why the entry is blank (-).

Transliteration

Each consonant can have a different sound depending on if it is at the start of the word (initial consonant) or at the end of the word (final consonant). Í oh is a special case that normally is not pronounced on it's own, sometimes referred to as the "dead" consonant or zero. The conversion of a foreign letter to an English letter is known as transliteration. The transliteration given in the table above is according to one scheme, there are several schemes available; this is still an active area of discussion amongst Thai academics.

A transliteration cannot be "wrong" or "right" because there is always a degree of interpretation and some exception rule may apply. Also, which system is correct ? In this web site we do not always exchange the letters strictly according to the above table, it's more important to be able to say the word correctly. Ultimately, you should learn the Thai letters and not transliterate and that's what we encourage you to do as soon as possible.

Spelling

Usually adults do not give the full meaning when spelling something, i.e. gor gai - sara ee - etc. They will just say the first part, e.g. gor - ee - etc.


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