The Thai alphabet: consonants, vowels and numerals

Last updated November 6, 2026

The Thai alphabet has 44 consonant letters (42 still in use) and 32 vowel forms, plus 4 tone marks and 10 digits. Thai is written from left to right, without spaces between words, and each consonant belongs to one of three classes (middle, high or low) that helps decide the tone of a syllable.

This guide lists every consonant with its traditional name, its meaning, its class and its sound, then the vowels and the numerals. Press ▶ to hear a letter at natural speed, or the slow button to hear it slowed down.

How many letters are in the Thai alphabet?

The Thai alphabet has 44 consonants, of which 2 (ฃ and ฅ) are obsolete, and 32 vowel forms in the traditional list. It also uses 4 tone marks and its own set of 10 digits.

Consonants

44 letters, 42 in everyday use

Vowels

32 forms in the traditional list, most in short/long pairs

Tone marks

4: ่ ้ ๊ ๋

Digits

10: ๐ to ๙

Direction

Left to right, no spaces between words

Upper/lower case

None

How are Thai letters named?

Each Thai consonant is named with its sound followed by a word that starts with it: ก is called ก ไก่ (gɔɔ gài), "g as in chicken". Thai children learn the alphabet by reciting these names in order, from ก ไก่ to ฮ นกฮูก (owl).

The names are useful well beyond school. Several letters share the same sound (there are six ways to write "t"), so Thai speakers use the name to say which one they mean, just as you might say "s as in Sierra" on the phone.

What are the three consonant classes?

Thai consonants are divided into three classes: middle (9 letters), high (11 letters) and low (24 letters). The class does not change how the consonant sounds; it changes the tone of the syllable it starts.

For example, ข (high class) and ค (low class) are both pronounced k, yet ขา is said with a rising tone (kǎa, leg) and คา with a mid tone (kaa, to be stuck). Knowing the class of each letter is the key to reading tones, which our Thai tones guide explains step by step.

Low-class consonants split into two groups. Most have a high-class twin with the same sound (ค and ข, ท and ถ…). The others, called sonorants (ง ญ ณ น ม ย ร ล ว ฬ), have no high-class twin: to write a high-class tone with them, Thai puts a silent ห in front (หมา, mǎa, dog).

The 44 Thai consonants

Here are all 44 Thai consonants in alphabetical order, with the name Thai speakers use for each letter, its transliteration, the meaning of its name and its class.

How are consonants pronounced at the end of a syllable?

At the end of a syllable, Thai consonants collapse into just eight sounds: k, t, p (cut short, without a puff of air), m, n, ng, w and y. A letter can therefore sound different at the start and at the end of a syllable.

For example, ส is s at the start of a word but t at the end, and ร, r at the start, becomes n at the end. A few letters (such as ฉ, ผ, ฝ, ห, อ and ฮ) are not used as final consonants in native words.

How do Thai vowels work?

Thai vowels are written around the consonant they follow in speech: before it, after it, above it or below it, and some combine several of these. Most vowels come in short and long pairs, and vowel length changes the meaning of a word.

In the table, อ stands for the consonant: the vowel เอ is written เ + consonant, as in เท (tee, to pour). When a syllable starts with a vowel sound, Thai writes a silent อ to carry the vowel, as in อา (aa, aunt).

What are the Thai numerals?

Thai has its own digits, from ๐ (0) to ๙ (9). Arabic numerals are more common in everyday life, but Thai digits still appear on menus, tickets, banknotes and official documents.

What are Thai tone marks?

Thai uses four tone marks, written above the initial consonant of a syllable: ่ (mái èek), ้ (mái too), ๊ (mái dtrii) and ๋ (mái jàt-dtà-waa). Together with the consonant class and the type of syllable, they tell you which of the five tones to use.

The full rules, with examples for every class, are in our guide to Thai tones.

How to read the transliteration

The pronunciations on this page use the transliteration of the Kru May app. Accents show the tone and doubled vowels show a long vowel.

à â á ǎ

low, falling, high and rising tone; no accent means mid tone

aa, ii, uu…

long vowel (a single letter is short)

g, bp, dt

unaspirated k, p, t (no puff of air, like the k in "skin")

k, p, t

aspirated k, p, t (with a puff of air, as in "kin")

ɔ

the vowel in "law"

ɛ

the vowel in "bed", held longer

ə

the vowel in "her" (without the r)

ʉ

like "oo" said with unrounded lips

How can you learn the Thai alphabet?

Most learners find it easier to learn Thai letters through words they read often than by memorising all 44 consonants in one go. Learn each letter together with its class, since the class is what you need later to read tones.

A practical order: start with the middle-class consonants (only nine letters, and their tones follow the simplest rules), then the common low-class sonorants (ง น ม ย ร ล ว), then the rest. Learn the vowels as you meet them in words rather than as a separate list.

In Kru May, every word in every story shows its transliteration, so you can read from day one and pick up the letters along the way. The alphabet section lists all the consonants, vowels and numerals with audio, grouped by class.