The low-class partners: ค ท พ ฟ ซ ฮ ช
- Read and write ค ท พ ฟ ซ ฮ ช (คา kaa ทา taa พา paa ชา chaa ฮา haa), pair each with its high-class twin, and name ฆ ฑ ฒ ธ ภ ฌ and retired ฅ.
The low-class partners, and their quiet cousins
- คk (the k in key, with the puff)kaaw kwaaiควาย kwaaibuffalolow class
- ทt (the t in top, with the puff)taaw tá-hǎanทหาร tá-hǎansoldierlow class
- พp (the p in pin, with the puff)paaw paanพาน paantray on a pedestallow class
- ฟffaaw fanฟัน fantoothlow class
- ซssaaw sôoโซ่ sôochainlow class
- ฮhhaaw nók-hûukนกฮูก nók-hûukowllow class
- ชch (as in cheese)chaaw cháangช้าง cháangelephantlow class
- ฅk (retired)kaaw konคน konpersonlow class · rare
- ฆkkaaw rá-kangระฆัง rá-kangbelllow class · rare
- ฌchchaaw choeeเฌอ choeetree, an old wordlow class · rare
- ฑttaaw mon-tooมณโฑ mon-tooMontho, a queen in the Ramakienlow class · rare
- ฒttaaw pûu-tâoผู้เฒ่า pûu-tâoan elderlow class · rare
- ธttaaw tongธง tongflaglow class · rare
- ภppaaw sǎm-paoสำเภา sǎm-paojunk, a sailing shiplow class · rare
Seven letters you can already say
Here is a strange thing about Thai, and today it turns out to be a gift. Every sound you learned last lesson has a second letter. ข says k; so does ค. ถ says t; so does ท. ผ and พ are both p. ฝ and ฟ are both f. ส and ซ are both s. ห and ฮ are both h. ฉ and ช are both ch. Same puff, same everything, in the mouth.
So there is nothing new to pronounce. Seven new shapes, and seven sounds you already have. That is the gift.
The catch is the obvious one. If two letters sound the same, how do you know which one a word uses? You don't, not from the sound. You learn it with the word, the way you learned that "phone" has a ph. Reading goes the other way, and the other way is easy: you see the letter, so you know which one it is.
- คาค + ◌า → kaa. Stuck.
- ทาท + ◌า → taa. To apply, as in cream or paint.
- พาพ + ◌า → paa. To take someone along.
- ชาช + ◌า → chaa. Tea.
- ฮาฮ + ◌า → haa. Funny.
Why two letters for one sound
Because of the class. ข is high class. Its twin ค is low class. The sound is the same; the class is not; and the class is what sets the tone.
A low-class letter with a long vowel and nothing else is read flat, exactly like the mid class was. คา kaa. ทา taa. ชา chaa. No lift.
Now put the twins side by side. ขา kǎa: high class, so it rises. คา kaa: low class, so it stays flat. Same sound at the front, same vowel, and they are two different words, leg and stuck, told apart by tone alone. That is the whole reason Thai keeps both letters. Every twin pair works the same way: หา hǎa rises, ฮา haa doesn't.
You now have all three classes, and with a long vowel and nothing else they go: mid flat, high rising, low flat. The last class was the easy one.
- ขาhigh → rising. kǎa. Leg.
- คาlow → flat. kaa. Stuck.
- หาhigh → rising. hǎa. To look for.
- ฮาlow → flat. haa. Funny.
Seven more names
Seven more names to chant, and this time you will hear the class in them at once: the low names stay flat, kaaw kwaai, taaw tá-hǎan, where last lesson's rose, kǎaw kài, tǎaw tǔng. Say a twin pair of names together and you can feel the difference in your throat.
As always, the name-words are real words with tricks you don't have yet: ควาย kwaai starts with two consonants, ช้าง cháang has a mark and a final, โซ่ sôo wears its vowel in front. Say them, copy them, let them be.
The quiet cousins. ฅ is retired, like ฃ last lesson: no word is spelled with it today. It keeps its seat and its name, so it counts. ฆ sounds like ค; ฌ like ช; ฒ and ธ like ท, and ฑ usually so; ภ like พ. ธ and ภ you will meet in real words fairly soon; the rest live in old borrowings from Sanskrit and Pali. Know their names, wave hello, move on.
Look-alikes. ฟ is พ with a tail, exactly as ฝ was ผ with a tail: in both pairs the tail means f. ซ is ช with a notch in its right side. ฮ is อ with a notch in its top. And watch ค next to ด: ด's head curls round into a loop, ค's is a small notch.
D1 · Copy and trace
Trace each letter, then copy it twice. Start at the head. Give ฟ its tail and ซ its notch.
D2 · Read and choose
Which one says it right? Pick one. Low class today, so nothing rises.
- คา
- ทา
- พา
- ชา
- ฮา
- ฟู
D3 · Minimal pairs
Listen. In the first two pairs only the tone changes; in the last two only the puff. Which one did you hear?
This one arrives with audio. The words are here so you can look at them; the sound is coming.
- ขา kǎa · คา kaa
- หา hǎa · ฮา haa
- ตา dtaa · ทา taa
- ปา bpaa · พา paa
D4 · Read aloud
Read down the list out loud. All three classes are here, so only the high ones rise. Tick each word you got without stopping. The last one is a sentence. Yes, really.
- คา
- ขา
- ทา
- ตา
- พา
- ชา
- หา
- ฮา
- สี
- ปา
- ฟู
- คา
- ผีพาปู
D10 · Tone by ear
Mid or rising? The twins are mixed in, so listen, don't look.
This one arrives with audio. The words are here so you can look at them; the sound is coming.
- ขา kǎa
- คา kaa
- หา hǎa
- ฮา haa
- สี sǐi
- ทา taa
You can now read 22 Thai words.
AnswersCore lessonEvery answer from the part above, in one list.
D2
- คา — kaa
- ทา — taa
- พา — paa
- ชา — chaa
- ฮา — haa
- ฟู — fuu
D1, D3, D4 have no written key: tracing, listening and reading aloud are yours to mark.
Part twoExtended practice6 more drills, with their own answers. The second printed sheet.
D5 · Copy and trace
Copy these seven name-words next to their letters and say the whole name out loud. Not reading, just making friends.
D6 · Write from sound
Listen and write the word in Thai. Flat tone, so it is the low twin every time.
This one arrives with audio. The words are here so you can look at them; the sound is coming.
- ทา taa
- ชา chaa
- พา paa
- คา kaa
D7 · Dictation
Two little phrases. Write what you hear.
This one arrives with audio. The words are here so you can look at them; the sound is coming.
- ทาสี taa-sǐi
- ชาดี chaa dii
D8 · Read and choose
Twins. Same sound, different class. Pick one, and let the class decide the tone.
- ขา
- คา
- หา
- ฮา
- ตา
- ทา
- ปา
- พา
D9 · Copy and trace
Whole words this time, letter and vowel together. Say each one flat as you finish it.
D11 · Letter hunt
Each row hides one letter several times. Mark every one of it, then check. The neighbours are the look-alikes from the note above.
- find ฟ
- find ซ
- find ค
AnswersExtended practiceEvery answer from the part above.
D6
- ทา taa — to apply, to smear
- ชา chaa — tea
- พา paa — to take along
- คา kaa — stuck
D7
- ทาสี taa-sǐi — to paint
- ชาดี chaa dii — good tea
D8
- ขา — kǎa
- คา — kaa
- หา — hǎa
- ฮา — haa
- ตา — dtaa
- ทา — taa
- ปา — bpaa
- พา — paa
D11
- ฟ — 4 of 9, at positions 2, 4, 5, 7 from the left
- ซ — 4 of 8, at positions 2, 4, 5, 7 from the left
- ค — 4 of 8, at positions 2, 4, 5, 7 from the left
D5, D9 have no written key: tracing, listening and reading aloud are yours to mark.