The sonorants: ง น ม ย ร ล ว
- Read and write ง น ม ย ร ล ว (มา maa นา naa ลา laa ยา yaa งู nguu), name ญ ณ ฬ, and know these seven have no high-class twin.
The sonorants, and the last three names
- งng (the ng in sing, at the start)ngaaw nguuงู nguusnakelow class
- นnnaaw nǔuหนู nǔumouselow class
- มmmaaw máaม้า máahorselow class
- ยyyaaw yákยักษ์ yákgiantlow class
- รr (rolled, or a quick tap)raaw rueaเรือ rueaboatlow class
- ลllaaw lingลิง lingmonkeylow class
- วwwaaw wǎaenแหวน wǎaenringlow class
- ญyyaaw yǐngหญิง yǐngwomanlow class · rare
- ณnnaaw neenเณร neennovice monklow class · rare
- ฬllaaw jù-laaจุฬา jù-laakitelow class · rare
Seven letters you can hum
The last seven common letters, and they are the friendly ones. ม is m, น is n, ล is l, ย is y, ว is w. ร is r: rolled if you can, a quick tap of the tongue if you can't, and Thai speakers will forgive either. Together with ง they are the sonorants, the sounds you can hum or sing on. No puff, no twin, nothing to hold back.
The one to practise is ง. It says ng, the sound at the end of "sing", except Thai is happy to put it at the start of a word, which English never does. Say "sing", hold the ng, then let go into aa: งา ngaa. Sesame. Do it a few times and it stops feeling wrong.
- มาม + ◌า → maa. To come.
- นาน + ◌า → naa. A rice field.
- ลาล + ◌า → laa. A donkey.
- ยาย + ◌า → yaa. Medicine.
- งูง + ◌ู → nguu. A snake.
No twins
Last lesson every letter came in a pair: a high twin that rises and a low twin that doesn't. These seven are low class, and they have no high twin at all. There is no letter that says m and rises. So with a long vowel and nothing else they are flat, every time: มา maa, นา naa, ลา laa, ยา yaa, งู nguu, มี mii, รู ruu.
Thai does have a trick for giving these seven a high-class tone when it needs one. It uses a letter you already know, kept silent. It gets its own lesson, and until then you will not meet it in anything you are asked to read.
- มีlow, long vowel, nothing else → flat. mii. To have.
- รู→ ruu. A hole.
- งา→ ngaa. Sesame.
The last ten names, and all forty-four
Seven more names to chant, and three rare cousins: ญ sounds like ย, ณ like น, ฬ like ล. Say them, copy them, let them be.
Three of the name-words start with a ห you don't hear: หนู nǔu, หญิง yǐng, แหวน wǎaen. That is the silent trick from the section above, and it is why you are copying these and not reading them yet.
And that is the alphabet. Nine mid, eleven high, twenty-four low: forty-four, and you have now met every one of them by name. The checkpoint next is all of them at once, and nothing in it is new.
Look-alikes. ม and น are the pair to watch: ม has a small notch at the top of its right side, น is smooth there. ล and ส are the same shape except ส has a notch on its inner stroke. And ร has a jagged top where ว is a smooth loop.
D1 · Copy and trace
Trace each letter, then copy it twice. Start at the head. Give ม its notch and ร its jagged top.
D2 · Read and choose
Which one says it right? Pick one. All flat today.
- มา
- นา
- ลา
- ยา
- งู
- มี
D3 · Minimal pairs
Listen. Two words, one sound apart, both flat. Which one did you hear?
This one arrives with audio. The words are here so you can look at them; the sound is coming.
- มา maa · นา naa
- ลา laa · ยา yaa
- งู nguu · ดู duu
D4 · Read aloud
Read down the list out loud. Everything here is flat, so the only work is the sounds. Tick each word you got without stopping. The last one is a sentence. Yes, really.
- มา
- นา
- งู
- ลา
- ยา
- มี
- รู
- งา
- มา
- งู
- ดู
- ปู
- งูดูปู
D10 · Tone by ear
Mid or rising? Everything from this lesson is flat, so the risers are older words. Listen, don't look.
This one arrives with audio. The words are here so you can look at them; the sound is coming.
- มา maa
- ขา kǎa
- งู nguu
- หู hǔu
- ยา yaa
- หา hǎa
You can now read 30 Thai words.
AnswersCore lessonEvery answer from the part above, in one list.
D2
- มา — maa
- นา — naa
- ลา — laa
- ยา — yaa
- งู — nguu
- มี — mii
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. Two of them start with the sound English keeps for the end.
This one arrives with audio. The words are here so you can look at them; the sound is coming.
- มา maa
- งู nguu
- ยา yaa
- งา ngaa
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.
- มาดู maa duu
- ยาดี yaa dii
D8 · Read and choose
The three not asked about yet, and three old friends. Pick one.
- งา
- รู
- ลา
- ดู
- ปู
- ดี
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 ม
- find ล
- find ร
AnswersExtended practiceEvery answer from the part above.
D6
- มา maa — to come
- งู nguu — snake
- ยา yaa — medicine
- งา ngaa — sesame
D7
- มาดู maa duu — come and look
- ยาดี yaa dii — good medicine
D8
- งา — ngaa
- รู — ruu
- ลา — laa
- ดู — duu
- ปู — bpuu
- ดี — dii
D11
- ม — 4 of 7, at positions 2, 4, 5, 7 from the left
- ล — 4 of 7, at positions 2, 4, 5, 7 from the left
- ร — 4 of 7, at positions 2, 4, 5, 7 from the left
D5, D9 have no written key: tracing, listening and reading aloud are yours to mark.