Unlock Thai
Hear the sounds. Read the words. Understand the tones.
Learn to read Thai in 41 short units.
Thai · 0 of 41 units done
Before your first signs
Understand Thai writing, hear vowel length and tones, and know what comes next.
- 01
How Thai writing works
Understand consonants, surrounding vowels and the size of the script.
Up next - 02
A little Thai script history
Discover the script’s roots and why several letters share a sound.
Up next - 03
Hear Thai consonants and vowel length
Listen for a puff of air and the difference between short and long vowels.
Up next - 04
Five tones, four marks and word rhythm
Hear all five tones and understand what the writing does and does not mark.
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Your first sounds and words
Hear, recognise, and read small groups of signs.
- 05
ก, ม and า
Hear k, m and long aa, then read your first words.
Up next - 06
ต and น
Add plain t and n to the vowels and consonants you know.
Up next - 07
จ, ด, บ, ป and อ
Distinguish plain stops and use a consonant to carry an initial vowel.
Up next - 08
◌ิ and ◌ี
Hear short i and long ii, then read them in words.
Up next - 09
◌ุ and ◌ู
Hear short u and long uu, then read them in words.
Up next - 10
ะ and ◌ั
Read the two positions used to spell short a.
Up next - 11
เ, แ, โ and ว
Read leading vowel signs and the consonant w in whole syllables.
Up next - 12
ไ, ใ, ำ and เ–า
Read ai, am and a vowel that surrounds its consonant.
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More sounds and vowel patterns
Keep similar shapes and sounds apart, then read syllables.
- 13
ข, ฉ, ถ and ผ
Hear and distinguish consonants with a puff of air.
Up next - 14
ฝ, ส and ห
Read f, s and h in short words.
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ค, ช, ท and พ
Recognise familiar sounds written with new consonants.
Up next - 16
ฟ, ซ, ฮ and ง
Read more partner letters and hear ng at the start of a word.
Up next - 17
A first reading return
Spot tiny shape differences before they change the word.
Up next - 18
ย, ร, ล, ◌ึ and ◌ือ
Read y, r and l alongside short and long central vowels.
Up next - 19
–อ, เ–อะ, เ–อ and ◌็
Read aw and central-vowel patterns, including the shortener mark.
Up next - 20
เ–ีย, เ–ียะ, เ–ือ and เ–ือะ
Read long and short two-part vowel sounds.
Up next - 21
–ัว and –ัวะ
Read long and short ua as complete vowel patterns.
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Endings and tones
Hear all five tones, then predict regular tones from spelling.
- 22
The ending detective
Collapse many final spellings into eight final sounds.
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The invisible-vowel trail
Find unwritten o and a, and separate syllables.
Up next - 24
The spelling groups that control tone
Use the familiar letters in three tone groups.
Up next - 25
Live or dead?
Classify endings before choosing a tone.
Up next - 26
Hear all five tones
Compare a level, low, falling, high and rising pitch on the same syllable.
Up next - 27
Crack tones without marks
Use class and ending to find all five unmarked cases.
Up next - 28
Mid-class letters and four tone marks
Read the marks as class-dependent instructions.
Up next - 29
Same mark, different class
Hear the tone before applying the class-dependent rule.
Up next - 30
The helpful silent leaders
Read ห leading and the four อ + ย words.
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Complete your reading tools
Read clusters, related letter shapes and printed numbers.
- 31
Cluster clues and silent tails
Recognise true clusters, irregular ทร and cancellation.
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ฎ and ฏ
Recognise related mid-class shapes in their spelling group.
Up next - 33
ฐ, ศ, ษ and ฃ
Recognise less common high-class consonant spellings.
Up next - 34
ฆ, ฌ, ญ, ฑ and ฅ
Recognise less common low-class consonant spellings.
Up next - 35
ฒ, ณ, ธ, ภ and ฬ
Complete the low-class consonant inventory in small groups.
Up next - 36
The print and keyboard toolkit
Read numbers, repetition, abbreviations and rare vowel signs.
Up next
Read Thai in everyday life
Read signs, a menu and a short chat, then check your decoding.
- 37
Read everyday signs
Recognise an entrance, an exit and a toilet sign.
Up next - 38
Read a Thai café menu
Listen, find a drink and compare prices.
Up next - 39
A short café chat
Read a natural polite exchange, then check with the audio.
Up next - 40
Your independent reading check
Read new regular combinations and everyday print without sound or picture cues.
Up next - 41
A short return tomorrow
Revisit tones and real reading after a break.
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