Unit 28 · Mid-class letters and four tone marks · Read

Mid-class letters and four tone marks

Read the marks as class-dependent instructions.

Read the examples

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

Add a tone mark

Compare a mid-class initial and a long live vowel with different written marks.

ก + า → กา

ก + ้ + า → ก้า

ก + ๋ + า → ก๋า

Words to read

mid-tone practice

กา

mid-tone practicekaa

ก่า

low-tone practice syllablekàa

ก้า

falling-tone practice syllablekâa

ก๊า

high-tone practice syllablekáa

ก๋า

rising-tone practice syllablekǎa
Reading tips

With the mid-class initial ก and live aa, no mark gives mid tone; ่ low, ้ falling, ๊ high and ๋ rising. Listen and read the whole syllable. A tone mark is written above the initial, above an upper vowel if one is present.

SpellingTone
กาMid
ก่าLow
ก้าFalling
ก๊าHigh
ก๋าRising

This is the mid-class pattern. Do not apply these outputs blindly to a low-class initial. The next unit compares the partner groups.

Reading practice

Hear the words

Listen to a whole word. Match its printed spelling.

Hear the words

Listen to a whole word. Match its printed spelling.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the whole word. Choose its sound.

กา

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the whole word. Choose its sound.

ก่า

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the whole word. Choose its sound.

ก้า

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the whole word. Choose its sound.

ก๊า

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the word you studied.

Spelling to sound

Read the whole word. Choose its sound.

ก๋า

Which spelling has a falling tone?

Which spelling has a rising tone?

Write the pictured word

Write the pictured word, including every vowel and tone mark.

mid-tone practice

Listen and write

Listen and write every sign in its printed order.

Listen and write

Listen and write every sign in its printed order.

A short return

Listen to an earlier word. Choose its spelling.

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Read the marks as class-dependent instructions.

Next unit
mid-tone practice

กา

mid-tone practice

ก่า

low-tone practice syllable

ก้า

falling-tone practice syllable

ก๊า

high-tone practice syllable

ก๋า

rising-tone practice syllable

All letters

ก
i

k. Plain k, with little puff, like k after s in sky.

กา
ม
i

m

มา
าIn อา
i

aa. A long open a; it sits after the consonant.

กามา
ต
i

t. Plain t, with little puff of air.

ตา
น
i

n

นานาน
จ
i

ch / tɕ. A plain joined ch sound, little puff.

จา
ด
i

d

ดา
บ
i

b

บา
ป
i

p. Plain p, little puff.

ปา
อ
i

vowel carrier / ʔ. Carries an initial vowel; can also be part of a vowel spelling.

อา
◌ิIn อิ
i

i. Short i, above the consonant.

กิน
◌ีIn อี
i

ii. Long i, above the consonant.

มีดี
◌ุIn อุ
i

u. Short u, below the consonant.

ดุ
◌ูIn อู
i

uu. Long uu, below the consonant.

ดูปู
ะIn อะ
i

a, short open syllable. Written after the consonant; an open short vowel ends with a throat closure.

กะนะ
◌ัIn อัก
i

a, before a final consonant. Above the consonant, used for short a in closed syllables.

มัน
เIn เอ
i

ee, in เ–. Written before the consonant, spoken after it.

เกม
แIn แอ
i

aeae, in แ–. Long open vowel like a broad a in cat.

แมว
โIn โอ
i

oo, in โ–. Long o.

โต
ว
i

w. A w sound; it can also close a syllable as a glide.

แมว
ไIn ไอ
i

ai, in ไ–. Sounds like eye.

ไป
ใIn ไอ
i

ai, in ใ–. Same vowel sound as ไ; spelling must be learned with the word.

ใน
ำIn อำ
i

am. A vowel plus final m; typed after the consonant.

ดำ
เ–าIn เอา
i

ao. The two vowel pieces surround the initial consonant.

เอา
ข
i

kh. k with a puff.

ขา
ฉ
i

chh / tɕʰ. Airy joined ch sound.

ฉา
ถ
i

th. t with a puff, never English th.

ถาม
ผ
i

ph. p with a puff, never f.

ผี
ฝ
i

f

ฝา
ส
i

s

สี
ห
i

h

หา
ค
i

kh

คา
ช
i

chh / tɕʰ

ชา
ท
i

th

ทา
พ
i

ph

พา
ฟ
i

f

ฟา
ซ
i

s

ซา
ฮ
i

h

ฮา
ง
i

ng. As at the end of sing; Thai also allows it at the start.

งู
ย
i

y

ยา
ร
i

r. A tap or trill; often l in casual speech.

รำ
ล
i

l

ลืม
◌ึIn อึ
i

ue / ɯ. Short high vowel: say oo with unrounded lips.

ดึง
◌ือIn อือ
i

uue / ɯː, in –ือ. Long unrounded vowel; open syllables include อ.

มือ
–อIn ออ
i

aw-aw / ɔː. Long open o; อ is part of the vowel here.

ขอเยอะ
เ–อะIn เออะ
i

oe / ɤ, short. A short central vowel, unrounded.

เยอะ
เ–อIn เออ
i

oe-oe / ɤː. The long central vowel.

เยอะ
◌็In ไม้ไต่คู้
i

shortener. Makes certain vowel patterns short; it is not a tone mark.

เด็กHear it in เด็ก · เด็ก
เ–ียIn เอีย
i

ia, long. A long diphthong; look at both sides of the initial.

เสียเมีย
เ–ียะIn เอียะ
i

ia, short. The short partner ends with ะ.

เ–ือIn เอือ
i

uea, long. A long diphthong starting with the unrounded vowel.

เรือ
เ–ือะIn เอือะ
i

uea, short. The short partner.

–ัวIn อัว
i

ua, long. Long ua; before a final the ั drops: –ว–.

ตัว
–ัวะIn อัวะ
i

ua, short. The short partner.

◌่In ไม้เอก
i

mai ek: class-dependent tone. Mid/high → low; low class → falling.

ก่าHear it in ก่า · ก่า
◌้In ไม้โท
i

mai tho: class-dependent tone. Mid/high → falling; low class → high.

ก้าHear it in ก้า · ก้า
◌๊In ไม้ตรี
i

mai tri: high tone. Normally with mid-class initials.

ก๊าHear it in ก๊า · ก๊า
◌๋In ไม้จัตวา
i

mai chattawa: rising tone. Normally with mid-class initials.

ก๋าHear it in ก๋า · ก๋า
◌์In ทัณฑฆาต
i

cancellation mark. Marks silent letters; sometimes a group is silent.

จันทร์Hear it in จันทร์ · จันทร์
◌ฺIn พินทุ
i

phinthu. A dot below, chiefly in Pali/Sanskrit or pronunciation guides; uncommon in everyday Thai.

ฎ
i

d. Same initial sound as ด.

ฏ
i

t. Same initial sound as ต.

ฐ
i

th

ศ
i

s

ษ
i

s

ภาษา
ฃ
i

kh. Obsolete in ordinary modern spelling; recognise only.

ฆ
i

kh

ฌ
i

chh / tɕʰ

ญ
i

y. Final sound is n.

ฑ
i

th, sometimes d. Word-dependent: check the pronunciation.

ฅ
i

kh. Obsolete in ordinary modern spelling; recognise only.

ฒ
i

th

ณ
i

n

คุณ
ธ
i

th

ภ
i

ph

ภาษา
ฬ
i

l

ๆIn ไม้ยมก
i

repeat the previous word or phrase. In ช้าๆ, repeat ช้า: cháa cháa.

ช้าๆHear it in ช้าๆ · ช้าๆ
ฯIn ไปยาลน้อย
i

abbreviation sign. Used after shortened names; ฯลฯ means etc.

ฯลฯHear it in ฯลฯ · ฯลฯ
฿In บาท
i

baht currency symbol

ฤIn รึ
i

rue / ri / roe, word-dependent. Traditional vowel letter found in some learned words.

ฤดู
ฤๅIn รือ
i

long ruue. Rare traditional long vowel.

ฦIn ลึ
i

lue, obsolete / rare. Recognition only.

ฦๅIn ลือ
i

long luue, obsolete / rare. Recognition only.