Thai Alphabet Mnemonics: Every Letter as a Picture

Thai alphabet mnemonics are pictures that turn each Thai letter into something you already know, and the name of that thing starts with the letter's sound. ก is drawn as a crow, so when you see the shape, the word crow and the k sound come back together. The chart below shows the 42 consonants Thai uses today, plus its vowels, its four tone marks, its numbers and its signs, 102 shapes in all.

How Do Thai Picture Mnemonics Work?

A capital letter inside a keyword marks the sound when the first letter is silent, so น is a woman kNitting and sounds like n. When a consonant sounds different at the end of a word, its keyword has a second word for that sound: ส is a Swan Takeoff, with s at the start of a word and t at the end.

The place in each consonant picture is the letter's class. 🏙️ City letters like ก are middle class, 🏖️ beach letters like น are low class, and 🏔️ mountain letters like ข are high class. ข and ค make the same sound, and their places show that their classes differ. The class is half of how you work out a word's tone.

Vowel pictures sit where the vowel is written. An acorn hangs before the letter for เ◌, an eel arches over it for ◌ี, and a cup of oolong tea sits below it for ◌ู. A vowel written in several pieces reuses those pictures, so เ◌า is Acorn + Arm.

The Thai Alphabet Chart With Pictures

The chart follows the free course chapter by chapter, so the letters for your first words come first.

Your First Thai Words 4

• กCrowA Crow watches over the 🏙️ city, where crows love to live.
• นkNittingA woman sits kNitting on the 🏖️ beach, enjoying the sea breeze.
• มMotorcyclistA Motorcyclist does a wheelie on the 🏖️ beach, where the soft sand makes a safe landing.
• าArmAn Arm, bent at the elbow.

Vowels Above and Below 5

• ดDomeA Dome sits on top of a round building in the 🏙️ city.
• ตTennisA stray Tennis ball dented the top of the 🏙️ city dome.
• อAwningA shopper peeks into a 🏙️ city shop under its striped Awning.
• ◌ีEelAn Eel arches over the letter and flicks its tail up. The raised tail means the vowel is long.
• ◌ูOolongA cup of Oolong tea sits below the letter.

Adding an Ending 2

• ◌ิEelThe same Eel, with its tail tucked down. No raised tail means the vowel is short.
• ◌ุOozeA drip of Ooze hangs below the letter.

บ, ป, and Vowels in Front 5

• บBucket of PopcornA Bucket of Popcorn from a 🏙️ city movie theater waits on the sidewalk.
• ปPopcornThe same 🏙️ city Popcorn bucket now has its right side popped up.
• เ◌AcornAn Acorn hangs on a tall stem before the letter.
• แ◌Extra acornAn Extra acorn joins the first, so two stems stand before the letter.
• โ◌OpenAn Open door latch stands before the letter.

Endings That Stop 2

• ◌ะArtTwo quick Art strokes come after the letter. Keep the vowel as short as those brushstrokes.
• ◌ั◌ArtOne quick Art stroke sits above the letter. Keep the vowel as short as that brushstroke. Use it when the word has an ending.

More Sounds at the Beach 5

• คContortionistA Contortionist bends back on the soft 🏖️ beach sand and looks at their own feet.
• งsiNGA singer leans back to siNG at a 🏖️ beach party.
• ทTurtleA sea Turtle crawls up onto the 🏖️ beach.
• ลLemur NibblingA Lemur Nibbling a snack rests on the 🏖️ beach.
• ◌อAwningThe Awning from อ is back. Here, the whole shape is a vowel.

Up to the Mountains 3

• ขCandleA Candle glows by a lake high in the 🏔️ mountains, where nights get dark.
• สSwan TakeoffA Swan Takeoff splashes up from a 🏔️ mountain lake.
• หHelping HikersTwo Helping Hikers climb a 🏔️ mountain trail together.

Two Tone Marks 2

• ◌่chopstickA chopstick stands above the letter. This is the first tone mark.
• ◌้tadpoleA tadpole swims above the letter. This is the second tone mark.

The Other Tone Marks 4

• จJavelin TossAn athlete gets ready for a Javelin Toss at a 🏙️ city stadium.
• ◌๊crownA crown sits above the letter. This is the third tone mark.
• ◌๋plus signThe plus sign button from a TV remote sits above the letter. This is the fourth tone mark.
• โ◌ะOpen + ArtOpen + Art: Open goes before the letter, and Art comes after it. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.

ร, ย, ล, and ว 3

• ยYankingA boy is Yanking a wooden post out of the 🏖️ beach sand.
• รRope kNotA Rope kNot hangs from a 🏖️ beach pier, ready to tie up a boat.
• วWater fountainA Water fountain at the 🏖️ beach lets you rinse off the sand.

Two Pairs of Sounds 4

• ผPaddleA kid uses a Paddle to row a canoe across a 🏔️ mountain lake.
• ฝFishingThe same kid goes Fishing from the canoe on the 🏔️ mountain lake.
• พPonyA small kid rides a Pony along the 🏖️ beach.
• ฟFlag PonyOn the same 🏖️ beach pony, the kid now holds a tall flag: the Flag Pony.

A Few More Everyday Letters 5

• ฉChipmunkA Chipmunk sits on a rock high in the 🏔️ mountains.
• ชChubby TabbyA Chubby Tabby relaxes in the warm 🏖️ beach sand.
• ซSleepy TabbyThe Sleepy Tabby is the same 🏖️ beach cat, just waking up with a tuft of fur on its head.
• ถTucked TerrierA Tucked Terrier naps snugly in its kennel up in the 🏔️ mountains.
• ฮHaloA little angel with a Halo rests on the 🏖️ beach.

Short Vowels That Change Shape 5

• ◌็shearsA pair of shears sits above the letter. They keep the vowel short in spellings like เ◌็◌.
• เ◌ะAcorn + ArtAcorn + Art: Acorn goes before the letter, and Art comes after it. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.
• แ◌ะExtra acorn + ArtExtra acorn + Art: Extra acorn goes before the letter, and Art comes after it. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.
• เ◌็◌Acorn + shearsAcorn + shears: Acorn goes before the letter, and the shears sit on top to keep the vowel short.
• แ◌็◌Extra acorn + shearsExtra acorn + shears: Extra acorn goes before the letter, and the shears sit on top.

Round Vowels 2

• เ◌าะAcorn + Arm + ArtAcorn + Arm + Art: Acorn goes before the letter, and Arm and Art come after it. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.
• ◌็อ◌shears + Awningshears + Awning: the shears sit on top of the letter, and Awning comes after it.

A Brand-New Vowel 3

• ◌ึUghThe eel pulls a yucky face and says Ugh, with a little bubble at its tail.
• ◌ื◌UuughThe eel grows two fins and stretches out a long Uuugh. Hold this vowel longer than ◌ึ.
• ◌ือUuugh + AwningUuugh + Awning: the eel sits on top of the letter, and Awning comes after it.

One Vowel, Several Spellings 4

• เ◌อะAcorn + Awning + ArtAcorn + Awning + Art: Acorn goes before the letter, and Awning and Art come after it. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.
• เ◌อAcorn + AwningAcorn + Awning: Acorn goes before the letter, and Awning comes after it.
• เ◌ิ◌Acorn + EelAcorn + Eel: Acorn goes before the letter, and Eel sits on top.
• เ◌ยAcorn + YankingAcorn + Yanking: Acorn goes before the letter, and ย comes after it.

Vowels That Slide 7

• เ◌ียAcorn + Eel + YankingAcorn + Eel + Yanking: Acorn goes before the letter, Eel sits on top, and ย comes after it.
• เ◌ือAcorn + Uuugh + AwningAcorn + Uuugh + Awning: Acorn goes before the letter, Uuugh sits on top, and Awning comes after it.
• ◌ัวArt + Water fountainArt + Water fountain: Art sits on top of the letter, and ว comes after it.
• ◌ว◌Water fountainThe Water fountain sits between two letters. Here, it is part of the vowel.
• เ◌ียะAcorn + Eel + Yanking + ArtAcorn + Eel + Yanking + Art: เ◌ีย with Art at the end. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.
• เ◌ือะAcorn + Uuugh + Awning + ArtAcorn + Uuugh + Awning + Art: เ◌ือ with Art at the end. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.
• ◌ัวะArt + Water fountain + ArtArt + Water fountain + Art: ◌ัว with Art at the end. Art takes two quick brushstrokes, so keep the vowel quick too.

Vowels with an Ending Built In 5

• ไ◌IvyIvy climbs a tall stake before the letter.
• ใ◌Ivy curlThe same ivy, with its top leaf curled back: an Ivy curl.
• ◌ํMintA round Mint floats above the letter. Think of its mmm. On its own it is rare, and next it teams up with า.
• เ◌าAcorn + ArmAcorn + Arm: Acorn goes before the letter, and Arm comes after it.
• ◌ำMint + ArmMint + Arm: Mint floats on top of the letter, and Arm comes after it. You hear the a from Arm, then the mmm from Mint.

The Silent ห 1

• ญYo-yo NerdA Yo-yo Nerd shows off his tricks on the 🏖️ beach.

Familiar Sounds, More Spellings 5

• ณNoodlesA Noodles cart sells hot noodles on the 🏖️ beach.
• ธTubA wash Tub with a towel waits on the 🏖️ beach to rinse off the sand.
• ภPeeking PupThe Peeking Pup pokes its head out of its kennel on the 🏖️ beach.
• ศSwan TuckThe Swan Tuck is the same 🏔️ mountain lake swan, now resting with its head tucked in.
• ษSuitcase TagA suitcase with a Suitcase Tag is packed for a 🏔️ mountain trip.

The Last Letters 8

• ฆKaraoke KidsTwo Karaoke Kids sing together at a 🏖️ beach party.
• ฌChariotA kid rides a Chariot across the 🏖️ beach sand.
• ฎDino TailA baby T. rex statue curls its Dino Tail inside a 🏙️ city museum.
• ฏTwisted TailThe same 🏙️ city museum T. rex now has a Twisted Tail.
• ฐTeapotA Teapot steams on a rock in the cool 🏔️ mountain air.
• ฑTiara TurtleThe Tiara Turtle is the 🏖️ beach turtle from ท, now wearing a tiara.
• ฒTiger TwinsTiger Twins cuddle up together on the warm 🏖️ beach sand.
• ฬLizards NappingTwo Lizards Napping snuggle up on a warm 🏖️ beach rock.

Letters That Stay Silent 1

• ◌์quiet fingerA quiet finger curls above the letter. It tells you to keep the letter silent, or sometimes a few letters.

More Letters 17

• รรtwin rope knots
• ฤRunner
• ๅlong arm
• ๆparrot
• ฯshort-tailed parrot
• ๐empty ring
• ๑one cinnamon roll
• ๒two ducks
• ๓three-legged bench
• ๔four-paw cat
• ๕five-point star
• ๖6
• ๗seven-spot caterpillar
• ๘eight-armed octopus
• ๙nine-butterfly net
• ฤๅRunner + long arm
• ฯลฯshort-tailed parrot + Lemur Nibbling + short-tailed parrot

Learn these letters in the free Thai Alphabet course, with audio for every letter and reading practice.

How Should You Practice With the Chart?

Use the pictures to recall a letter, then check yourself with real sounds and real words.

• 🙈Name the PlaceCover the captions, look at a consonant, and say its keyword and whether it lives in the city, on the beach or in the mountains.
• 👂Hear Every LetterPlay each letter in the free course. ก and ค both start with a k sound, and only the audio lets you hear the puff of air that ค has.
• 🧱Read a WordPut a consonant and a vowel together, like ม and า in มา, and read them as one syllable.

A picture can't teach a tone. Thai has five of them, and the course works each one out from the class, the ending and the tone mark, with audio for the letters and words. The free Thai Alphabet course does this in 32 short chapters, right in your browser. The same course is free in Bubblegum, a language app where Poppy, its AI tutor, writes Thai lessons at your level once you can read. For what to do after the alphabet, read the easiest way to learn Thai.

Frequently Asked Questions