Thai sorts its consonants into three groups called classes, and the class is your first clue to a word's tone. ขา (leg) and คา (be stuck) start with the same sound, but ข is high class and ค is low class, so your voice moves differently on each word.
Which Letters Are in Each Class?
In the course's pictures, each class has its own place. Middle-class letters live in the 🏙️ city, high-class letters in the 🏔️ mountains, and low-class letters at the 🏖️ beach.
| Class | Where It Lives | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| Middle | 🏙️ city | ก จ ฎ ฏ ด ต บ ป อ |
| High | 🏔️ mountains | ข ฉ ฐ ถ ผ ฝ ศ ษ ส ห |
| Low | 🏖️ beach | ค ฆ ง ช ซ ฌ ญ ฑ ฒ ณ ท ธ น พ ฟ ภ ม ย ร ล ว ฬ ฮ |
The middle class is the shortest list, with nine letters, and the high class has ten. Every letter that's left is low class. Thai also has two old letters, ฃ and ฅ, that aren't used anymore, and the course leaves them out.
Which Letters Share a Sound but Not a Class?
Many high-class letters have a low-class partner with the same sound, and only the tone rules are different.
- ผhighพlowBoth are a p sound with a puff of air. ผ is in the mountains, and พ is at the beach.
- สhighซlowBoth are an s sound. ส is in the mountains, and ซ is at the beach.
- หhighฮlowBoth are an h sound. ห has another job too, as the silent letter below.
How Do the Class and the Ending Set the Tone?
First, check how the syllable ends. A live syllable ends in a sound you can hold, like a long vowel or ม, น or ง. A dead syllable stops short, with a short vowel or an ending like ก, ด or บ. With no tone mark, the class and the ending give you the tone.
| Class | Live Syllable | Dead Syllable |
|---|---|---|
| Middle | Mid, as in กา (crow) | Low, as in กัด (bite) |
| High | Rising, as in ขา (leg) | Low, as in ขาด (lack) |
| Low | Mid, as in คา (be stuck) | High if the vowel is short, as in คัด (select), and falling if it's long, as in คาด (expect) |
What Do the Tone Marks Do?
Thai has four tone marks. When a word has one, use the mark and the class, and skip the live and dead check.
| Mark | Middle and High Class | Low Class |
|---|---|---|
| ◌่ | Low, as in ป่า (forest) | Falling, as in ค่า (value) |
| ◌้ | Falling, as in บ้าน (house) | High, as in ม้า (horse) |
| ◌๊ | High, middle class only | Not used |
| ◌๋ | Rising, middle class only | Not used |
What Does a Silent ห Do?
Sometimes ห sits in front of a low-class letter and isn't said at all. It's there to change the class, so the word follows the high-class rules. มา (come) stays mid, but หมา (dog) rises, because the silent ห makes it high class. ห can lead eight letters this way: ง, ญ, น, ม, ย, ร, ล and ว.
How Can You Learn the Classes?
The Thai alphabet chart draws every letter as a picture in its class's setting, so you see the class each time you see the letter. The Thai Alphabet course teaches the letters a few at a time, each with its class, and brings in the tone rules once you know letters from all three classes. Every word has audio. Poppy, your AI tutor in the Bubblegum app, writes Thai lessons at your level, so you can work out the tone of each new word yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a High-Class Letter Mean a High Tone?
No. The names come from how the letters sounded long ago. With no tone mark, only a low-class letter gives a high tone, as in คัด (select).
Which Thai App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Thai, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Its Thai Alphabet course has you reading whole words, like กา (crow) and มา (come), in the first chapter. Our Thai app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- The Unicode Standard, Chapter 16, Southeast Asia (Thai consonants are divided into classes that historically stood for different sounds and in modern Thai show tonal differences; tone marks)
- Wikipedia, Thai script (the middle, high and low classes, the live and dead syllable tone rules, the four tone marks, leading ห, and the obsolete letters ฃ and ฅ)
