The Four Tone Marks

A tone mark does not name a tone.

Chapters
Chapter 13 of 15Page 1 of 2

A Tone Mark Does Not Name a Tone

Thai has 4 tone marks, and they are written above the consonant. Here is the surprise: a mark does not tell you the tone by itself.

◌่ gives a low tone on a mid-class letter, and a falling tone on a low-class one. The class is what decides.

◌่ไม้เอก
◌้ไม้โท
◌๊ไม้ตรี
◌๋ไม้จัตวา

Letter Reference