Hi everyone,
I’m so excited for my first Thai lesson post. Today I want to talk about Thai language from scratch so I picked “Thai consonants” to start with.

Like we all know that the English language contains 24 consonants, but in Thai language we have 44 consonants total. Hmm…just 20 more for you to remember hahaha…

I remember when I was a kid (5-6 years old) and I have to learn the 44 consonants. The teacher would have a song for all those consonants, a huge chart of 44 consonants and the pictures of anything at all that those consonants refer to.

So the kids would have it stuck in their memory to remember all those consonants up until they get old (something like that). Like in English we have “A” refer to an “Apple” and will have apple picture beside.

Alright let’s have a look…

ก this consonant call “gaaw gai” / ไก่ (gai) means chicken
ข this consonant call “khaaw khai” / ไข่ (khai) means egg
ฃ this consonant call “khaaw khuaat” / ขวด (khuaat) means bottle
ค this consonant call “khaaw khwaay”/ ควาย (khwaay) means water buffalo
ฅ this consonant call “khaaw khohn”/ ฅน (khohn) means person, human being
ฆ this consonant call “khaaw ra-khang”/ ระฆัง (ra- khaang) means a large bell
ง this consonant call “ngaaw nguu”/ งู (nguu) means snake
จ this consonant call “jaaw jaan”/ จาน (jaan) means plate, dish
ฉ this consonant call “chaaw ching”/ ฉิ่ง (ching) means small cymbal used in East and Southeast Asian music
ช this consonant call “chaaw chaang”/ ช้าง (chaang) means elephant
ซ this consonant call “saaw soh”/ โซ่ (soh) means chain
ฌ this consonant call “chaaw chuuhr”/ เฌอ (chuur) means small tree or bush
ญ this consonant call “yaaw ying”/ หญิง (ying) means woman, women
ฎ this consonant call “daaw cha-daa”/ ชฎา (cha-daa) means hat used in Thai classical dancing
ฏ this consonant call “dtaaw bpa-dtak”/ ปฏัก (bpa-dtak) means harpoon, spear, javelin
ฐ this consonant call “thaaw thaan” / ฐาน (thaan) means base, ground, platform
ฑ this consonant call “thaaw mohn thoh”/ มณโฑ (mohn thoh) means a character in the Ramanyana epic(the wife of a giant)
ฒ this consonant call “thaaw phuu thao” / ผู้เฒ่า (phuu thao) means elder, respected old and wise person
ณ this consonant call “naaw naehn” / เณร (naehn) means buddhist novice or monk [typically] below the age of twenty
ด this consonant call “daaw dek” / เด็ก (dek) means child
ต this consonant call “dtaaw dtao” / เต่า (dtao) means turtle
ถ this consonant call “thaaw thoong” / ถุง (thoong) means bag, pouch
ท this consonant call “thaaw tha-haan” / ทหาร (tha-haan) means soldier
ธ this consonant call “thaaw thohng” / ธง (thohng) means flag
น this consonant call “naaw nuu” / หนู (nuu) mouse, mice, rat
บ this consonant call “baaw bai maai” / ใบไม้ (bai maai) means leaf of the tree
ป this consonant call “bpaaw bplaa” / ปลา (bplaa) means fish
ผ this consonant call “phaaw pheung” / ผึ้ง (pheung) means bee
ฝ this consonant call “faaw faa” / ฝา (faa) means lid or cover of a pot or bowl, cap
พ this consonant call “phaaw phaan” / พาน (phaan) means tray on which items are offered to a Buddhist monk
ฟ this consonant call “faaw fun” / ฟัน (fun) means tooth
ภ this consonant call “phaaw sam phao” / สำเภา (sam phao) means [certain type of] small sailing vessel used in Asia and Southeast Asia, junk, argosy
ม this consonant call “maaw maa” / ม้า (maa) means horse
ย this consonant call “yaaw yak” / ยักษ์ (yak) means [a character from the Ramayana epic, a] giant [or] demon
ร this consonant call “raaw reuua” / เรือ (reuua) means boat, ship, barge, vessel
ล this consonant call “law ling” / ลิง (ling) means monkey
ว this consonant call “waaw waaen” / แหวน (waaen) mean ring (worn on the finger)
ศ this consonant call “saaw saa laa” / ศาลา (saa laa) means Thai-style pavilion; open-air gazebo
ษ this consonant call “saaw baaw reuu see” / ฤาษี (reuu see) means ascetic; meditating recluse or hermit
ส this consonant call “saaw seuua” / เสือ (seuua) means tiger
ห this consonant call “haaw heep” / หีบ (heep) means chest, wooden box, trunk
ฬ this consonant call “laaw joo laa” / จุฬา (joo laa) means the male kite
อ this consonant call “aaw aang” / อ่าง (aang) means bowl, bathtub, sink
ฮ this consonant call “haaw nohk huuk” / นกฮูก (nohk huuk) means oriental barn owl

Even though Thai language contains 44 consonants it has only 21 sounds because some of the consonants will have the sound exactly the same as some other consonants. And some of the consonants we rarely see or use anymore.

I will talk more about it in the next post…

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