Read Thai
Thai tone rules: the chart, explained
The five tones
| Tone | Thai name | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| mid | เสียงสามัญ siang saman | level, in the middle of your voice | มา maa come |
| low | เสียงเอก siang ek | level and low | ขอบ khorp the first syllable of ขอบคุณ, thank you |
| falling | เสียงโท siang tho | starts high, falls | แม่ mae mum |
| high | เสียงตรี siang tri | high, rising a little | รัก rak love |
| rising | เสียงจัตวา siang chattawa | dips, then rises, like a question | หนู nuu I (child to elder); mouse |
The tone chart
Find the row for your syllable (a tone mark, or no mark and live/dead), then the column for the class of its first consonant.
| Syllable | Mid class | High class | Low class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live syllable, no mark long vowel, or ends in m, n, ng or a w/y glide (–ำ ไ– ใ– เ–า count as live) | mid | rising | mid |
| Dead syllable, short vowel, no mark any other short vowel with no final, or ends in k, t, p | low | low | high |
| Dead syllable, long vowel, no mark long vowel ending in k, t, p | low | low | falling |
| Mai ekอ่ any syllable | low | low | falling |
| Mai thoอ้ any syllable | falling | falling | high |
| Mai triอ๊ any syllable | high | not used | not used |
| Mai chattawaอ๋ any syllable | rising | not used | not used |
The four tone marks
- อ่ mai ek (ไม้เอก)
- อ้ mai tho (ไม้โท)
- อ๊ mai tri (ไม้ตรี) · normally mid-class consonants only
- อ๋ mai chattawa (ไม้จัตวา) · normally mid-class consonants only
The mark sits above the first consonant, or above an upper vowel sign if there is one.
Two letters that change the class
- A silent ห in front of ง ญ น ม ย ร ล ว moves the syllable into the high class: หนู (nuu) has a rising tone, though น is low class.
- A silent อ in front of ย makes it mid class, in exactly four words: อยู่ อย่า อย่าง อยาก.
- A mid- or high-class consonant with a hidden a can lead one of the same letters (ง ญ น ม ย ร ล ว) after it the same way, as in สวัสดี (sa-wat-dii), where ว takes the high class from ส.
Everyday speech bends some of these: ฉัน (chan, I) and เขา (khao, he or she) are usually said with a high tone, not the rising tone the spelling gives. Your family’s version is the one to copy. For the sound of the tones, read learning Thai to talk to your family.
How to work out the tone of a Thai syllable
- Find the class of the first consonant. Mid, high or low. A silent ห in front (หน, หม, หล…) makes it high; อ in front of ย (อยู่, อยาก) makes it mid.
- If there is a tone mark, use the mark row. Mai ek ่ and mai tho ้ work with every class; mai tri ๊ and mai chattawa ๋ only with mid class.
- If there is no mark, decide live or dead. Live: a long vowel with no final, any vowel ending in m, n, ng or a w/y glide, or one of –ำ ไ– ใ– เ–า (they end in a built-in m, y or w). Dead: any other short vowel with no final, or a syllable ending in k, t or p.
- Read the tone from the chart. For low-class dead syllables, vowel length matters: short gives high, long gives falling.
Questions people ask
How many tones does Thai have?
Five: mid, low, falling, high and rising. Thai writes them with four tone marks plus the rules for unmarked syllables.
Why doesn’t the tone mark tell you the tone directly?
Because the same mark gives different tones in different consonant classes. Mai tho ้ gives a falling tone on mid- and high-class letters but a high tone on low-class letters: ข้าว (khaao, rice) is falling, น้อง (norng, younger sibling) is high.
What is a live and a dead syllable?
A live syllable can be held: it ends in a long vowel, or in m, n, ng or a w/y glide, which includes –ำ ไ– ใ– เ–า (ทำ, ไป, ใจ, เขา are live). A dead syllable stops short: it ends in any other short vowel or in k, t or p. Without a tone mark, that difference decides the tone.
Do I need to learn the tone rules to speak Thai?
No. Most heritage speakers already hear the tones; the rules are how the script writes them down. Learning the chart helps you read a word you don’t know yet and say it right the first time.
Sources
All links read on .
- Wikipedia: Thai script, Tone (Central Thai rule chart, leading ห and อ)
- Wikipedia: Thai language, Tones
- Omniglot: Thai alphabet, pronunciation and language
Letter names, sounds, classes and tone rules follow the standard references above. The Thai on these pages is a draft until a native speaker has reviewed it. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.