ðŸ“Ē  Last Call : Thai Group Lessons in May 2025

Categories
Read and Write Thai Uncategorized

Thai Reduced Vowels (āļŠāļĢāļ°āļĨāļ”āļĢāļđāļ› – sà-rà lÃģd rÃŧup)

If you’ve been learning Thai for a while, you might have wondered:
“Why does this word have no vowel, but I still hear one when it’s spoken?”

Welcome to the world of reduced vowels, or in Thai, āļŠāļĢāļ°āļĨāļ”āļĢāļđāļ› (saĖ€-raĖ€ loˁd ruĖ‚up).

In our previous post, we explored transformed vowels (āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ›āļĨāļĩāđˆāļĒāļ™āļĢāļđāļ› – saĖ€-raĖ€ bpliĖ€ian ruĖ‚up)—vowels that change their appearance when paired with a final consonant. In this post, we’ll uncover something even sneakier: vowels that vanish from writing entirely (or almost entirely), even though their sound is still there when you speak the word.

Is it a mystery to you? Let’s go through it step by step today.

Table of Contents

What Are Reduced Vowels (āļŠāļĢāļ°āļĨāļ”āļĢāļđāļ› - saĖ€-raĖ€ loˁd ruĖ‚up)?

In Thai, a reduced vowel is a sound of a vowel that doesn’t appear in full written form, partially or completely, but it’s still pronounced.

This change differs from transformed vowels, which change shape but are still visible in some form. With reduced vowels, some or all vowel forms justâ€Ķ disappear.

There are 4 common types of vowel reduction in Thai. Once you recognize these, you’ll read Thai with much more confidence and a lot less confusion.

The 4 Types of Thai Reduced Vowels

ðŸ“Ē Type 1: āđ‚āļ­āļ° /o/ → Completely Hidden (e.g., āļāļ”, āļŠāļ”)

For this vowel, you can see that there are two vowel forms – one written in front of the initial consonant and the other one after the initial consonant. 

When the short vowel /o/ (written āđ‚ + āļ°) is followed by a final consonant, both vowel forms “āđ‚” and “āļ°â€ disappear.

Word

Sound

Full Vowel

Reduced Form

āļāļ”

/gÃēt/

āđ‚ + āļ°

(nothing written)

āļŠāļ”

/sÃēt/

āđ‚ + āļ°

(nothing written)

āļĨāļ”

/lÃģt/

āđ‚ + āļ°

(nothing written)

🔎 Tip: If you see a word with no vowel and a final consonant—and it sounds like /o/—you’re probably dealing with a reduced āđ‚āļ­āļ°.

ðŸ“Ē Type 2: āļ­āļąāļ§ /uua/ →" āļą " Disappears, but "āļ§" Remains (e.g., āļ‚āļ§āļ”, āļ›āļ§āļ”)

The vowel /uua/ is normally written with “ āļą + āļ§ + āļ”/āļ/etc.”.
But when there’s a final consonant, the ”   āļą” (maˁi-haˌn-aa-gaĖ€at) disappears, leaving only “āļ§” to represent the sound.

Word

Sound

Full Vowel

Reduced Form

āļ‚āļ§āļ”

/kÃđuat/

āļą + āļ§

āļ§ remains only

āļ›āļ§āļ”

/bpÃđuat/

āļą + āļ§

āļ§ remains only

āļŦāļĄāļ§āļ”

/mÃđuat/

āļą + āļ§

āļ§ remains only

👀 Don’t be fooled— the form “āļ§” here isn’t just a consonant. It’s part of the vowel.

ðŸ“Ē āđ€āļ­āļ­ /ooe/ + āļĒ â†’ Second "āļ­" Disappears (e.g., āđ€āļ„āļĒ, āđ€āļ™āļĒ)

When the vowel /ooe/ (āđ€āļ­āļ­) is used and āļĒ is the final consonant, the second “āļ­â€ vanishes from the written form.
Only the “āđ€â€ remains as a vowel indicator.

Word

Sound

Full Vowel

Reduced Form

āđ€āļ„āļĒ

/kooey/

āđ€ + āļ­āļ­ + āļĒ

āđ€ + āļĒ

āđ€āļ™āļĒ

/pooey/

āđ€ + āļ­āļ­ + āļĒ

āđ€ + āļĒ

āđ€āļĨāļĒ

/looey/

āđ€ + āļ­āļ­ + āļĒ

āđ€ + āļĒ

ðŸŽŊ Think of this as a “half-visible vowel”—only the beginning “āđ€” is shown.

ðŸ“Ē āļ­āļ­ /aaw/ + āļĢ â†’ Second "āļ­" Disappears (e.g., āļžāļĢ, āļˆāļĢ)

Similarly, when the vowel /aaw/ (āļ­āļ­) is followed by āļĢ as ending consonant, both “āļ­” vanish, while the full sound remains.

Word

Sound

Full Vowel

Reduced Form

āļžāļĢ

/paawn/

āļ­āļ­ + āļĢ

– āļĢ

āļāļĢ

/gaawn/

āļ­āļ­ + āļĢ

– āļĢ

āļĻāļĢ

/saˌawn/

āļ­āļ­ + āļĢ

– āļĢ

📌 The vowel looks like it’s gone, but the pronunciation is still long and clear.

ðŸĪē Why Does This Matter for Thai Learners?

The Thai script and writing system differ in several ways from other languages. Not knowing these vowel transformation rules sometimes creates uncertainty for Thai learners, especially when the vowels you “hear” aren’t visible on the page. 

Knowing these 4 patterns of vowel reduction helps you:

  • Read correctly even when no vowel is shown
  • Understand why some words look “incomplete”
  • Improve your Thai spelling and pronunciation
  • Avoid guessing the wrong vowel

Once you start seeing these hidden patterns, you’ll feel like you’ve unlocked a secret code.

🏋ïļâ€â™‚ïļ Practice Time!

What is missing? and what rule type is the following?
Try figuring out which vowel has been reduced in each of these words:

Thai Word

Pronunciation

What’s Missing?

Rule Type

āļ›āļ”

/bpÃēt/

??

Type ??

āļŦāļ§āļ”

/hÃđuat/

??

Type ??

āđ€āļĄāļĒ

/mooey/

??

Type ??

āļˆāļĢ

/jaawn/

??

Type ??

Let’s have a look at the answers:

Thai Word

Pronunciation

What’s Missing?

Rule Type

āļ›āļ”

/bpÃēt/

āđ‚ + āļ°

Type 1

āļŦāļ§āļ”

/hÃđuat/

  āļą (maˁi-haˌn-aa-gaĖ€at)  

Type 2

āđ€āļĄāļĒ

/mooey/

āļ­ (second)

Type 3

āļˆāļĢ

/jaawn/

āļ­ (second)

Type 4

How did you do? Now you’re thinking like a Thai reader!

Summary, Thai reduced vowels wrap up

Recap: The 4 Rules of Thai Reduced Vowels

Let’s wrap up:

  1. āđ‚āļ­āļ° /o/ plus ending consonant – both forms disappear entirely when followed by a final consonant
  2. āļ­āļąāļ§ /uua/ plus ending consonant – the   āļąÂ  form disappears, but āļ§ stays
  3. āđ€āļ­āļ­ /ooe/ + āļĒ Â â€“ the second āļ­ disappears
  4. āļ­āļ­ /aaw/ + āļĢ Â â€“ the second āļ­ disappears

These are subtle, sneaky, but super important. Keep an eye (and ear!) out for them as you read Thai.

In case you are interested in learning more about the transformation of Thai vowels, you can read our blog below:

📰 Blog: Form-changing Vowels in Thai

or learning about Thai scripts with the following video clip:

🎞ïļ YouTube:

Read & Write Thai Tutorial: āđ€āļ™āļĒ (āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ­ āļŦāļĢāļ·āļ­ āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ­āļ­?) 

Free Thai Reading Guide 

But if you want to learn how to read and write Thai scripts systematically, step-by-steply, we encourage you to check out our BananaThai’s Ultimate Thai Reading course.

The course is an ultimate guide to helping you master Thai reading effortlessly. We simplified complicated Thai rules to six easy-to-follow chapters with thirty lessons.

📞 Contact our team or book a private Thai lesson at lesson@bananathaischool.com. We are happy to help you get started easily. 

Categories
Read and Write Thai Uncategorized

Form-changing Vowels in Thai

Those learning Thai reading and writing usually find Thai vowels quite tricky, especially when some vowels change their form depending on their position in a word. These are called “Form-Changing Vowels” (āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ›āļĨāļĩāđˆāļĒāļ™āļĢāļđāļ› – saĖ€-raĖ€ bpliĖ€ian-ruĖ‚up). Don’t worry if you’re struggling with them; you’re not alone!  

In this guide, we’ll explain what you need to know about form-changing vowels in Thai, including key rules, step-by-step usage, and practice tips. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

ðŸĪ” What are Form-Changing Vowels (āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ›āļĨāļĩāđˆāļĒāļ™āļĢāļđāļ›)?

Form-changing vowels are Thai vowels that look different when written with certain consonants. Unlike standard vowels, which always appear in the same position (before, after, above, or below a consonant), they change shape based on their surrounding letters.  

These changes help Thai writing stay compact and readable, but they can be confusing for learners.

Let’s clarify the rules! 

🧠 Key Rules and Concepts You Need to Know

You may have noticed that Thai vowels have many characteristics that are different from those of other languages, especially in “writing”. Some of these unique characteristics include:

  • Written around consonants
  • Single letters or vowel clusters
  • Short and long vowels
  • Change its form under certain circumstances

Thai words are formed by combining an initial (or beginning) consonant with the vowel. This directly affects the tone we pronounce that word.

Whether the word is monosyllable or multi-syllable, it may also have an ending consonant. The ending consonant, however, affects not only the way we write the word, but also the tone we pronounce it.

The Thai vowels can be categorized into 3 groups according to the way they are written in a word, namely

  • Non-Form Changing Vowels (āļŠāļĢāļ°āļ„āļ‡āļĢāļđāļ› – saĖ€-raĖ€ kong-ruĖ‚up) – As the name suggests, their form remains unchanged when writing.

For example:

The vowel  -āļĩ /ii/ is always put above the initial consonant, as in āļ”āļĩ /dii/ (= good), āļĄāļĩ /mii/ (= to have), or āļˆāļĩāļ™ /āđˆjiin/ (= China, Chinese)

The vowel āđ€-āļ·āļ­ /eeua/ is always written with āđ€ in front, -āļ· above, and āļ­ after the initial consonant, as in āđ€āļĢāļ·āļ­ /reeua/ (= boat)

  • Form-Changing Vowel (āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ›āļĨāļĩāđˆāļĒāļ™āļĢāļđāļ› – saĖ€-raĖ€ bpliĖ€ian-ruĖ‚up) – The vowel form changes when the word has an ending consonant

For example:

When there is an ending consonant, the vowel -āļ° changes the form to write with -āļą over the initial consonant, as in āļ + āļ° + āļš = āļāļąāļš /gaĖ€p/ (with)

  • Inherent (Reduced) Vowel (āļŠāļĢāļ°āļĨāļ”āļĢāļđāļ› – saĖ€-raĖ€ loˁd-ruĖ‚up) – The vowel form disappears (or partly disappears) when the word has an ending consonant

For example:

When there is an ending consonant, the vowel āđ‚-āļ° entirely disappears, as in āļ™ + āđ‚-āļ° + āļ = āļ™āļ /noˁk/ (= bird)

In this blog, we will focus on the second type of vowels, which change form when there is an ending consonant, or “Form-Changing Vowels“.

Thai vowel forms, form-changing vowels

ðŸ‘Ģ Step-by-Step Guide to Identifying Form-Changing Vowels (āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ›āļĨāļĩāđˆāļĒāļ™āļĢāļđāļ›)

Below are steps to help you identify the form-changing vowels in Thai:

1ïļâƒĢ Step 1: Identify the Vowel

Look at the vowel in its “full (normal) form” first (i.e., –āļ° /-a/, āđ€â€“āļ° /-e/, āđ€āđ€â€“āļ° /-ae/, āđ€â€“āļ­ /-eeu/).  

2ïļâƒĢ Step 2: Check for a Final Consonant  

If the syllable ends with a consonant, the vowel may change:  

– “–āļ°” → “◌āļą ” (e.g., “āļāļąāļ™” /gan/ instead of “āļāļ°āļ™”).  

– ” āđ€â€“āļ° ” → ” āđ€â€“āđ‡ ” (e.g., “āđ€āļ”āđ‡ā /dÃĻk/ instead of  “āđ€āļ”āļ°ā).  

3ïļâƒĢ Step 3: Adjust the Vowel Position  

Some vowels change its form, or a part of its form, and move above the consonant:  

ðŸšĻVowel “–āļ°” becomes a small mark above “◌āļą ” the initial consonant.

        For example:

  • āļ + –āļ° + āļ™ becomes “āļāļąāļ™” /gan/
  • āļˆ + –āļ° + āļ” becomes “āļˆāļąāļ”” /jaĖ€d/
  • āļ› + –āļ° + āļ becomes “āļ›āļąā /bpaĖ€k/

ðŸšĻVowel ” āđ€â€“āļ° ” becomes a small mark above ” āđ€â€“āđ‡ ” the initial consonant.

        For example:

  • āļ” + āđ€â€“āļ° + āļ becomes “āđ€āļ”āđ‡ā /dÃĻk/
  • āļˆ + āđ€â€“āļ° + āļ” becomes “āđ€āļˆāđ‡āļ”” /jeĖ€d/
  • āļĄ + āđ€â€“āļ° + āļ” becomes “āđ€āļĄāđ‡āļ”” /meˁd/ 

ðŸšĻVowel ” āđâ€“āļ° ” becomes a small mark above ” āđâ€“āđ‡ ” the initial consonant.

        For example:

  • āļ‚ + āđâ€“āļ° + āļ‡ becomes “āđāļ‚āđ‡ā /kaˌeng/
  • āļŪ + āđâ€“āļ° + āļ becomes “āđāļŪāđ‡ā /haˁek/
  • āļĄ + āđâ€“āļ° + āļ becomes “āđāļĄāđ‡ā /maˁek/  

ðŸšĻVowel ” āđ€â€“āļ­ ” becomes a small mark above ” āđ€â€“āļī ” the initial consonant.

📌 NOTE: This applies to other ending consonants, except for the consonat “āļĒ”

For example:

  • āļ” + āđ€â€“āļ­ + āļ™ becomes “āđ€āļ”āļīāļ™” /deeun/
  • āļŠ + āđ€â€“āļ­ + āļ becomes “āđ€āļŠāļīāļ” /cheeun/
  • āļ + āđ€â€“āļ­ + āļ” becomes “āđ€āļāļīāļ”” /geĖ€eud/

4ïļâƒĢ Step 4: Practice with Real Words  

Here is how you can practice writing and reading Thai words with the form-changing vowels:

ðŸ‡đ🇭 Start with Simple Words – Write each word multiple times and say it out loud as you write.

ðŸ‡đ🇭 Focus on One Vowel at a Time – You can work on one vowel first,  such as the vowel “-āļ°â€ and find the words that use it. You will see how it changes based on the ending consonant it pairs with.

ðŸ‡đ🇭 Highlight the Vowels – When reading words, mark the vowels with a colored pencil or highlighter to visually focus on them while you learn how they interact with consonants.

ðŸ‡đ🇭 Use Vocabulary Lists – Take beginner-friendly word lists and look for those including form-changing vowels. Practice writing each word several times to get yourself familiar with their patterns.

ðŸ‡đ🇭 Practice with Sound – Listen to how the words are pronounced in apps or videos. Then write down what you hear to check if your written vowels match the correct spelling of the words.

🧊 Summary

Thai form-changing vowels, āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ›āļĨāļĩāđˆāļĒāļ™āļĢāļđāļ› /saˁ-raˁ bpliˁian ruĖ‚up/, present a unique challenge for learners when they change their written form with the presence of the ending consonant. 

You can find below the summarized vowels with some examples:

summary form-changing vowels

Understanding key rules governing these transformations is crucial for accurate reading and writing, thus enabling the learners to improve their Thai language proficiency.

You may wish to check out the following about Thai scripts, reading Thai, or writing Thai:

  ✍ïļÂ Blog: Challenges to learn Thai scripts and ways to overcome them

  🎞ïļ Youtube: Read & Write Thai Tutorial: āđ€āļ™āļĒ (āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ­ āļŦāļĢāļ·āļ­ āļŠāļĢāļ°āđ€āļ­āļ­?)

But if you want to learn how to read and write Thai scripts systematically, step-by-steply, we encourage you to check out our BananaThai’s Ultimate Thai Reading course.

The course is an ultimate guide to helping you master Thai reading effortlessly. We simplified complicated Thai rules to six easy-to-follow chapters with thirty lessons.

📞 Contact our team or book a private Thai lesson at lesson@bananathaischool.com. We are happy to help you get started easily. 

Categories
Read and Write Thai

Read Thai 101: Learn Thai consonants

Facebook
Email
WhatsApp

Read Thai 101: Learn Thai consonants

To start learning Thai script, the first thing you need to learn is “Thai consonants” in which there are in total unique 44 consonants in Thai language.

For some Thai learners, the 44 consonants in Thai language sound like a very big number and quite challenging to overcome. However, in this blog post, I will introduce you to all the essential knowledge including tips and techniques regarding Thai consonants. Let’s begin!

Overview

  • 44 Thai consonants
  • How to read each consonant name?
  • 21 consonant sounds
  • 3 classes of Thai consonants

 

44 Thai consonant

In Thai language, there are in total of 44 Thai consonants. However, there are 2 consonants that are obsolete or no longer used which are āļƒ (khoor-khuad) and āļ… (khoor-khon). You cannot even find these two on Thai keyboard.

Thai alphabet

Many of them round have a head. You normally start writing from head to tail. However, there are in total 2 consonants without a head which are āļ and āļ˜ (start writing from left to right).

How to call a Thai consonant?

To call each Thai consonant, there are 2 parts in a consonant name:

1. Initial consonant sound + -oor sound
2. Example word that represent the consonant

For example
This āļ consonant letter is called goor-gai as the initial consonant is g sound and gai āđ„āļāđˆ means chickening as an example word.

how to call consonant name āļ āđ„āļāđˆ
Photo by Ultimate Guide to Thai reading

 

Common questions regarding how to call a Thai consonant

Question 1:
Is the consonant always -oor sound?
Answer: Yes, always -oor sound!

Question 2:
Can I use other example words instead of “gai” or chicken? Like goor-gin (to eat) instead?
Answer: No, there is only one specific example word of each Thai consonant. We have learned to call consonants in the same way for more than 100 of years.

Question 3:
Can I only call it “goor” without “gai”?
Answer: Yes, you can. However, I would not recommend it as there are some consonants that share the same initial consonant sounds. (I will talk about it in the session below)

 

21 consonant sounds

Even though there are 44 Thai consonants in Thai alphabet, there are only 21 consonant sounds. It means that some consonants share the same initial consonant sound!

same Thai consonant sounds Photo by Ultimate Guide to Thai Reading

Per examples in the photo above, the three consonants āļŠ, āļĐ and āļĻ share the same -s initial consonant sound.  That’s why you need to call the name of each consonant with the specific example word. If you say ‘soor’, it can be āļŠ, āļĐ and āļĻ.

Thai consonant sounds Photo by Ultimate Guide to Thai Reading Course

As you can see from the photo above, consonants are grouped by initial consonant sounds with a special color. For example:

  • Black: Unique sounds
  • Red: -k sound
  • Dark green: -ch sound
  • Light green: -n sound
  • Yellow: -s sound
  • Pink: -t sound
 

groups of initial consonant sounds photo by Ultimate Guide to Thai Reading Course

 
Another way to take a look at Thai consonants is grouped by initial consonant sounds in English. The consonants that are in orange are the on that is more commonly used than the ones in white.

 

For example
Both āļŠ and āļĐ have -s initial consonant sound when are with a vowel -āļē (āļŠāļĢāļ°āļ­āļē -aa sound) then both āļŠāļē and āļĐāļē are pronounced exactly the same as “saa”. It’s because both of them share the same initial consonant sound. However, āļŠ is more commonly used than āļĐ.

Classes of Thai consonants

One important thing that you have to learn from the beginning is that the 44 Thai consonants are classified into 3 classes which are High Class, Middle Class and Low Class.

Classes of Thai consonants

Why?

Since Thai is a tonal language which means words can be pronounced with 5 different tones with totally different meanings. Classes of consonants are one of the things that determine the tones of a word. 

Different classes of consonants = different tones = different meanings. That’s why it’s important to learn consonants based on 3 classes of consonants. 

Let me show you!
Let’s say āļ (goor-gai) is a middle-class consonant while āļŠ (soor-suea) is a high-class consonant.

  • āļāļē (gaa) with a flat tone
  • āļŠāļē (sÃĢa) with a rising tone
  •  

As you can see, they are in different classes of consonants and have different tone rules. So learning consonants by each class is the easiest way to master Thai consonants.

Summary

That’s it for an overview of basic Thai consonants. I hope  I answered the questions you had and made you feel more comfortable with Thai consonants. If you still have any other questions about Thai consonants, please feel free to comment below. I will get back to you shortly.

In the next blog post, I will go deeper into the topic of Thai consonants, as I will be talking about ending consonants because there are only 7 ending consonant sounds in the Thai language. Curious? Just stay tuned!

Learn more

Ending consonant sounds
https://www.bananathaischool.com/blog/blog-ending-consonants/

 

Start learning your first Thai consonants

I have uploaded a few lessons from my reading Thai course (Ultimate Guide to Thai Reading) to help you with Thai script on Youtube.

This video below will teach you the Middle-Class consonants and how to write them. Please enjoy!