Thai alphabet: every letter to copy
Thai (ภาษาไทย) is the national language of Thailand, spoken by about 60 million people. The Thai alphabet has 44 consonants, from ก (ko kai, chicken) to ฮ (ho nokhuk, owl), plus vowel signs, tone marks and digits. Each consonant has a name that includes a word starting with that letter, which helps children learn them. This page lists all the consonants, vowels, tone marks, Thai digits and signs.
Tap any letter to copy it.
What you will find
- Consonants: ก ข ฃ ค ฅ ฆ ง จ ฉ ช ซ ฌ ญ … ฮ — 44 letters, two of them no longer used.
- Vowels: ะ า ิ ี ึ ื ุ ู เ แ โ ใ ไ and more.
- Tone marks: ่ mai ek, ้ mai tho, ๊ mai tri, ๋ mai chattawa.
- Digits: ๐ ๑ ๒ ๓ ๔ ๕ ๖ ๗ ๘ ๙.
- Signs: ๆ repeat mark, ฯ abbreviation mark and ฿ baht.
Vowels go around the consonant
Thai vowels can be written before, after, above or below a consonant, or in several places at once. For example, เ is written before the consonant, า after it, ิ above it and ุ below it. Even when a vowel is written first, you type the consonant first in Unicode, except for the vowels เ แ โ ใ ไ, which are typed first. When you copy a vowel or tone mark alone, it may sit on a dotted circle. Paste it next to a consonant and it lines up.
Tones and consonant classes
Thai has five tones: mid, low, falling, high and rising. The tone of a syllable depends on the consonant’s class (high, mid or low), the vowel length and the tone mark. That is why Thai has several letters for the same sound, like ข and ค for kh. Learning the classes is one of the first steps in reading Thai.
No spaces between words
Thai is written without spaces between words. Spaces are used to separate phrases or sentences instead. This can make Thai text tricky for learners and for some computer programs, which need special word-breaking rules.
Thai digits and the baht
Thai has its own digits ๐ ๑ ๒ ๓ ๔ ๕ ๖ ๗ ๘ ๙, used on government documents, temple signs and some price tags, though 0 to 9 is more common today. The baht sign ฿ is used for prices. The repeat mark ๆ doubles the word before it, as in เด็กๆ (children).
Typing Thai
Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone all include Thai keyboards. For a single letter, a tone mark or the baht sign, copying from this page is the quickest way.
Frequently asked questions
- How many letters are in the Thai alphabet?
- Thai has 44 consonants, two of which are no longer used, plus many vowel forms and four tone marks.
- What is the first letter of the Thai alphabet?
- ก (ko kai), named after the word for chicken.
- Does Thai use spaces?
- Not between words. Spaces separate phrases and sentences.
- How do I type the baht sign?
- Copy ฿ from this page.
- What does ๆ mean?
- ๆ is the Thai repetition mark. It means the word before it is said twice.