Summary: Thai consonant.
We useThai consonant in 2 part of syllable:
1. Initial consonant
Initial consonants for one Initial consonant have 21 sound and Final consonants have 8 sound.
Sometime we see that some syllable has 2 Initial consonants.
If you learn Thai, you will see this text or hear about this text often.
pha-yan-cha-na see-sip-see roop, yee-sip-ek sieng
Consonants 44 letter (symbol, form), 21 sound
This "21 เสียง = yee-sip-ek sieng = 21 sound" mean about Initial consonant.
pha-yan-cha-na-dton yee-sip-ek sieng
Initial consonants 21 sound
We already practice that " พยัญชนะต้น = pha-yan-cha-na-dton = Initial consonant " is
อักษร 3 หมู่ (akson 3 moo = consonant 3 group)
1. อักษรกลาง (ak-son-glang)
2. อักษรสูง (ak-son-soong)
3. อักษรต่ำ (ak-son-dtam)
- อักษรต่ำคู่ (ak-son-dtam-koo) ( คู่ (koo) in this mean about couple with อักษรสูง =aksonsong)
- อักษรต่ำเดี่ยว (ak-son-dtam-diew)
Look to the picture, I show you how Initial consonants 21 sound link with " อักษร 3 หมู่ (akson 3 moo = consonant 3 group)".
included Initial consonants: ข ฃ ค ฅ ฆ (khaw khai, khaw khuad, kaw kwai, kaw kon, kaw rakang)
If you see word: ฃวด = khuad = bottle
อ่านว่า = an-wa (read as spelling): ข - อัว - ด = ขวด (khaw-ua-daw = khuad)
( " ฃวด = khuad " with ฃ ขวด (khaw khuad) is old word. Today we write " ขวด = khuad " with ข ไข่ (khaw khai) for the meaning "bottle")
Sound ข (khaw) included ข ฃ ค ฅ ฆ (khaw khai, khaw khuad, kaw kwai, kaw kon, kaw rakang).
We see that ข ฃ (khaw khai, khaw khaw khuad) is อักษรสูง = aksonsoong, so we read as spelling by using " ข = khaw " because we use it often and easy to remember.
If you see word: คน = kon = person, people, human
อ่านว่า = an-wa (read as spelling): ค - โอะ - น = คน (kaw-o-naw = kon)
If you already remember that 2 consonant stay together without vowel sond สระ โอะ = sara "o", you can read as spelling like this:
คน = kon = person, people, human
อ่านว่า = an-wa (read as spelling): ค - น = คน (kaw-naw = kon)
( " ฅน = kon " with ฅ คน (kaw kon) is old word. Today we write " คน = kon " with ค ควาย ( kaw kwai) for the meaning "person, people, human")
Sound ข (khaw) included ข ฃ ค ฅ ฆ (khaw khai, khaw khuad, kaw kwai, kaw kon, kaw rakang).
We see that ค ฅ ฆ is อักษรต่ำคู่ = aksonsoongkoo (couple with อักษรสูง =aksonsong), so we read as spelling by using " ค = kaw " because we use it often and easy to remember.
why ฃ and ฅ use before but not now?
In my opinion, Thai people in the past were sensible about words.
We thought "คน = kon = human is" higher and better than "ควาย = kwai = buffalo",
So we use ฅ kon with ฅ คน (kaw kon) for "ฅน = kon = human" only, to show that we are human and better than animal.
Some people still use this word ฅน = kon with ฅ คน (kaw kon) today, the meaning might be this ฅน = kon with ฅ คน (kaw kon) is a good person, nice person and understand very good about life like a monk.
And "ฃวด = khaud = bottle" In the past we use bottle for alcohol, so it different for something to eat like ไข่ = khai = egg
So we use " ฃวด = khuad " with ฃ ขวด (khaw khuad) only for bottle. I don't talk much about detail because that is only my opinion.
Today people understand, it just consonant, so we can use " ขวด = khuad " with ข ไข่ (khaw khai) and " คน = kon " with ค ควาย ( kaw kwai) without thinking too much. ;-)
Then we don't see ฃ and ฅ often but it still show in dictionary.
ธุรกิจ = thoo-ra-gid =business
อ่านว่า = an-wa (read as spelling):
ท - อุ = ทุ (thaw-oo = thoo)
ก - อิ - ด = กิด (gaw- e (i) -daw = gid)
included ถ ฐ ท ธ ฑ ฒ (thaw thoong, thaw than, thaw thahan, thaw thong, thaw monto, thaw phoothao)
We see that ท ธ ฑ ฒ is อักษรต่ำคู่ = aksonsoongkoo (couple with อักษรสูง =aksonsong), so we read as spelling by using " ท = thaw " because we use it often and easy to remember.
------------------------------
pha-yan-cha-na-thai bpaed sieng
ความสุข = kwam-sook (kwamsoog)= happiness
Final consonant ข (kaw) sound ก (gaw)
ค - ว - า - ม = ความ (kaw-wa-a-maw = kwam)
ส - อุ - ก = สุก (saw-oo-g (k) = sook (soog))
* I like to use "g" for ก (gaw) as Initial consonant
and use "k" for ก (gaw) as Final consonant
because I don't see "g" as Final consonant often in English.
And Thai people always pronoundce English words that end with k as the sound of ก (gaw).
For example: talk show ( ทอล์ก โชว์ = ทอก - โช = thok-cho )
pha-yan-cha-na-thai bpaed sieng
Sound of " พยัญชนะท้าย = pha-yan-cha-na-thai = Final consonant" or
" ตัวสะกด = dtua-sa-god = Final consonant", can tell us about short sound or long sound of syllable.
We can see in note for Tone Table about คำเป็น (kambpen) and คำตาย (kamdtai)
คำเป็น สะกดด้วย น ม ย ว ง
kambpen sa-god-dua naw, maw, yaw, waw, ngaw
Kambpen is syllable that use Final consonant sound น ม ย ว ง (naw, maw, yaw, waw, ngaw).
kamdtai sa-god-dua gaw, baw, daw
kamdtai is syllable that use Final consonant sound ก บ ด (gaw, baw, daw).
คำเป็น (kambpen) is the syllable that sound long sound.
คำตาย (kamdtai) is the syllable that sound shot sound.
This rule except for อักษรต่ำ (aksondtam)
It has คำตาย-สั้น (kamdtai-san)
and คำตาย-ยาว (kamdtai-yao)
If we see อักษรต่ำ (aksondtam) with vowel long sound and use Final consonant sound ก บ ด (gaw, baw, daw), it ist คำตาย-ยาว (kamdtai-yao), that mean คำตาย (kamdtai) but long sound.
-------------------------------
These are consonant that we use only for Intinal consonant.
pha-yan-cha-na-dton thao-nan
(chaw ching, chaw cher, phaw phueng, phaw pha, haw hip, aw ang, haw nokhook)
If you see these consonant, you can be sure that begin of the next syllable.
Except อ (aw) becasue อ (aw) can be form of vowel.
For example: อือ ออ เออ เอือ (ue, aw, er, ean)
----------------------------------------