Consonants

Summary- 44 Thai consonant 0000011075n0001.jpg

Summary: Thai consonant.

We useThai consonant in 2 part of syllable:

1. Initial consonant

2. Final consonant

Initial consonants for one Initial consonant have 21 sound and Final consonants have 8 sound.

Note:

Sometime we see that some syllable has 2 Initial consonants.

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If you learn Thai, you will see this text or hear about this text often.

พยัญชนะ 44 รูป 21 เสียง

pha-yan-cha-na see-sip-see roop, yee-sip-ek sieng

Consonants 44 letter (symbol, form), 21 sound

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This "21 เสียง = yee-sip-ek sieng = 21 sound" mean about Initial consonant.

1) Initial consonant

พยัญชนะต้น 21 เสียง

pha-yan-cha-na-dton yee-sip-ek sieng

Initial consonants 21 sound

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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)

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Look to the picture, I show you how Initial consonants 21 sound link with " อักษร 3 หมู่ (akson 3 moo = consonant 3 group)".

For example:

sound ข (khaw)

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.

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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.

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Other example words:

ธุรกิจ = thoo-ra-gid =business

อ่านว่า = an-wa (read as spelling):

ท - อุ = ทุ (thaw-oo = thoo)

ร - อะ = ระ (raw-a = ra)

ก - อิ - ด = กิด (gaw- e (i) -daw = gid)

Sound ท (thaw)

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.

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2) Final consonant

พยัญชนะท้าย 8 เสียง

pha-yan-cha-na-thai bpaed sieng

Final consonants 8 sound

Example words:

ความสุข = kwam-sook (kwamsoog)= happiness

Final consonant ข (kaw) sound ก (gaw)

ความสุข

อ่านว่า

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 )

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พยัญชนะท้าย 8 เสียง

pha-yan-cha-na-thai bpaed sieng

Final consonants 8 sound

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).

คำตาย สะกดด้วย ก บ ด

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.

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Note:

These are consonant that we use only for Intinal consonant.

พยัญชนะต้นเท่านั้น

pha-yan-cha-na-dton thao-nan

Initial consonant only

ฉ ฌ ผ ฝ ห อ ฮ

(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)

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