Script & Grammar

The five tones,
by eye and by ear.

Even “khaa” changes meaning with pitch. Tap a line to hear it.

Read the guides

คา (to get stuck), ข่า (galangal), ค่า (price; fee), ค้า (to trade), ขา (leg)

Thai script
is readable in pieces.

Each syllable is color-coded into consonant, vowel, and tone mark. Learn the rules and you can read new words.

ไก่ ไVowels“ai” written before the consonant กConsonantmid-class g ◌่Tone markMai Ek Mid class×Mai Ek = Low tonegài (chicken)

Script & Grammar

Thai explained in 7 steps. Start from 1 and use “Next” at the bottom of each page. Tap any example word to open its page.

Start at Step 1 →

  1. 1Reading & TonesHow to read this site's romanization, plus the five tones. Read this once before you begin.
  2. 2Reading Thai ScriptThe three consonant classes, how vowels are written, final sounds, and the tone rules: a map to reading Thai.
  3. 3Polite SpeechHow to use ครับ and ค่ะ, and how to say “please give me…” and “please do…”.
  4. 4Questions & NegativesHow to ask “…?”, “where?”, and “how much?”, and how to say “not”.
  5. 5NumbersFrom 0 to one million. The “1” in 11 and 21, and the number 20, change form. Includes prices and Thai numerals.
  6. 6Telling the TimeThai divides the day into periods when counting hours. Includes a 24-hour chart.
  7. 7Days & DatesHow to say the date and the day of the week, plus the Thai Buddhist calendar.