Editing Thai script (section)

==Alphabet listing==
Thai (along with its sister system, Lao) lacks conjunct consonants and independent vowels, while both designs are common among Brahmic scripts (e.g., [[Burmese alphabet|Burmese]] and [[Balinese script|Balinese]]).<ref>Unicode Consortium. [https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode12.0.0/ch16.pdf "Southeast Asia"]. In ''The Unicode Standard Version 12.0'' (p. 631).</ref> In scripts with conjunct consonants, each consonant has two forms: base and conjoined. [[Consonant cluster]]s are represented with the two styles of consonants. The two styles may form [[Ligature (typography)|typographical ligatures]], as in [[Devanagari]]. Independent vowels are used when a syllable starts with a vowel sign.

===Consonants===
<!-- {{IPA notice}} -->
There are 44 consonant letters representing 21 distinct consonant sounds. Duplicate consonants either correspond to sounds that existed in [[Thai language#Old Thai|Old Thai]] at the time the alphabet was created but no longer exist (in particular, [[voicing (phonetics)|voiced]] [[obstruent]]s such as ''d''), or different [[Sanskrit]] and [[Pali]] consonants pronounced identically in Thai. There are in addition four consonant-vowel combination characters not included in the tally of 44.

Consonants are divided into three classes — in alphabetical order these are middle ({{lang|th|กลาง}}, {{Transliteration|th|klang}}), high ({{lang|th|สูง}}, {{Transliteration|th|sung}}), and low ({{lang|th|ต่ำ}}, {{Transliteration|th|tam}}) class — as shown in the table below. These class designations reflect phonetic qualities of the sounds to which the letters originally corresponded in Old Thai. In particular, "middle" sounds were [[Voice (phonetics)|voiceless]] unaspirated [[Stop consonant|stops]]; "high" sounds, voiceless [[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]] stops or voiceless [[fricatives]]; "low" sounds, voiced. Subsequent sound changes have obscured the phonetic nature of these classes.<ref group="nb">Modern Thai sounds /b/ and /d/ were formerly — and sometimes still are — pronounced /ʔb/ and /ʔd/. For this reason, they were treated as voiceless unaspirated, and hence placed in the "middle" class; this was also the reason they were unaffected by the changes that devoiced most originally voiced stops.</ref> Today, the class of a consonant without a tone mark, along with the short or long length of the accompanying vowel, determine the base accent ({{lang|th|พื้นเสียง}}, {{Transliteration|th|phuen siang}}). Middle class consonants with a long vowel spell an additional four tones with one of four tone marks over the controlling consonant:  {{Transliteration|th|mai ek}}, {{Transliteration|th|mai tho}}, {{Transliteration|th|mai tri}}, and {{Transliteration|th|mai chattawa}}. High and low class consonants are limited to {{Transliteration|th|mai ek}} and {{Transliteration|th|mai tho}}, as shown in the {{crossreference|[[#Tone|Tone table]]}}. Differing interpretations of the two marks or their absence allow low class consonants to spell tones not allowed for the corresponding high class consonant. In the case of digraphs where a low class follows a higher class consonant, often the higher class rules apply, but the marker, if used, goes over the low class one; accordingly, {{lang|th|ห นำ}} {{Transliteration|th|ho nam}} and {{lang|th|อ นำ}} {{Transliteration|th|o nam}} may be considered to be digraphs as such, as explained below the Tone table.<ref group="nb">Only low class consonants may have a base accent determined by the syllable being both ''long'' and ''dead''.</ref> 
;Notes 
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

To aid learning, each consonant is traditionally associated with an [[acrophony|acrophonic]] Thai word that either starts with the same sound, or features it prominently. For example, the name of the letter {{lang|th|ข}} is ''kho khai'' ({{lang|th|ข ไข่}}), in which ''kho'' is the sound it represents, and ''khai'' ({{lang|th|ไข่}}) is a word which starts with the same sound and means "egg".

Two of the consonants, {{lang|th|ฃ}} (''kho khuat'') and {{lang|th|ฅ}} (''kho khon''), are no longer used in written Thai, but still appear on many keyboards and in character sets. When the first [[Thai typewriter]] was developed by [[Edwin Hunter McFarland]] in 1892, there was simply no space for all characters, thus two had to be left out.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.t-h-a-i-l-a-n-d.org/smithpremier/smithpremierorigin.html |title=The origins of the Thai typewriter |url-status=usurped |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101219214315/http://www.t-h-a-i-l-a-n-d.org/smithpremier/smithpremierorigin.html |archive-date=December 19, 2010 |access-date=December 5, 2011 }}</ref> Also, neither of these two letters correspond to a Sanskrit or Pali letter, and each of them, being a modified form of the letter that precedes it (compare {{lang|th|ข}} and {{lang|th|ค}}), has the same pronunciation and the same consonant class as the preceding letter, thus making them redundant. They used to represent the sound {{IPA|/x/}} in Old Thai, but it has merged with {{IPA|/kʰ/}} in Modern Thai.

Equivalents for [[romanization of Thai|romanisation]] are shown in the table below. Many consonants are pronounced differently at the beginning and at the end of a syllable. The entries in columns ''initial'' and ''final'' indicate the pronunciation for that consonant in the corresponding positions in a syllable. Where the entry is '-', the consonant may not be used to close a syllable. Where a combination of consonants ends a written syllable, only the first is pronounced; possible closing consonant sounds are limited to 'k', 'm', 'n', 'ng', 'p' and 't'.

Although official standards for romanisation are the [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription]] (RTGS) defined by the Royal Thai Institute, and the almost identical {{nowrap|[[ISO 11940-2]]}} defined by the [[International Organization for Standardization]], many publications use different romanisation systems. In daily practice, a bewildering variety of romanisations are used, making it difficult to know how to pronounce a word, or to judge if two words (e.g. on a map and a street sign) are actually the same. For more precise information, an equivalent from the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] (IPA) is given as well.

====Alphabetic====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-valign="top"
! rowspan="2" | Symbol
! colspan="3" | Name
! colspan="2" | [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]
! colspan="2" | IPA
! rowspan="2" | Class
|-
! Thai
! [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]
! Meaning
! Initial
! Final
! Initial
! Final
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ก}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ก ไก่}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|ko kai}} 
| style="text-align: left" | chicken
| k
| k
| {{IPA|/k/}}
| {{IPA|/k/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ข}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ข ไข่}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|kho khai}} 
| style="text-align: left" | egg
| kh
| k
| {{IPA|/kʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/k/}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฃ}}{{efn|name=alphabetic-ฃ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฃ ขวด}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|[[kho khuat]]}}
| style="text-align: left" | bottle (obsolete)
| kh
| k
| {{IPA|/kʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/k/}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ค}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ค ควาย}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|kho khwai}} 
| style="text-align: left" |  buffalo
| kh
| k
| {{IPA|/kʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/k/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฅ}}{{efn|name=alphabetic-ฅ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฅ คน}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|kho khon}}
| style="text-align: left" | person (obsolete)
| kh
| k
| {{IPA|/kʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/k/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฆ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฆ ระฆัง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|kho rakhang}}
| style="text-align: left" | bell
| kh
| k
| {{IPA|/kʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/k/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ง งู}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|ngo ngu}}
| style="text-align: left" | snake
| ng
| ng
| {{IPA|/ŋ/}}
| {{IPA|/ŋ/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|จ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|จ จาน}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|cho chan}}
| style="text-align: left" | plate
| ch
| t
| {{IPA|/tɕ/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฉ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฉ ฉิ่ง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|cho ching}}
| style="text-align: left" | cymbals
| ch ||&nbsp;–
| {{IPA|/tɕʰ/}}
| {{IPA|–}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ช}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ช ช้าง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|cho chang}}
| style="text-align: left" | elephant
| ch
| t
| {{IPA|/tɕʰ/}}|| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ซ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ซ โซ่}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|so so}}
| style="text-align: left" | chain
| s
| t
| {{IPA|/s/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฌ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฌ เฌอ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|cho choe}}
| style="text-align: left" | tree
| ch
| t
| {{IPA|/tɕʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ญ}}{{efn|name=alphabetic-ญ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ญ หญิง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|yo ying}}
| style="text-align: left" | woman
| y
| n
| {{IPA|/j/}}
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฎ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฎ ชฎา}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|do chada}}
| style="text-align: left" | [[Makuṭa|headdress]]
| d
| t
| {{IPA|/d/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฏ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฏ ปฏัก}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|to patak}}
| style="text-align: left" | [[goad]], [[javelin]], spear
| t
| t
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฐ}}{{efn|name=alphabetic-ฐ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฐ ฐาน}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|tho than}}
| style="text-align: left" | pedestal
| th
| t
| {{IPA|/tʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฑ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฑ มณโฑ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|tho montho}} 
| style="text-align: left" | [[Mandodari|Montho]], character from [[Ramayana]]
| th or d
| t
| {{IPA|/tʰ/}} or {{IPA|/d/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฒ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th| ฒ ผู้เฒ่า}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|tho phu thao}}
| style="text-align: left" | elder
| th
| t
| {{IPA|/tʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ณ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ณ เณร}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|no nen}}
| style="text-align: left" | [[samanera]]
| n
| n
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ด}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ด เด็ก}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|do dek}}
| style="text-align: left" | child
| d
| t
| {{IPA|/d/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ต}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ต เต่า}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|to tao}}
| style="text-align: left" | turtle
| t
| t
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ถ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ถ ถุง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|tho thung}}
| style="text-align: left" | sack
| th
| t
| {{IPA|/tʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ท}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ท ทหาร}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|tho thahan}}
| style="text-align: left" | soldier
| th
| t
| {{IPA|/tʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ธ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ธ ธง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|tho thong}}
| style="text-align: left" | flag
| th
| t
| {{IPA|/tʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|น}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|น หนู}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|no nu}}
| style="text-align: left" | mouse
| n
| n
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|บ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|บ ใบไม้}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|bo baimai}}
| style="text-align: left" | leaf
| b
| p
| {{IPA|/b/}}
| {{IPA|/p/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ป}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ป ปลา}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|po pla}}
| style="text-align: left" | fish
| p
| p
| {{IPA|/p/}}
| {{IPA|/p/}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ผ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ผ ผึ้ง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|pho phueng}}
| style="text-align: left" | bee
| ph
| &nbsp;–
| {{IPA|/pʰ/}}
| {{IPA|–}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฝ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฝ ฝา}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|fo fa}} 
| style="text-align: left" | lid
| f ||&nbsp;–
| {{IPA|/f/}}
| {{IPA|–}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|พ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|พ พาน}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|pho phan}}
| style="text-align: left" | [[Phan (tray)|phan]]
| ph
| p
| {{IPA|/pʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/p/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฟ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฟ ฟัน}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|fo fan}} 
| style="text-align: left" | tooth
| f
| p
| {{IPA|/f/}}
| {{IPA|/p/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ภ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ภ สำเภา}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|pho samphao}} 
| style="text-align: left" | [[Junk (ship)|junk]]
| ph
| p
| {{IPA|/pʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/p/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ม}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ม ม้า}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|mo ma}} 
| style="text-align: left" | horse
| m
| m
| {{IPA|/m/}}
| {{IPA|/m/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ย}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ย ยักษ์}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|yo yak}} 
| style="text-align: left" | giant, [[yaksha]]
| y
| {{IPA|–}} <br/> or n{{efn|name=alphabetic-ย}}
| {{IPA|/j/}}
| {{IPA|/j/}} <br/> or {{IPA|/n/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ร}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ร เรือ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|ro ruea}} 
| style="text-align: left" | boat
| r
| n
| {{IPA|/r/}}
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ล}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ล ลิง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|lo ling}} 
| style="text-align: left" | monkey
| l
| n
| {{IPA|/l/}}
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ว}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ว แหวน}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|wo waen}} 
| style="text-align: left" | ring
| w
| {{IPA|–}}{{efn|name=alphabetic-ว}}
| {{IPA|/w/}}
| {{IPA|/w/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ศ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ศ ศาลา}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|so sala}} 
| style="text-align: left" | pavilion, [[Sala (Thai architecture)|sala]]
| s
| t
| {{IPA|/s/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ษ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ษ ฤๅษี}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|so ruesi}} 
| style="text-align: left" | [[Rishi|hermit]]
| s
| t
| {{IPA|/s/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ส}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ส เสือ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|so suea}} 
| style="text-align: left" | tiger
| s
| t
| {{IPA|/s/}}
| {{IPA|/t/}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ห}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ห หีบ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|ho hip}} 
| style="text-align: left" | chest, box
| h
| –
| {{IPA|/h/}}
| {{IPA|–}}
| style="background: #fcc" | high
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฬ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฬ จุฬา}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|lo chula}} 
| style="text-align: left" | kite
| l
| n
| {{IPA|/l/}}
| {{IPA|/n/}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|อ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|อ อ่าง}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|o ang}} 
| style="text-align: left" | basin, tub
| {{IPA|–}}{{efn|name=alphabetic-อ}}
| &nbsp;–
| {{IPA|/ʔ/}}
| {{IPA|–}}
| style="background: #cfc" | mid
|-
| style="font-size: 150%" | {{lang|th|ฮ}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{lang|th|ฮ นกฮูก}}
| style="text-align: left" | {{Transliteration|th|ho nok huk}} 
| style="text-align: left" | owl
| h
| &nbsp;–
| {{IPA|/h/}}
| {{IPA|–}}
| style="background: #ccf" | low
|}

; Notes
{{Notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=alphabetic-ฃ|{{lang|th|ฃ}} {{Transliteration|th|kho khuat}} is obsolete and replaced by {{lang|th|ข}} {{Transliteration|th|kho khai}}, which has identical phonetic values.}}
{{efn|name=alphabetic-ฅ|{{lang|th|ฅ}} {{Transliteration|th|kho khon}} is obsolete and replaced by {{lang|th|ค}} {{Transliteration|th|kho khwai}}, which has identical phonetic values.}}
{{efn|name=alphabetic-ญ|1=The lower curves of the letter {{lang|th|ญ}} are removed when certain letters are written below them.}}
{{efn|name=alphabetic-ฐ|1=The lower curves of the letter {{lang|th|ฐ}} are removed when certain letters are written below them.}}
{{efn|name=alphabetic-ย|When {{lang|th|ย}} ends a [[closed syllable|syllable]], it is usually part of the [[#Vowels|vowel]]. For example, {{Transliteration|th|mai}} ({{lang|th|หมา'''ย'''}}, /mǎːj/), {{Transliteration|th|muai}} ({{lang|th|หมว'''ย'''}}, /mǔaj/), {{Transliteration|th|roi}} ({{lang|th|โร'''ย'''}}, /rōːj/), and {{Transliteration|th|thui}} ({{lang|th|ทุ'''ย'''}}, /tʰūj/). There are some cases in which {{lang|th|ย}} ends a syllable and is not part of the vowel (but serves as an independent ending consonant). An example is {{Transliteration|th|phi'''n'''yo}} ({{lang|th|ภิ'''ย'''โย}}, /pʰīn.jōː/).}}
{{efn|name=alphabetic-ว|When {{lang|th|ว}} ends a [[closed syllable|syllable]], it is always part of the [[#Vowels|vowel]]. For example, {{Transliteration|th|hio}} ({{lang|th|หิ'''ว'''}}, /hǐw/), {{Transliteration|th|kao}} ({{lang|th|กา'''ว'''}}, /kāːw/), {{Transliteration|th|klua}} ({{lang|th|กลั'''ว'''}}, /klūa/), and {{Transliteration|th|reo}} ({{lang|th|เร็'''ว'''}}, /rēw/).}}
{{efn|name=alphabetic-อ|{{lang|th|อ}} is a special case in that at the beginning of a word it is used as a [[zero consonant|silent initial]] for syllables that start with a vowel (all vowels are written relative to a consonant&nbsp;— see below). The same symbol is used as a vowel in non-initial position.}}
}}

====Phonetic====
The consonants can be organised by [[place of articulation|place]] and [[manner of articulation|manner]] of articulation according to principles of the [[International Phonetic Association]].
Thai distinguishes among three voice/aspiration patterns for plosive consonants:
*unvoiced, unaspirated
*unvoiced, aspirated
*voiced, unaspirated

Where English has only a distinction between the voiced, unaspirated {{IPA|/b/}} and the unvoiced, aspirated {{IPA|/pʰ/}}, Thai distinguishes a third sound which is neither voiced nor aspirated, which occurs in English only as an allophone of {{IPA|/p/}}, approximately the sound of the ''p'' in "spin". There is similarly a laminal denti-alveolar {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/tʰ/}}, {{IPA|/d/}} triplet. In the velar series there is a {{IPA|/k/}}, {{IPA|/kʰ/}} pair and in the postalveolar series the {{IPA|/tɕ/}}, {{IPA|/tɕʰ/}} pair.

In each cell below, the first line indicates [[help:IPA|International Phonetic Alphabet]] (IPA),<ref name="Tingsabadh 1993" /> the second indicates the Thai characters in initial position (several letters appearing in the same box have identical pronunciation). The conventional alphabetic order shown in the table above follows roughly the table below, reading the coloured blocks from right to left and top to bottom.

{|class="wikitable" style=" text-align: center"
|+ Pronunciation of Thai characters in initial position
! &nbsp;
! colspan="3" | [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! colspan="1" | [[Labiodental consonant|Labio-<br />dental]]
! colspan="3" | [[Dental consonant|Dental]]/[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Alveolo-palatal consonant|Alveolo-<br />palatal]]
! colspan="1" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="3" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! colspan="1" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! style="text-align: left;"|[[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #ccf" | {{IPA|[m]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ม}}
| &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #cfc" | {{IPA|[n]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ณ, น}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp; || &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #fcc" | {{IPA|[ŋ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ง}}
| &nbsp;
|-
! style="text-align: left;"|[[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
| style="background-color: #ccf" | {{IPA|[p]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ป}}
| style="background-color: #ccf" | {{IPA|[pʰ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ผ, พ, ภ}}
| style="background-color: #ccf" | {{IPA|[b]}}<br/>{{lang|th|บ}}
| &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #cfc" | {{IPA|[t]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ฏ, ต}}
| style="background-color: #cfc" | {{IPA|[tʰ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ฐ, ฑ, ฒ, ถ, ท, ธ}}
| style="background-color: #cfc" | {{IPA|[d]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ฎ, ด}}
| colspan="2"|&nbsp;||&nbsp;
| style="background-color: #fcc" | {{IPA|[k]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ก}}
| style="background-color: #fcc" | {{IPA|[kʰ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ข, ฃ, ค, ฅ, ฆ}}{{efn|name=phonetic-1.1}}
| &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #ccc" | {{IPA|[ʔ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|อ}}{{efn|name=phonetic-1.2}}
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align: center;background: #fcf;" | {{IPA|[t͡ɕ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|จ}}
| style="text-align: center;background: #fcf;" | {{IPA|[t͡ɕʰ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ฉ, ช, ฌ}}
| &nbsp;
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #ccf" | {{IPA|[f]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ฝ, ฟ}}
| style="text-align: center;background: #ffc;" | {{IPA|[s]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ซ, ศ, ษ, ส}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #ccc" | {{IPA|[h]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ห, ฮ}}
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align: center;background: #cff;" | {{IPA|[r]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ร}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align: center;background: #cff;" | {{IPA|[w]}}<br/>ว
| &nbsp;
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align: center;background: #cff;" | {{IPA|[j]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ญ, ย}}
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Lateral approximant consonant|Lateral<br />approximant]]
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align: center;background: #cff;" | {{IPA|[l]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ล, ฬ}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| colspan="3" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| colspan=15 |
; Notes
{{Notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=phonetic-1.1|{{lang|th|ฃ}} and {{lang|th|ฅ}} are no longer used. Thus, modern Thai is said to have 42 consonants.}}
{{efn|name=phonetic-1.2|Initial {{lang|th|อ}} is silent and therefore considered as glottal plosive.}}
}}
|-
|}

Although the overall 44 Thai consonants provide 21 sounds in case of initials, the case for finals is different. The consonant sounds in the table for initials collapse in the table for final sounds. At the end of a syllable, all plosives are unvoiced, unaspirated, and have no audible release. Initial affricates and fricatives become final plosives. The initial trill ({{lang|th|ร}}), approximant ({{lang|th|ญ}}), and lateral approximants ({{lang|th|ล}}, {{lang|th|ฬ}}) are realized as a final nasal {{IPA|/n/}}.

Only 8 ending consonant sounds, as well as no ending consonant sound, are available in Thai pronunciation. Among these consonants, excluding the disused {{lang|th|ฃ}} and {{lang|th|ฅ}}, six ({{lang|th|ฉ}}, {{lang|th|ผ}}, {{lang|th|ฝ}}, {{lang|th|ห}}, {{lang|th|อ}}, {{lang|th|ฮ}}) cannot be used as a final. The remaining 36 are grouped as following.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Pronunciation of Thai characters in final position
! &nbsp;
! colspan="2" | [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! colspan="2" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan="1" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! colspan="1" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
||
| style="background-color: #ccf" | {{IPA|[m]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ม}}
||
| style="background-color: #cfc" | {{IPA|[n]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ณ, น, '''ญ''', '''ร''', '''ล''', '''ฬ'''}}
|| &nbsp;
|| &nbsp;
| style="background-color: #fcc" | {{IPA|[ŋ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ง}}
| &nbsp;
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
| style="background-color: #ccf" | {{IPA|[p̚]}}<br/>{{lang|th|บ, ป, พ, '''ฟ''', ภ}}
||
| style="background-color: #cfc" | {{IPA|[t̚]}}<br/>{{lang|th|'''จ''', '''ช''', '''ซ''', '''ฌ''', ฎ, ฏ, ฐ, ฑ, ฒ}},<br/>{{lang|th|ด, ต, ถ, ท, ธ, '''ศ''', '''ษ''', '''ส'''}}
|||
| style="background-color: #fcc" | {{IPA|[k̚]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ก, ข, ค, ฆ}}
||
| style="background-color: #ccc" | {{IPA|[ʔ]}}<br/>{{lang|th|อ}}{{efn|name=phonetic-2.1}}<br/>
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| colspan="1" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align: center;background: #cff;" | {{IPA|[w]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ว}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align: center;background: #cff;" | {{IPA|[j]}}<br/>{{lang|th|ย}}
| colspan="2" | &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| colspan=9 |
; Notes
{{Notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=phonetic-2.1|The glottal plosive appears at the end when no final follows a short vowel.}}
}}
|-
|}

===Vowels===
Thai vowel sounds and diphthongs are written using a mixture of vowel symbols on a consonant base. Each vowel is shown in its correct position relative to a base consonant and sometimes a final consonant as well. Vowels can go above, below, left of or right of the consonant, or combinations of these places. If a vowel has parts before and after the initial consonant, and the syllable starts with a consonant cluster, the split will go around the whole cluster.

Twenty-one vowel symbol elements are traditionally named, which may appear alone or in combination to form compound symbols.

{|class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" | Symbol || colspan="2" | Name || rowspan="2" width= 300pt| Combinations
|-
! Thai || RTGS
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ะ || วิสรรชนีย์, นมนาง || wisanchani, nom nang<br>(from Sanskrit [[visarga|{{IAST|''visarjanīya''}}]]) || ◌'''ะ'''; ◌ัว'''ะ'''; เ◌'''ะ'''; เ◌อ'''ะ'''; เ◌า'''ะ'''; เ◌ีย'''ะ'''; เ◌ือ'''ะ'''; แ◌'''ะ'''; โ◌'''ะ'''
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌ั || ไม้หันอากาศ, ไม้ผัด, หางกังหัน || mai han akat, mai phat, mai kanghan ||'''◌ั'''◌; '''◌ั'''ว; '''◌ั'''วะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌็ || ไม้ไต่คู้ || mai tai khu ||'''◌็'''; '''◌็'''อ◌; เ'''◌็'''◌; แ'''◌็'''◌
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| า || ลากข้าง || lak khang || ◌'''า'''; ◌'''า'''◌; ◌ํ'''า'''; เ◌'''า'''; เ◌'''า'''ะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌ิ || พินทุ์อิ, พินทุอิ || phin i, phinthu i ||'''◌ิ'''; เ'''◌ิ'''◌; '''◌ี'''; '''◌ี'''◌; เ'''◌ี'''ย; เ'''◌ี'''ยะ; '''◌ื'''◌; '''◌ื'''อ; เ'''◌ื'''อ; เ'''◌ื'''อะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌̍ || ฝนทอง || fon thong{{efn|name=vowels-1.1}} ||'''◌ี'''; '''◌ี'''◌; เ'''◌ี'''ย; เ'''◌ี'''ยะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌̎ || ฟันหนู, มูสิกทันต์ || fan nu{{efn|name=vowels-1.1}} ||'''◌ื'''◌; '''◌ื'''อ; เ'''◌ื'''อ; เ'''◌ื'''อะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌ํ || นิคหิต, นฤคหิต, หยาดน้ำค้าง  || nikkhahit, naruekhahit, yat namkhang ||'''◌ึ'''; '''◌ึ'''◌; '''◌ํ'''า
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌ุ || ตีนเหยียด, ลากตีน || tin yiat, lak tin ||'''◌ุ'''; '''◌ุ'''◌
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ◌ู || ตีนคู้ ||  tin khu ||'''◌ู'''; '''◌ู'''◌
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| เ || ไม้หน้า || mai na ||'''เ'''◌; '''เ'''◌◌; '''เ'''◌็◌; '''เ'''◌อ; '''เ'''◌อ◌; '''เ'''◌อะ; '''เ'''◌า; '''เ'''◌าะ; '''เ'''◌ิ◌; '''เ'''◌ีย; '''เ'''◌ีย◌; '''เ'''◌ียะ; '''เ'''◌ือ; '''เ'''◌ือ◌; '''เ'''◌ือะ; '''แ'''◌; '''แ'''◌◌; '''แ'''◌็◌; '''แ'''◌ะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| โ || ไม้โอ || mai o ||'''โ'''◌; '''โ'''◌◌; '''โ'''◌ะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ใ || ไม้ม้วน || mai muan ||'''ใ'''◌
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ไ || ไม้มลาย || mai malai ||'''ไ'''◌
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| อ || ตัว อ || tua o || ◌'''อ'''; ◌็'''อ'''◌; ◌ื'''อ'''; เ◌'''อ'''; เ◌'''อ'''◌; เ◌'''อ'''ะ; เ◌ื'''อ'''; เ◌ื'''อ'''ะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ย || ตัว ย || tua yo || เ◌ี'''ย'''; เ◌ี'''ย'''◌; เ◌ี'''ย'''ะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ว || ตัว ว || tua wo || ◌ั'''ว'''; ◌ั'''ว'''ะ
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ฤ || ตัว ฤ || tua rue ||'''ฤ'''
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ฤๅ || ตัว ฤๅ || tua rue ||'''ฤๅ'''
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ฦ || ตัว ฦ || tua lue ||'''ฦ'''
|-
|style="font-size: 150%; text-align:center"| ฦๅ || ตัว ฦๅ || tua lue ||'''ฦๅ'''
|-
|colspan=4|
; Notes
{{Notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=vowels-1.1|These symbols are always combined with ''phinthu i'' (◌ิ).}}
}}
|-
|}

The [[inherent vowel]]s are {{IPA|/a/}} in [[open syllable]]s (CV) and {{IPA|/o/}} in [[closed syllable]]s (CVC). For example, {{color|#007000|ถนน}} transcribes {{IPA|/}}{{color|#007000|{{IPA|tʰ}}}}{{IPA|à}}{{color|#007000|{{IPA|n}}}}{{IPA|ǒ}}{{color|#007000|{{IPA|n}}}}{{IPA|/}} "road". There are a few exceptions in Pali loanwords, where the inherent vowel of an open syllable is {{IPA|/ɔː/}}. The [[circumfix]] vowels, such as {{color|#700000|เ–าะ}} {{IPA|/ɔʔ/}}, encompass a preceding consonant with an inherent vowel. For example, {{IPA|/}}{{color|#007000|{{IPA|pʰ}}}}{{color|#700000|{{IPA|ɔʔ}}}}{{IPA|/}} is written {{color|#700000|เ}}{{color|#007000|พ}}{{color|#700000|าะ}}, and {{IPA|/}}{{color|#007000|{{IPA|tɕʰ}}}}{{IPA|a}}{{color|#007000|{{IPA|pʰ}}}}{{color|#700000|{{IPA|ɔʔ}}}}{{IPA|/}} "only" is written {{color|#700000|เ}}{{color|#007000|ฉพ}}{{color|#700000|าะ}}.

The characters '''ฤ ฤๅ''' (plus '''ฦ ฦๅ''', which are obsolete) are usually considered as vowels, the first being a short vowel sound, and the latter, long. The letters are based on vocalic consonants used in Sanskrit, given the one-to-one letter correspondence of Thai to Sanskrit, although the last two letters are quite rare, as their equivalent Sanskrit sounds only occur in a few, ancient words and thus are functionally obsolete in Thai. The first symbol 'ฤ' is common in many Sanskrit and Pali words and 'ฤๅ' less so, but does occur as the primary spelling for the Thai adaptation of Sanskrit 'rishi' and ''treu'' ({{langx|th|ตฤๅ}} {{IPA|/trɯ̄ː/}} or {{IPA|/trīː/}}), a very rare Khmer loan word for 'fish' only found in ancient poetry. As alphabetical entries, ฤ ฤๅ follow '''ร''', and themselves can be read as a combination of consonant and vowel, equivalent to รึ (short), and รือ (long) (and the obsolete pair as ลึ, ลือ), respectively. Moreover, '''ฤ'''  can act as '''ริ'''  as an integral part in many words mostly borrowed from [[Sanskrit]] such as ก'''ฤ'''ษณะ  (''kritsana'', not ''kruetsana''), '''ฤ'''ทธิ์ (''rit'', not ''ruet''), and ก'''ฤ'''ษดา (''kritsada'', not ''kruetsada''), for example. It is also used to spell อังก'''ฤ'''ษ ''angkrit'' England/English. The word '''ฤ'''กษ์ (''roek'') is a unique case where '''ฤ''' is pronounced like '''เรอ'''. In the past, prior to the turn of the twentieth century, it was common for writers to substitute these letters in native vocabulary that contained similar sounds as a shorthand that was acceptable in writing at the time. For example, the conjunction 'or' ({{langx|th|หรือ}} {{IPA|/rɯ̌ː/}} ''rue'', cf. {{langx|lo|ຫຼຶ/ຫລື}} {{IPA|/lɯ̌ː/}} ''lu'') was often written {{langx|th|ฤ}}. This practice has become obsolete, but can still be seen in Thai literature.

The pronunciation below is indicated by the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]]<ref name="Tingsabadh 1993">{{cite journal|last=Tingsabadh|first=Kalaya|author2=Arthur S. Abramson |title=Thai|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association|year=1993|volume=23|issue=1|pages=24̂–28|doi=10.1017/S0025100300004746|s2cid=249403146 }}</ref>  and the Romanisation according to the [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|Royal Thai Institute]] as well as several variant Romanisations often encountered. A very approximate equivalent is given for various regions of English speakers and surrounding areas. Dotted circles represent the positions of consonants or consonant clusters. The first one represents the initial consonant and the latter (if it exists) represents the final.

''Ro han'' (ร หัน) is not usually considered a vowel and is not included in the following table. It represents the ''sara a'' {{IPA|/a/}} vowel in certain Sanskrit loanwords and appears as ◌รร◌. When used without a final consonant (◌รร), {{IPA|/n/}} is implied as the final consonant, giving {{IPA|/an/}}.

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="7" style="width:49%"| Short vowels || rowspan="2" | || colspan="7" style="width:49%"|Long vowels
|-
! colspan="2" | Name || Symbol || IPA || RTGS || Variants || Similar Sound <br/>(English RP pronunciation) || colspan="2"| Name || Symbol || IPA || RTGS || Variants || Similar Sound <br/>(English RP pronunciation)
|-
! colspan="15" | Simple vowels
|-
| สระอะ || sara a || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ะ <br/>◌ <br/>◌ั◌ || style="text-align:center" | {{IPA|/aʔ/}}, {{IPA|/a/}} || style="text-align:center"| a || u || u in "nut" || rowspan="9"| || สระอา || sara a || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌า <br/>◌า◌ || style="text-align:center" | {{IPA|/aː/}} || style="text-align:center" | a || ah, ar, aa || a in "father"
|-
| สระอิ || sara i || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ิ <br/>◌ิ◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/i/}} || style="text-align:center"|i || || y in "greedy" || สระอี || sara i || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ี <br/>◌ี◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/iː/}} || style="text-align:center"|i || ee, ii, y || ee in "see"
|-
| สระอึ || sara ue || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ึ <br/>◌ึ◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɯ/}} || style="text-align:center"|ue || eu, u, uh || Can be approximated by pronouncing the oo in "look" with unrounded lips
| สระอือ || sara ue || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ือ <br/>◌ื◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɯː/}} || style="text-align:center"|ue || eu, u || Can be approximated by pronouncing the oo in RP "goose" with unrounded lips
|-
| สระอุ || sara u || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ุ <br/>◌ุ◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/u/}} || style="text-align:center"| u || oo || oo in "shoot" || สระอู || sara u || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ู <br/>◌ู◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/uː/}} || style="text-align:center"| u || oo, uu || oo in "too"
|-
| สระเอะ || sara e || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ะ <br/>เ◌็◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/eʔ/}}, {{IPA|/e/}} || style="text-align:center"| e || &nbsp; || e in "neck" || สระเอ || sara e || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ <br>เ◌◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/eː/}} || style="text-align:center"| e || ay, a, ae, ai, ei || a in "lame"
|-
| สระแอะ || sara ae || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|แ◌ะ <br/> แ◌็◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɛʔ/}}, {{IPA|/ɛ/}} || style="text-align:center"| ae || aeh, a || a in "at" || สระแอ || sara ae || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|แ◌ <br/>แ◌◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɛː/}} || style="text-align:center"| ae || a || a in "ham"
|-
| สระโอะ || sara o || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|โ◌ะ <br/>◌◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/oʔ/}}, {{IPA|/o/}} || style="text-align:center"| o || &nbsp; || oa in "boat" || สระโอ || sara o || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|โ◌ <br/>โ◌◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/oː/}} || style="text-align:center"| o || or, oh, ô || o in "go"
|-
| สระเอาะ || sara o || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌าะ <br/>◌็อ◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɔʔ/}}, {{IPA|/ɔ/}} || style="text-align:center"| o || aw || o in "not" || สระออ || sara o || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌อ <br/>◌อ◌<br/>◌◌{{efn|name=orn}} <br/>◌็{{efn|name=ko}} || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɔː/}} || style="text-align:center"| o || or, aw || aw in "saw"
|-
| สระเออะ || sara oe || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌อะ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɤʔ/}} || style="text-align:center"| oe || eu || e in "the" || สระเออ || sara oe || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌อ <br/>เ◌ิ◌ <br/>เ◌อ◌{{efn|name=limited}} || style="text-align:center"|  {{IPA|/ɤː/}} <br />{{IPA|/ɤ/}} || style="text-align:center"| oe || er, eu, ur || u in "burn"
|-
! colspan="15" | Diphthongs
|-
| สระเอียะ || sara ia || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ียะ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/iaʔ/}} || style="text-align:center"| ia || iah, ear, {{not a typo|ie}} || ea in "ear" with glottal stop || rowspan="3"| || สระเอีย || sara ia || style="font-size:125%;text-align:center"|เ◌ีย <br/>เ◌ีย◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ia/}} || style="text-align:center"| ia || ear, ere, {{not a typo|ie}} || ear in "ear"
|-
| สระเอือะ || sara uea || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ือะ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɯaʔ/}} || style="text-align:center"| uea || eua, ua || ure in "pure" || สระเอือ || sara uea || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ือ <br/>เ◌ือ◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɯa/}} || style="text-align:center"| uea || eua, ua, ue || ure in "pure"
|-
| สระอัวะ || sara ua || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ัวะ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/uaʔ/}} || style="text-align:center"| ua || &nbsp; || ewe in "sewer" || สระอัว || sara ua || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ัว <br/>◌ว◌ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ua/}} || style="text-align:center"| ua || uar || ewe in "newer"
|-
! colspan="15"|Phonemic diphthongs{{efn|name=diphthongs}}
|-
| สระอิ + ว || sara i + wo waen || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ิว || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/iw/}} || style="text-align:center"| io || iu, ew || ew in "few" || rowspan="13"| || colspan="7" |
|-
| สระเอะ + ว || sara e + wo waen || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌็ว || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ew/}} || style="text-align:center"| eo || eu, ew || || สระเอ + ว  || sara e + wo waen || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| เ◌ว || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/eːw/}} || style="text-align:center"| eo || eu, ew || ai + ow in "rainbow"
|-
| colspan="7"| || สระแอ + ว  || sara ae + wo waen || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|แ◌ว || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɛːw/}} || style="text-align:center"|aeo || aew, eo || a in "ham" + ow in "low"
|-
| สระเอา || sara ao{{efn|name=extra diphthongs}} || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌า || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/aw/}} || style="text-align:center"|ao || aw, au, ow || ow in "cow" || สระอา + ว  || sara a + wo waen || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌าว || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/aːw/}} || style="text-align:center"|ao || au || ow in "now"
|-
| colspan="7"| || สระเอีย + ว  || sara ia + wo waen || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ียว || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/iaw/}} || style="text-align:center"| iao || eaw, iew, iow || io in "trio"
|-
| สระอะ + ย || sara a + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ัย || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/aj/}} || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|ai || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|ay || rowspan="2"|i in "hi" || rowspan="2"|สระอา + ย || rowspan="2"|sara a + yo yak || rowspan="2" style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌าย || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/aːj/}} || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|ai || rowspan="2"|aai, aay, ay || rowspan="2"|ye in "bye"
|-
| สระไอ || sara ai{{efn|name=extra diphthongs}} || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ใ◌,{{efn|name=mai muan}} ไ◌<br>ไ◌ย{{efn|name=Pali}}
|-
| สระเอาะ + ย || sara o + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌็อย || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɔj/}} || style="text-align:center"| oi || oy || || สระออ + ย  || sara o + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌อย || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɔːj/}} || style="text-align:center"| oi || oy || oy in "boy"
|-
| colspan="7"| || สระโอ + ย  || sara o + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|โ◌ย || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/oːj/}} || style="text-align:center"| oi || oy ||
|-
| สระอุ + ย || sara u + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌ุย || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/uj/}} || style="text-align:center"| ui || uy || || colspan="7" |
|-
| colspan="7"| || สระเออ + ย || sara oe + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ย || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɤːj/}} || style="text-align:center"| oei || oey || u in "burn" + y in "boy"
|-
| colspan="7"| ||สระอัว + ย   || sara ua + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ◌วย || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/uaj/}} || style="text-align:center"| uai || uay || uoy in "buoy"
|-
| colspan="7"| ||สระเอือ + ย || sara uea + yo yak || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|เ◌ือย || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/ɯaj/}} || style="text-align:center"| ueai || uai ||
|-
! colspan="15" | Extra vowels{{efn|name=extra}}
|-
| สระอำ || sara am || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"| ำ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/am/}} || style="text-align:center"| am || um || um in "sum" || rowspan="3"| || colspan="7"|
|-
|ฤ || rue || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|ฤ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/rɯ/}} <br/>{{IPA|/ri/}} <br/>{{IPA|/rɤː/}} || style="text-align:center"| rue, ri, roe || ru, ri || rew in "grew", ry in "angry" || ฤๅ || rue || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|ฤๅ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/rɯː/}} || style="text-align:center"| rue || ruu ||
|-
|ฦ || lue || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|ฦ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/lɯ/}} || style="text-align:center"| lue || lu, li || lew in "blew" || ฦๅ || Lue || style="font-size:125%; text-align:center"|ฦๅ || style="text-align:center"| {{IPA|/lɯː/}} || style="text-align:center"| lue || lu ||
|}
{{Notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=orn|Only with ร (''ro ruea'') as final consonant, appearing as ◌ร {{IPA|/ɔːn/}}.}}
{{efn|name=ko|Only with the word ก็ {{IPA|/kɔ̂ʔ/}}, {{IPA|/kɔ̂ː/}}.}}
{{efn|name=limited|Used only in certain words.}}
{{efn|name=mai muan|''Mai malai'' (ไ◌) is used for the {{IPA|/aj/}} vowel in most words, while ''mai muan'' (ใ◌) is only used in twenty specific words.}}
{{efn|name=Pali|ไ◌ย is found in ไทย ''Thai'' and in Pali loanwords which contain ''-eyya''. The ย is redundant, but may be pronounced in a compound word when joined by samāsa.}}
{{efn|name=diphthongs|Traditionally, these sets of diphthongs and triphthongs are regarded as combinations of regular vowels or diphthongs with ''wo waen'' (ว, {{IPA|/w/}}) or ''yo yak'' (ย, {{IPA|/j/}}) as the final consonant, and are not counted among the thirty-two vowels.}}
{{efn|name=extra|Extra vowels are not distinct vowel sounds, but are symbols that represent certain vowel-consonant combinations. They are traditionally regarded as vowels, although some sources do not.}}
{{efn|name=extra diphthongs|''sara ai'' (ใ◌ and ไ◌) and ''sara ao'' (เ◌า) are also considered extra vowels.}}
}}

===Tone===
====Central Thai====
Central Thai is a [[Thai language#Tones|tonal language]], and the script gives full information on the [[Tone (linguistics)|tones]]. Tones are realised in the vowels, but indicated in the script by a combination of the class of the initial consonant (high, mid or low), [[vowel length]] (long or short), closing consonant ([[plosive]] or [[sonorant]], called ''dead'' or ''live'') and, if present, one of four tone marks, whose names derive from the names of the digits [[Thai numerals#Alternate numbers|1–4 borrowed from Pali or Sanskrit]]. The rules for denoting tones are shown in the following chart:

[[File:Thai tone rules.png|thumb|Tone type top to bottom: high, rising, mid, falling, low. Initial consonant class left to right: low (blue), middle (green), high (red). Syllable type: live (empty circle), dead (full circle), dead short (narrow ellipse), dead long (wide ellipse).]]

{|class="wikitable"
|-valign="top"
!rowspan="2" | Symbol
!colspan="2" | Name
!colspan="4" "style="background: #ffc"|Syllable composition and initial consonant class
|-
!align="left" | Thai || [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]] || Vowel and final
!style="background: #ccf"| Low
!style="background: #cfc"| Mid
!style="background: #fcc"| High
|-
|| ||(ไม่มี)||(none)|| live<br>{{small|long vowel or vowel plus sonorant}}
|style="background: #ccf"|middle
|style="background: #cfc"|middle
|style="background: #fcc"|rising
|-
|| ||(ไม่มี)||(none)|| dead short<br>{{small|short vowel at end or plus plosive}}
|style="background: #ccf"|high
|style="background: #cfc"|low
|style="background: #fcc"|low
|-
|| ||(ไม่มี)||(none)|| dead long<br>{{small|long vowel plus plosive}}
|style="background: #ccf"|falling
|style="background: #cfc"|low
|style="background: #fcc"|low
|-
|| &nbsp;<big><big>่</big></big> ||ไม้เอก||''mai ek''||any <!-- the &nbsp; is necessary for visibility under Opera -->
|style="background: #ccf"|falling
|style="background: #cfc"|low
|style="background: #fcc"|low
|-
|| &nbsp;<big><big>้</big></big>||ไม้โท||''mai tho''||any
|style="background: #ccf"|high
|style="background: #cfc"|falling
|style="background: #fcc"|falling
|-
|| &nbsp;<big><big>๊</big></big>||ไม้ตรี||''mai tri''||any
|style="background: #ccf"|-
|style="background: #cfc"|high
|style="background: #fcc"|-
|-
|| &nbsp;<big><big>๋</big></big>||ไม้จัตวา ||''mai chattawa''||any
|style="background: #ccf"|-
|style="background: #cfc"|rising
|style="background: #fcc"|-
|}

[[File:Thai tones.svg|thumb|250px|Thai language tone chart]]
[[File:Thai-tones-flowchart.svg|thumb|Flowchart for determining the tone of a Thai syllable. Click to enlarge]]

"None", that is, no tone marker, is used with the base accent (พื้นเสียง, {{Transliteration|th|phuen siang}}). ''Mai tri'' and ''mai chattawa'' are only used with mid-class consonants.

Two consonant characters (not diacritics) are used to modify the tone:
*'''ห นำ ''ho nam'', leading ho'''. A silent, high-class ห "leads" low-class nasal stops (ง, ญ, น and ม) and non-plosives (ว, ย, ร and ล), which have no corresponding high-class phonetic match, into the tone properties of a high-class consonant. In polysyllabic words, an initial mid- or high-class consonant with an implicit vowel similarly "leads" these same low-class consonants into the higher class tone rules, with the tone marker borne by the low-class consonant.
*'''อ นำ ''o nam'', leading o'''. In four words only, a silent, mid-class อ "leads" low-class ย into mid-class tone rules: อย่า (''ya'', don't) อยาก (''yak'', desire) อย่าง (''yang'', kind, sort, type) อยู่ (''yu'', stay). All four have long-vowel, low-tone ''siang ek''; อยาก, a dead syllable, needs no tone marker, but the three live syllables all take ''mai ek''.

{|class="wikitable"
|-valign="top"
! Low consonant !! High consonant || IPA
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ง || style="background: #fcc"| หง || /ŋ/
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ญ || style="background: #fcc"| หญ || /j/
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| น || style="background: #fcc"| หน || /n/
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ม || style="background: #fcc"| หม || /m/
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ย || style="background: #fcc"| หย || /j/
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ร || style="background: #fcc"| หร || /r/
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ล || style="background: #fcc"| หล || /l/
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ว || style="background: #fcc"| หว || /w/
|-
! Low consonant !! Middle consonant !! IPA
|-
| style="background: #ccf"| ย || style="background: #cfc"| อย || /j/
|}

In some dialects there are words which are spelled with one tone but pronounced with another and often occur in informal conversation (notably the pronouns ฉัน ''chan'' and เขา ''khao'', which are both pronounced with a high tone rather than the rising tone indicated by the script). Generally, when such words are recited or read in public, they are pronounced as spelled.

====Southern Thai====
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2019}}
Although the Southern Thai writing form also gives full information on the tones as does Central Thai, the language itself is [[pitch-accent language]], spoken form can have up to seven tones.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Phil |date=24 January 2022 |title=A Seven-Tone Dialect in Southern Thai with Super-High |url=http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf4/rose1997seven.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402013033/http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf4/rose1997seven.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2022 |access-date=13 March 2023 |website=Sealang}}</ref> When Southern Thai is written in Thai script, there are different rules for indicating spoken tone. 
{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em; text-align: center;"
! Tones
! colspan="3" | [[Nakhon Si Thammarat Province|Nakhon Si Thammarat]] accent rules
! IPA
|-
| rowspan="2" | First tone
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "high" with long sound, and an initial consonant class "low" after the word.</small>
| {{IPA|[˦˥˧]}}
|-
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "high" with short sound, and an initial consonant class "low"<br>with [k̚], [t̚], [p̚] finals after the word.</small>
| {{IPA|[˨˦]}}
|-
| Second tone
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "high" both short long sound,<br>and an initial consonant class "low" after the word.</small>
| {{IPA|[˦]}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | Third tone
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "middle" long sound.</small>
| {{IPA|[˧˦˧]}}
|-
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "middle" short sound with [k̚], [t̚], [p̚] finals.</small>
| {{IPA|[˧˦]}}
|-
| Fourth tone
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "middle" both short long sound.</small>
| {{IPA|[˧]}}
|-
| Fifth tone
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "low" with head word.</small>
| {{IPA|[˨˧˨]}}
|-
| Sixth tone
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "low" long sound.</small>
| {{IPA|[˨˦]}}
|-
| Seventh tone
| colspan="3" | <small>An initial consonant class "low" short sound.</small>
| {{IPA|[˨˩]}}
|-
|}

===Diacritics===
Other diacritics are used to indicate short vowels and silent letters:
*{{Transliteration|th|Mai taikhu}} means "climbing stick". It is a miniature Thai numeral 8 '''๘'''. {{Transliteration|th|Mai taikhu}} is often used with ''sara e'' (เ) and ''sara ae'' (แ) in closed syllables.
*''Thanthakhat'' is an archaic word for "capital punishment"
{|class="wikitable"
|-valign="top"
! rowspan="2" | Symbol
! colspan="2" | Name
! rowspan="2" | Meaning
|-
! Thai || [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]
|-
| &nbsp;<big><big>◌็</big></big> || ไม้ไต่คู้ || {{Transliteration|th|mai tai khu}} || shortens vowel
|-
| &nbsp;<big><big>◌์</big></big> || ทัณฑฆาต or การันต์|| ''thanthakhat'' or ''karan'' || indicates silent letter
|}

''Fan nu'' means "rat teeth" and is thought as being placed in combination with short ''sara i'' and ''fong man'' to form other characters.

{|class="wikitable"
|-valign="top"
! rowspan="2" | Symbol
! colspan="2" | Name
! rowspan="2" | Use
|-
! Thai || [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]
|-
| rowspan="2"| &nbsp;<big><big>"</big></big> || rowspan="2"|  ฟันหนู || rowspan="2"|  ''fan nu'' ||  combined with short ''sara i'' (<big><big>◌ิ</big></big>) to make long ''sara ue'' (<big><big>◌ื</big></big>)
|-
| combined with ''fong man'' (๏) to make ''fong man fan nu'' (๏<span style="position:relative;right:1ex;bottom:.5ex;">"</span>)
|}

===Numerals===
{{main|Thai numerals}}
For numerals, mostly the standard [[Hindu-Arabic numerals]] ({{langx|th|เลขฮินดูอารบิก}}, ''lek hindu arabik'') are used, but Thai also has its own set of [[Thai numerals]] that are based on the Hindu-Arabic numeral system ({{langx|th|เลขไทย}}, ''lek thai''), which are mostly limited to government documents, election posters, license plates of military vehicles, and special entry prices for Thai nationals.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
![[Hindu-Arabic numerals|Hindu-Arabic]]
||0||1||2||3||4||5||6||7||8||9
|-
!Thai
||๐||๑||๒||๓||๔||๕||๖||๗||๘||๙
|}

===Other symbols===

{|class="wikitable"
|-valign="top"
! rowspan="2" | Symbol
! colspan="2" | Name
! rowspan="2" | Meaning
|-
! Thai || [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription|RTGS]]
|-
| ฯ || ไปยาลน้อย || ''paiyan noi'' || marks formal phrase shortened by [[Convention (norm)|convention]] (abbreviation)
|-
|-
| ฯลฯ || ไปยาลใหญ่ || ''paiyan yai'' || [[et cetera]]
|-
| ๆ || ไม้ยมก || ''mai yamok'' || preceding word or phrase is [[Reduplication|reduplicate]]d
|-
| ๏ || ฟองมัน, ตาไก่ || ''fong man'', ''ta kai''  || previously marked beginning of a sentence, paragraph, or stanza (obsolete);<ref name="NECTEC"/> now only marks beginning of a stanza in a poem; now also used as [[bullet point]]<ref name="Unicode"/>
|-
| ๏<span style="position:relative;right:1ex;bottom:.5ex;">"</span> || ฟองมันฟันหนู, ฟันหนูฟองมัน, ฝนทองฟองมัน || ''fong man fan nu'', ''fan nu fong man'', ''fon tong fong man''
| rowspan="2" | previously marked beginning of a chapter (obsolete)
|-
| ๐<span style="position:relative;right:1ex;bottom:.5ex;">"</span> || ฟองดัน || ''fong dan''
|-
| ฯ || อังคั่นเดี่ยว, คั่นเดี่ยว, ขั้นเดี่ยว || ''angkhan diao'', ''khan diao'', ''khan diao'' || previously marked end of a sentence or stanza (obsolete)<ref name="NECTEC"/>
|-
| ๚ || อังคั่นคู่, คั่นคู่, ขั้นคู่ || ''angkhan khu'', ''khan khu'', ''khan khu'' || marks end of stanza; marks end of chapter<ref name="NECTEC"/>  or long section<ref name="Unicode"/>
|-
| ฯะ || rowspan="2" | อังคั่นวิสรรชนีย์ || rowspan="2" | ''angkhan wisanchani'' || rowspan="2" | marks end of a stanza in a poem<ref name="Unicode"/>
|-
| ๚ะ
|-
| ๛ || โคมูตร, สูตรนารายณ์ || ''kho mut'', ''sut narai'' || marks end of a chapter or document;<ref name="Unicode"/> marks end of a story<ref name="NECTEC"/>
|-
| ๚ะ๛ || อังคั่นวิสรรชนีย์โคมูตร || ''angkhan wisanchani kho mut'' || marks the very end of a written work
|-
| ฿ || บาท || ''bat'' || [[baht]] (the [[currency]] of Thailand)
|}

''Pai-yan noi'' and ''angkhan diao'' share the same character. ''Sara a'' (<big><big>–ะ</big></big>) used in combination with other characters is called ''wisanchani''.

Some of the characters can mark the beginning or end of a sentence, chapter, or episode of a story or of a stanza in a poem. These have changed use over time and are becoming uncommon.