Editing Thai script (section)

===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.}}
}}
|-
|}