Vowels in front, and dead syllables

Some Thai vowels are written before the consonant, even though you say them after it. And some syllables stop abruptly: Thai calls them dead, and they change the tone.

Vowels that come first

• เ◌ee like the "ay" in "day" without the y-glide: เจjee (vegan, Chinese-Thai style)
• แ◌ae like the "a" in "cat", held long: แปดbpàet (eight)
• โ◌oo like "oh", held, without the w-glide: โตdtoo (big)

Reading trick: find the consonant first, then look to its left for the vowel. โตdtoo is dt + oo.

Final consonants

A Thai syllable can end in only a handful of sounds. Today, the three stops:

• กgaw at the end sounds k: จากjàak (from)
• ดdaw, ตdtaw and จjaw at the end sound t: จอดjàwt (park)
• บbaw and ปbpaw at the end sound p: ตอบdtàwp (answer)

Don't release them. Close your mouth or tongue and simply stop, with no puff of air, like the t in "hot dog" said quickly.

Live and dead syllables

• Live: ends in a long vowel (later also in m, n, ng, y or w)
• Dead: ends in k, t or p (later also in a short vowel)

Tone rule 2: a mid-class consonant in a dead syllable has the low tone, marked with a grave accent (à). Compare:

• live: ปาbpaa (throw), mid
• dead: ปากbpàak (mouth), low

The low tone is level and a few notes below your normal voice. Read: บอกbàwk (tell), กอดgàwt (hug), แดดdàet (sunshine), อีกìik (more).

In ออกàwk (go out) the first อaw is the silent seat, the second is the vowel ◌อaw, and then comes the final กgaw.

Typical mistake: judging the tone by the first letters only. ปาbpaa and ปากbpàak start the same way, but the final changes everything.