High-class letters and the rising tone

Meet the high class: ขkǎw k, ฉchǎw ch, ถtǎw t, ผpǎw p, ฝfǎw f, ศsǎw ษsǎw สsǎw s, and หhǎw h. Listen to their names: they all rise, a hint of what's coming.

A Thai rhyme holds the main high-class letters: ผีฝากถุงข้าวสารให้ฉันpǐi fàak tǔng kâao-sǎan hâi chǎn, "a ghost left a bag of rice with me". The words start with ผpǎw, ฝfǎw, ถtǎw, ขkǎw, สsǎw, หhǎw and ฉchǎw.

The rising tone

Tone rule 3: high class + live syllable = rising, marked with a caron (ǎ). Your voice dips, then climbs, like a surprised "Really?":

• ขาkǎa leg, สามsǎam three, สวยsǔay beautiful, เขาkǎo he, she

High class + dead syllable = low, just like mid class: ถูกtùuk (cheap; correct), ฝากfàak (leave with someone).

Your tone table:

• mid class: live = mid, dead = low
• high class: live = rising, dead = low
• low class: live = mid, dead = see lesson 7

Sounds

• ขkǎw k, ถtǎw t and ผpǎw p are aspirated: they have a puff of air, like English k, t and p at the start of a word. Compare กgaw g with ขkǎw k, ตdtaw dt with ถtǎw t, ปbpaw bp with ผpǎw p.
• There are three s letters. สsǎw is by far the most common; ศsǎw and ษsǎw mostly appear in words from Sanskrit and Pali, like ศาลาsǎa-laa (pavilion) and ภาษาpaa-sǎa (language).
• At the end of a syllable สsǎw, ศsǎw and ษsǎw sound t and ขkǎw sounds k. หhǎw, ฉchǎw, ผpǎw and ฝfǎw never end a syllable.

Typical mistake: reading ขวดkùat (bottle) as "kwat". A วwaw between two consonants is the vowel ua.