Tone marks 2: low class, ◌๊ and ◌๋

Low-class letters react differently to tone marks. The trick: low class moves one step up.

• ◌่mái-èek gives the falling tone: ไม่mâi (not), ใช่châi (yes), ที่tîi (at), แม่mâe (mother)
• ◌้mái-too gives the high tone: ร้านráan (shop), น้ำnáam (water), ซื้อsúue (buy)

Compare pairs that share a mark but not a class:

• ไข่kài (high class, low tone) and ไม่mâi (low class, falling tone)
• ข้าวkâao (high class, falling tone) and ร้านráan (low class, high tone)

The two rare marks

◌๊mái-dtrii (high) and ◌๋mái-jàt-dtà-waa (rising) only appear on mid-class letters. Low class doesn't need them, because ◌้mái-too already makes it high. You'll find them in Chinese-Thai words, loanwords, names, slang and sound words:

• ก๋วยเตี๋ยวgǔay-dtǐaw noodle soup, ตั๋วdtǔa ticket, เดี๋ยวdǐaw in a moment
• เจ๊jée older sister, what you call a Chinese-Thai shop owner

The complete tone-mark table

• mid class: no mark (live) mid · ◌่mái-èek low · ◌้mái-too falling · ◌๊mái-dtrii high · ◌๋mái-jàt-dtà-waa rising
• high class: no mark (live) rising · ◌่mái-èek low · ◌้mái-too falling
• low class: no mark (live) mid · ◌่mái-èek falling · ◌้mái-too high

Read the table in rows, then say the examples aloud: real words stick far better than a grid.

Spelling and sound

น้ำnáam (water) and ไม้máai (wood) are spelled with short vowels but said long.

Typical mistake: reading ไม่mâi (not) with a low tone because of ◌่mái-èek. On a low-class letter, ◌่mái-èek means falling.