Thai consonant 39 of 44

ษ – So Ruesi (sǎw ruue-sǐi): the Thai letter S

Class: High class
Start sound: s
End sound: t
Keyword: hermit

ษ ษอ ฤๅษี sǎw ruue-sǐi

In short

ษ (ษอ ฤๅษีsǎw ruue-sǐi) is the 39th letter of the Thai alphabet and a high-class consonant. At the start of a syllable it sounds like s, and at the end of a syllable like t. Its name means "ษ as in ฤๅษี, hermit".

How to say ษ

s as in 'sun'

The keyword ฤๅษีruue-sǐi means hermit. Say the letter as ษอ ฤๅษีsǎw ruue-sǐi.

Same "s" sound, different letter: ซ So So, ศ So Sala, ส So Suea. The class is what tells them apart.

Thai words with ษ

Tap the speaker to hear each word. Can you spot ษ in each one?

อังกฤษ ang-grìt
English; England
ภาษา paa-sǎa
language
บริษัท baw-rí-sàt
company
สัมภาษณ์ sǎm-pâat
to interview; (job) interview
ปรึกษา bprùek-sǎa
to consult, ask someone's advice
อธิษฐาน à-tít-tǎan
to make a wish (silently, like a prayer)
ภาษาไทย paa-sǎa-tai
the Thai language
พิเศษ pí-sèet
special; large (portion)
โฆษณา kôot-sà-naa
advertisement
พิเศษ pí-sèet+ bùak๑๐ sìp
Large: +10 baht

Don't mix it up with

Letters that look similar. Compare the loops, tails and notches.

Tones with high-class letters

ษ is one of the 11 high-class consonants. With no tone mark:

Live syllableRising tone
Dead syllableLow tone

Two tone marks: ◌่ low, ◌้ falling.

The full tone rules chart

All 44 Thai consonants

See them all with audio on the Thai alphabet chart or the consonants chart.