Thai consonant 23 of 44
ท – Tho Thahan (taw tá-hǎan): the Thai letter T
- Class
- Low class
- Start sound
- t
- End sound
- t
- Keyword
- soldier
ท ทอ ทหาร taw tá-hǎan
In short
ท (ทอ ทหารtaw tá-hǎan) is the 23rd letter of the Thai alphabet and a low-class consonant. At the start of a syllable it sounds like t, and at the end of a syllable like t. Its name means "ท as in ทหาร, soldier".
How to say ท
t with a puff of air, as in 'top'
The keyword ทหารtá-hǎan means soldier. Say the letter as ทอ ทหารtaw tá-hǎan.
Same "t" sound, different letter: ฐ Tho Than, ฑ Tho Montho, ฒ Tho Phuthao, ถ Tho Thung, ธ Tho Thong. The class is what tells them apart.
Thai words with ท
Tap the speaker to hear each word. Can you spot ท in each one?
- ทั้งหมด táng-mòt
all, altogether, in total
- ที่นี่ tîi-nîi
here
- ที่ไหน tîi-nǎi
where
- ทำไม tam-mai
why
- ทำ tam
to do, to make
- ที่ tîi
at (a place)
- ทาง taang
way; side
- ทำอาหาร tam aa-hǎan
to cook
- ทำงาน tam-ngaan
to work
- ทุ่ม tûm
o'clock from 7 to 11 p.m.
Don't mix it up with
Letters that look similar. Compare the loops, tails and notches.
- ทอ ทหาร taw tá-hǎan
Tones with low-class letters
ท is one of the 24 low-class consonants. With no tone mark:
- Live syllableMid tone
- Dead syllableHigh (short vowel) or falling (long vowel) tone
Two tone marks: ◌่ falling, ◌้ high.
The full tone rules chart