Thai consonant 21 of 44
ต – To Tao (dtaw dtào): the Thai letter T
- Class
- Mid class
- Start sound
- dt
- End sound
- t
- Keyword
- turtle
ต ตอ เต่า dtaw dtào
In short
ต (ตอ เต่าdtaw dtào) is the 21st letter of the Thai alphabet and a mid-class consonant. At the start of a syllable it sounds like dt, and at the end of a syllable like t. Its name means "ต as in เต่า, turtle".
How to say ต
dt: like the t in 'stop' (no puff of air)
The keyword เต่าdtào means turtle. Say the letter as ตอ เต่าdtaw dtào.
Same "dt" sound, different letter: ฏ To Patak. The class is what tells them apart.
Thai words with ต
Tap the speaker to hear each word. Can you spot ต in each one?
- ตรงนี้ dtrong-níi
right here, this spot
- ตั๋ว dtǔa
ticket
- ตลาด dtà-làat
market
- ตรงข้าม dtrong-kâam
opposite, across from
- ตัว dtua
counting word for animals, clothes, tables and chairs
- ตอนเช้า dtawn-cháao
in the morning
- ตอนบ่าย dtawn-bàai
in the afternoon
- ตอนเย็น dtawn-yen
in the evening
- ตอนนี้ dtawn-níi
now, right now
- ต้องไปแล้ว dtâwng bpai láew
I have to go now; gotta go
Don't mix it up with
Letters that look similar. Compare the loops, tails and notches.
- ตอ เต่า dtaw dtào
Tones with mid-class letters
ต is one of the 9 mid-class consonants. With no tone mark:
- Live syllableMid tone
- Dead syllableLow tone
All four tone marks: ◌่ low, ◌้ falling, ◌๊ high, ◌๋ rising.
The full tone rules chart