In this short lesson you hear Jo saying the names of the 44 consonants (Thai: พยัญชนะ) (phá-yan-chá-na) of the Thai alphabet (Thai: อักษรไทย) (àk-sŏn). Learning the alphabet is one of the first steps if you want to learn how to read Thai. While listening to this lesson keep in mind that the first sound of each of the names is also how the consonant sounds. Besides the consonants the Thai alphabet has 15 vowel symbols (Thai: สระ) (sà-rà) that combine into at least 28 vowel forms, and four tone marks (Thai: วรรณยุกต์ or วรรณยุต) (wan-ná-yúk or wan yút). The Thai language is a member of the Tai group of the Tai-Kadai language family that originated in Southern China. Other languages belonging to this group are spoken today in Laos, Vietnam and in some parts of China. Check our overview of the Thai alphabet and transliteration system used on this site.
