Thai tones: the five tones and how to read them
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Standard Thai has five tones: mid, low, falling, high and rising. The tone is part of the word: ขา (kǎa, rising tone) means "leg", while ข่า (kàa, low tone) means "galangal".
Thai spelling tells you the tone of each syllable. It depends on three things: the class of the first consonant, whether the syllable is live or dead, and the tone mark, if there is one. This guide explains each step, with examples.
What are the five Thai tones?
The five Thai tones are mid (สามัญ), low (เอก), falling (โท), high (ตรี) and rising (จัตวา). The same syllable kaa gives five different words depending on its tone.
| Tone | Thai name | How it sounds | In transliteration | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid | สามัญ (sǎa-man) | Level, in the middle of your voice | no accent (kaa) | คา kaa · to be stuck |
| Low | เอก (èek) | Level and low, slightly lower than your normal voice | grave accent (kàa) | ข่า kàa · galangal |
| Falling | โท (too) | Starts high and falls clearly | circumflex (kâa) | ค่า kâa · value, price |
| High | ตรี (dtrii) | High, often rising slightly at the end | acute accent (káa) | ค้า káa · to trade |
| Rising | จัตวา (jàt-dtà-waa) | Starts low, dips, then rises | caron (kǎa) | ขา kǎa · leg |
The colors are the ones Kru May uses for each tone in the app: mid in grey, low in blue, falling in pink, high in amber and rising in green.
What are the Thai tone marks?
Thai has four tone marks, written above the initial consonant of the syllable (or above its vowel, when the vowel is also written on top). A syllable with no tone mark still has a tone, decided by the other rules.
| Mark | Name | Used with |
|---|---|---|
| ◌่ | ไม้เอก (mái èek) | All three classes |
| ◌้ | ไม้โท (mái too) | All three classes |
| ◌๊ | ไม้ตรี (mái dtrii) | Middle-class consonants only |
| ◌๋ | ไม้จัตวา (mái jàt-dtà-waa) | Middle-class consonants only |
Watch out: a mark's name does not always match the tone it produces. ไม้เอก gives a low tone on middle- and high-class consonants, but a falling tone on low-class ones: ค่า is kâa, falling.
What is a live or dead syllable in Thai?
A live syllable ends in a long vowel or in m, n, ng, w or y. A dead syllable ends in a short vowel or in a k, p or t sound. Whether a syllable is live or dead changes its tone when there is no tone mark.
- Live syllable (คำเป็น)
- Ends in a long vowel (มา, maa), or in m, n, ng, w, y (กิน, gin). The vowels -ำ (am), ใ- and ไ- (ai) and เ-า (ao) also count as live.
- Dead syllable (คำตาย)
- Ends in a short vowel (จะ, jà), or in a k, p or t sound (มาก, mâak; กับ, gàp; ผิด, pìt).
How do you work out the tone of a Thai syllable?
Find the class of the first consonant, check for a tone mark, and if there is none, check whether the syllable is live or dead. The table below gives the tone for every combination.
| Class | No mark, live | No mark, dead, short vowel | No mark, dead, long vowel | ◌่ | ◌้ | ◌๊ | ◌๋ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle class | Mid | Low | Low | Low | Falling | High | Rising |
| High class | Rising | Low | Low | Low | Falling | not used | not used |
| Low class | Mid | High | Falling | Falling | High | not used | not used |
Examples
| Word | Why | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| กิน gin · to eat | middle class, live | Mid |
| กับ gàp · with | middle class, dead | Low |
| ไก่ gài · chicken | middle class + ่ | Low |
| ได้ dâi · can, to get | middle class + ้ | Falling |
| โต๊ะ dtó · table | middle class + ๊ | High |
| ตั๋ว dtǔa · ticket | middle class + ๋ | Rising |
| ขา kǎa · leg | high class, live | Rising |
| ผัก pàk · vegetable | high class, dead | Low |
| ข้าว kâao · rice | high class + ้ | Falling |
| มา maa · to come | low class, live | Mid |
| รัก rák · to love | low class, dead, short vowel | High |
| มาก mâak · very, a lot | low class, dead, long vowel | Falling |
| พ่อ pɔ̂ɔ · father | low class + ่ | Falling |
| น้ำ náam · water | low class + ้ | High |
What does a silent ห or อ do before a consonant?
A silent ห written before a low-class sonorant (ง ญ น ม ย ร ล ว) makes the syllable follow the high-class rules: มา is maa (to come), but หมา is mǎa (dog). In four common words, a silent อ before ย makes the syllable follow the middle-class rules.
The four words with a leading อ are อยู่ (yùu, to be at, to live), อย่า (yàa, don't), อย่าง (yàang, kind, like) and อยาก (yàak, to want).
Are there exceptions to the Thai tone rules?
Yes, a few. Some very common words are said with a different tone or vowel length from what their spelling suggests, and loanwords sometimes ignore the rules.
Two classic examples: เขา (he, she) is written with a rising tone but usually said with a high tone, káo; ฉัน (I) is written with a rising tone but often said with a high tone, chán. When the spelling and the speech disagree, follow what you hear.
How can you learn to hear Thai tones?
Listening to the same words slowly, then at natural speed, is the most reliable way to start hearing Thai tones. Comparing words that differ only by their tone also helps.
In Kru May, every sentence and every word has a slow version, and each word shows its tone with a color and a small contour. You read in context, so you hear the tones in real sentences rather than in isolated drills.
