Think Learning the Thai Alphabet is Hard?

Think Again...

We get it—when you first look at the Thai alphabet, it seems like an impossible mountain to climb.

But here’s the secret:

It’s not about how hard the subject is—
it’s about how it’s taught

The way you learn makes all the difference.

That’s why we developed the Quick, Easy, Simple Thai (Quest) system and the Learn Thai Alphabet app.

The app builds on the same, systematic and proven method from our popular book, Learning Thai, Your Great Adventure.

And it's designed for real people like you, who want to learn Thai in a way that’s natural, easy, and, yes, even fun.

Why Our System Works
(When Others Don’t)

Everyone learns differently.

Flashcards may work for some, but many of us need a more engaging, visual, and interactive experience.

Our app breaks down the Thai alphabet using a unique system of color-coding, acronyms, and memory aids that build upon each other—turning what used to feel overwhelming into something simple and logical.

Imagine this:

• No more struggling with complicated jargon or boring rote memorization.
• No more confusion about the different consonants, vowels, and tone marks.
• Just clarity, understanding, and a solid sense of progress.

Here's what one of our students had to say:

The Secret to Success: One Bite at a Time

You’ve heard the saying, “How do you eat an elephant?”

Of course, you wouldn’t eat such a magnificent creature (especially here in Surin, the home of Thailand’s annual Elephant Festival!), but the principle holds: One bite at a time.

That’s how you’ll learn the Thai alphabet—piece by piece, using our Quest system.

With our app, you’ll tackle the Thai alphabet step by step, mastering each component in a logical sequence that makes sense:

1. We start with the Middle Class consonants (it's the smallest group of consonants, 9 of).

2. Next is the High Class consonants (11 of)

3. Then the Low Class consonants (24 of)

4. Now it's onto the vowels: simple vowels first (20 of)

5. Then the complex vowels (12 of)

6. Then the tones, punctuation, and numbers.

The app contains:

• Interactive quizzes (guided and unguided) so you can learn and test yourself as often as you like and at your own pace.
  

• Guided correction whenever you get an answer wrong.

• Sounds by Thai native speakers, so everything's on hand so you can both see and hear everything you need to solidify your knowledge.

And before you know it, you've cracked the entire Thai alphabet.

Simple. Logical. Effective.

You’ll feel confident as you move from one lesson to the next, and before you know it, you’ll be reading and writing in Thai!

The trial version is below, so you can check it out. But first...

Introducing the
Learn Thai Alphabet App

There’s no other app like this—it’s fully interactive, browser-based (works on any device with an Internet browser), and has been designed to help you learn quickly and effectively.

Quizzes, native speaker audio, and visual aids are all built-in to reinforce what you’ve learned, making it the most comprehensive and enjoyable way to master the Thai alphabet.

How Does this work?

Because of the unfamiliar shapes and sound(s) of the Thai consonants and vowels, we need an easy method to help us learn (remember and recall at will) each character.

We do this using a simple picture that encompasses everything you need to know about each consonant, vowel, tone mark, and number.

(In Thai, there's not much punctuation so these less of a priority, and are a little more straightforward.)

With consonants:

We need to learn:

• The sound or sounds the consonant makes (some make a single sound, others 2 sounds)
• The consonant class (Thai is a tonal language and the consonant class is a key part of this)

We use a simple to remember picture to encompass this (our brains work in pictures, so this is why it's easy and effective).

Let's look at the first consonant in the Thai alphabet (ก).

This consonant makes the G sound (/g/) when it's an initial consonant in a syllable or word, and the K sound (/k/) when it's a final sound. 

So, using a picture of Sir Galahad, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table (or for you Monty Python fans, a ker-nigget!), we superimpose the Thai consonant over the image:

See how the consonant shape conforms to the beak of the helmet, the front of the shield, and the vertical red line on the shield?

Let's zoom in:

Remembering that the consonant makes the /g/ and /k/ sounds, the name of this image is:

Galahad Ker-nigget

So, whenever you see this consonant, you can instantly recall the picture of the Galahad Ker-nigget and the first letter of each word gives you the sounds this makes as:

• an initial consonant (first letter of the first word)
• a final consonant (first letter of the second word)

But what if the consonant only has a single sound?

We use a single image word.

The second consonant in the Thai alphabet is ข.

This is a single-sound consonant that makes the /k/ sound wherever it's written in a syllable ot word.

All single-sound consonants use a picture with just a single word.

Meet...

... nope, no name needed as that'll confuse things.

It's just Kangaroo. 

In the Galahad Ker-nigget example, the first letter of each word gave us the consonant sound.

It's the same here.

Kangaroo = /k/ sound.

Single word. Single sound.

You see how easy and logical this is?

But what about the consonant class?

Thai has 3 consonant classes: High class, Middle Class, and Low Class.

We use the simplest method to denote the consonant class:

It's not something you'll ever struggle to remember, and we map the colours logically to the classes:

• Red = High class
• Yellow = Middle class (we have to use orange as the colour because yellow doesn't show up too well)
• Green = Low class

Galahad Ker-nigget is a Middle Class consonant, so we use a yellow background:

Kangaroo (ข) is a High Class consonant, so we use a red background:

Now, whenever you see the consonant ก you instantly recall the picture of a knight, remember it's name and that automatically tells you the sounds it makes (/g/ & /k/) and because it has a yellow background it's a Middle Class consonant.

Likewise with the consonant ข , you recall the image of a Kangaroo (/k/ sound regardless of where the consonant is in a syllable or word) with a red background denoting a High Class consonant.

(Consonants never change their class. A Middle Class consonant is always a Middle Class consonant.)

How effective is it?

The LTA App TRIAL VERSION

You can check out the limited functionality trial app below.

No gimmicks—just a straightforward, effective way to see for yourself and to see if it suits your learning style.

Note: you do need an Internet connection at all times.

(The app will open in a new tab and the first time around takes a few seconds to load. This is because it's hosted on AmazonS3. Once it's loaded and cached, it works much faster): 

THE LEARN THAI ALPHABET APP

In the full app, you get the following:

• All 44 consonants
• All 32 vowels
• All 5 tone marks
• 10 numbers
• Punctuation
• Quizzes for consonants (high, middle, and low class), vowels, numbers, tone marks, and punctuation
• Native speaker sounds for every character

One-time payment gets you lifetime access, including all updates!

No hidden fees, no subscriptions—just the full app, available whenever and wherever you need it.

You’ll gain access immediately after purchase through our secure members’ area.

• Still on the fence? Here’s what you’ll enjoy:
• Lifetime access—never worry about losing access, no matter how often the app is updated.
• Fully interactive learning at your fingertips, with quizzes and audio by native Thai speakers.
• A system that takes the complexity out of learning and makes it simple and fun.

Don’t let the Thai alphabet intimidate you any longer.

Take the first solid step on your great language adventure today!

FAQs

Copyright 2016-2024 Learn Thai Alphabet.com

Let's superimpose the consonant over the Kangaroo.