Writing and syllables

Leading consonants

See how an initial letter can change another consonant's tone rule.

หมู, pork, has a rising tone even though ม is low class. The first written letter explains it: ห is silent but gives the syllable the high-class tone rule. This is a leading consonant, อักษรนำ. Other patterns occur in อยู่, to be or stay, ตลาด, market, and ขนม, dessert.

The most familiar pattern is a silent ห before an unpaired low-class sonorant. The common combinations use ง ญ น ม ย ร ล ว. ห doesn't add an h sound; the following consonant is pronounced with a high-class tone rule. หมู begins with m and หญิง begins with y.

Silent ห before a sonorant

  • หมูmǔu

    pork

    ห gives ม the high-class rule: live syllable without a mark → rising

  • ใหม่mài

    new

    ไม้เอก with the high-class rule → low; compare falling-tone ไม่ without ห

  • หญิงyǐng

    woman; female

    silent ห gives ญ a high-class rule → rising

  • หนึ่งnʉ̀ng

    one

    ห is silent; ไม้เอก with the high-class rule → low

  • ไหมmǎi

    question particle

    ไ is written before the consonants, but ห is still the leading consonant → rising

  • หกhòk

    six

    ห is pronounced here: ก isn't a sonorant taking a silent ห

A silent อ gives ย the mid-class rule in four familiar words: อย่า, don't; อยู่, to be or stay; อย่าง, manner or kind; and อยาก, to want. Learn this small set together. อยู่ has a low tone; ย with the same mark on its own would give a falling tone.

A leading consonant can also be pronounced in a short first syllable while affecting the next one. In ขนม, ข begins a short syllable with an unwritten a. น begins the second syllable, with an unwritten o and final ม. น takes the high-class rule from ข, so the second syllable is rising. Compare นม, milk, which has a mid tone on its own. The app may show a phonetic respelling such as ขะหนม to make the implied vowel and class rule visible; the usual spelling remains ขนม.

A short first syllable with a

  • ตลาดdtà-làat

    market

    ต forms a short first syllable and supplies the next syllable with a mid-class rule; both tones are low

  • สนามsà-nǎam

    field; grounds

    high-class ส gives น its high-class rule; the second syllable is rising

  • ฉลาดchà-làat

    clever

    ล follows the high-class rule supplied by ฉ; both syllables are low

  • จมูกjà-mùuk

    nose

    จ supplies ม with a mid-class rule; the vowel between them is unwritten

  • สบายsà-baai

    comfortable; well

    บ keeps its own mid class; the second syllable has a mid tone

Ask two separate questions. First, is this one syllable or two? ปล is a cluster in ปลา; ตล isn't a cluster in ตลาด. Second, which class determines the next syllable's tone? A high- or mid-class leading letter can supply its rule to an unpaired low-class sonorant. This happens in ขนม, while บ in สบาย keeps its own class. Check the word's reading when the pattern is unfamiliar.

Common mistake

Don't join every initial consonant pair into a cluster. ขนม and ตลาด each have a short first syllable with an unwritten a. That first consonant also affects the next syllable's tone. Skipping it changes both the rhythm and your explanation of the tone.

  • อยากyàakwantกินgineatขนมkà-nǒmdessert

    I'd like something sweet.

    อยาก uses silent leading อ. ขนม has a separate short first syllable beginning with ข.

  • ตลาดdtà-làatmarketอยู่yùuis locatedที่ไหนtîi-nǎiwhere

    Where is the market?

    ต and ล don't form a cluster. ต starts a short syllable and supplies the tone class of the next one.

  • หมาmǎadogตัวdtuaclassifierนี้níithisใหญ่yàibigมากmâakvery

    This dog is very big.

    Both หมา and ใหญ่ have a silent leading ห. หมา is rising and ใหญ่ is low.

Practise

Kai says

Songkran is Thailand's traditional New Year in mid-April. Alongside the water play, people visit family and pay respect to older relatives.