The Thai script – lesson 4
For those who regularly stay in Thailand or have Thai family, it is useful to have the Thai language to make it your own. With enough motivation, practically anyone of any age can learn the language. I really don't have a language talent myself, but after about a year I can still speak basic Thai. In the following lessons a short introduction with the commonly used characters, words and sounds. Lesson 3 today.
The Thai script – lesson 4
Some special characters
As you have seen in previous lessons, there are still some special characters that are above a consonant. These affect the pronunciation. You see a sign อ๊ below, which looks a bit like a 3 lying on its side. In addition you have a + (อ๋) sign. We call them 'máai trie' and 'máai tjàt-ta-waa'. These are two uncommon tone signs that match the 'máai èhk' (อ่) and 'máai thoo' (อ้) from lesson 1. These four signs come from Pali and are the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. By a radical change of the tone system, a few centuries ago, unfortunately these signs no longer represent a specific tone. Don't worry, using these signs will come later. For now you just have to remember that they do something with the tone.
| อ่ | tone sign (máai ehk), 1 |
| Oh | tone sign (máai thoo), 2 |
| อ๊ | tone sign (máai trie), 3 |
| อ๋ | tone sign (máai tjàt-ta-waa), 4 |
| อ็ | shortening mark, shortens the sound |
| อ์ | mute sign, makes the sound mute |
The other two characters here are the shortening character อ็ and a character อ์ that indicates a mute sound. The shortening sign looks a bit like a bird's beak or a sperm cell that turns around... As the name suggests, this sign indicates that the vowel should not be pronounced long, but short. The "dumb" mark looks a bit like a slanted six or zero with a curl. Thai also has loanwords from English, among others, whereby the spelling in Thai is often as close as possible to the original spelling. But because this spelling can give a misleading or impossible pronunciation (a written R at the end would be pronounced as an N in Thai) this sign is used. You then know that this letter should not be pronounced.
Continue with some plain letters:
| ท | th (aspirated) |
| M | d |
| ต | t (unaspirated) |
| Oh | oe (short sound) |
| oo | o: (long sound) |
1.
| Word | Pronunciation | Show | Meaning |
| gold | thong | m | gold |
| abdomen | thóhng | h | belly |
| ท่อ | thoh | d | pipe, hose, ditch |
| ที่ | thîe: | d | at, at (location) |
2.
| earth | from | m | earth, soil |
| good | say: | m | good |
| have | dai | d | can, be able |
3.
| dead | tough | m | die |
| must | tongue | d | moeten |
| each | thóek | h | every, whole |
4.
| กู | cow: | m | me (flat, intimate use) |
| ดู | do: | m | see |
| know | roe: | h | know |
| live | joe: | l | to be somewhere (I'm home) |
Put ไม่ (mâi) before a verb to make it negative: ไม่ รู้ (mâi róe: ) = I don't know.
In the lesson below, Mod discusses the use of 'jòe:' :
Recommended materials:
- The book the Thai languageand downloadable materials by Ronald Schütte. See: slapsystems.nl
- The textbook 'Thai for beginners' by Benjawan Poomsan Becker.
- www.thai-language.com
I hope not everyone has dropped out yet? 🙂
How much can you read already? Are there readers who are already trying to read something around them?
Take the banner from today's other posting:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/thailand-tips/naar-lumpini-park-bezoek-ook-krua-nai-baan-restaurant-uitstekende-visgerechten/
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If all goes well you can already read:
ครัว = *ruwa . ใน = nai. บ้าน = job
The last letter (kh) will come in later lesson, then you will see that it says:
khroewa – nai – bâan = kitchen – in – home. The kitchen at home.
Correction: this rare 'ai' (ใ) only appears in lesson 10. Very similar to the 'ai' (ไ) from lesson 3.
Dear Rob,
Isn't it KHroewa?
Yes, an aspirated KH. But the ค (koh khwaai) only comes in a later lesson. That's why I write it once with an asterisk (*) for the letters that followers of the lessons cannot yet read. I write the answer in full in my last line.
If all goes well, one can read the “คroewa ใnb^aan”. Where the koh-khwaai (kh) is still unknown and therefore illegible. And the AI still needs to be discussed (although it is very similar to the AI that we have already discussed).
Hi Rob,
I follow your blog regarding your Thai lessons.
Hats off looks good.
regards richard
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[khop koen khap]
ขอบคุณขอบ, thank you.
(khop koen khap)
Isn't it "khoohp kHun KHOOHP" ?
Representing phonetics in ABC remains an approximation and difference of opinion. I accidentally wrote K instead of KH. I would write 'khòp khoen kháp' myself. If I look at Ronald Schütte's book, he does it the same way.
Regarding kháp: the latter is the most common form of how men add respect/courtesy, officially it is 'khráp' (ครับ ).
What I wanted to say: in your comments at 15:01 and 15:03 in Thai script, the last word is wrong… you repeated the first word… maybe a copy-paste error?
Take a good look at that…
Hi Daniel, yes that is correct. Wrong with cut/paste. In addition, my message disappeared immediately after I pressed 'send'. The website didn't like my posts very much. Apparently the editors took it out of the trash after all.
Had to be คับ / ครับ.
Thank you you're welcome. That's what I do it for.
ขอบคุณขอบ (khop koen khap).
Dear Rob,
I started my Thai lessons with a Thai who also speaks Dutch perfectly. I can also read Thai myself and your last thank you doesn't seem quite right to me.
By the way, the w in kroewa as you write it, you don't pronounce the w. But yes it looks like it. As I said, I got my basis from a Thai, so I follow the Thai pronunciation.
from Rob.
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Mai pen rai khoen Peter.
555 I understand from this that KhunPeter alias Peter (formerly khunpeter)
and Petervz are all the same.
Greetings and have a nice day, Mart
Misunderstood.
I have such strong doubts that a non-linguistic gift at age could make himself somewhat understood in 1 year. It remains a tonal language and those who do not get it with the young spoon remain unintelligible in most cases
Fred,
Knowing all languages, including Dutch. If you were to pronounce Dutch without tones, everyone would think you're crazy. The difference is that in Dutch tones are used to express emotions such as doubt, anger, fear, etc. In Thai, the tones are important for the meaning of a word and you must therefore link them to it. Everyone can do that, some easier than others.
Could be. However, I have tried and without wanting to be haughty I can say that I am good at languages. I speak 5 very fluently.
But I bitten my teeth on Thai. Mastering that language at the age of 60 seems a bit too much to me.
I know many who know a lot of words, but hardly anyone who can have a normal conversation in Thai .... not even those who have been taking lessons for 3 years.
I stick with Chinese Japanese Thai and so on you have to start before you turn 20.
Stop it, Fred. I know quite a few people who learned reasonable Thai after the age of fifty.
You should not want to use cow and meung.
It is so flat and incomprehensible to us how to use it, but it can act like a red cloth for a bull and especially with drinking and the lack of knowledge of social status it can be life-threatening.
Yes, you better not use it yourself. Dangerous is highly exaggerated. But you have to know these words because teenagers don't talk differently. more