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In Thai, the 42 consonants can be subdivided into 3 groups: high, medium and low class. This determines the tone of a word.
Without a tone marker it is the type of syllable that defines the tone. A dead syllable has an ending and after that ending it is not possible to extend the sound. Dead syllables have either a short or long vowel.
| Class | Alive | Dead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| short | long | ||
| Low | Mid | High | Falling |
| Middle | Mid | Low | Low |
| High | Rising | Low | Low |
Live syllables end with a long vowel, Á, ¹, § or similar sounds. Dead syllables end with a short vowel, », À, ·, ¤, ¢ or similar sounds.
Remember that in Thai consonants can change their sound depending if they are at the start or end of the word.
| Class | Íè | Íé | Íê | Íë |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Falling | High | High | Rising |
| Middle | Low | Falling | High | Rising |
| High | Low | Falling | High | Rising |
Shown using the "dead" consonant Í. Strictly speaking, the last two markers mai dtree and mai jutawah are only used with middle class consonants.
