This page started as a discussion (in 1996) in the newsgroup soc.culture.thai (also called SCT) when Flemming Steffensen asked for a list of the names of the 44 consonants. He suggested to use the TIS 620 standard as basis for the discussion (TIS stands for Thai Industrial Standard.) Unicode draws from this standard as the Unicode tables refer to TIS 620-2533:1990 (Remark: ¾.È. 2533 = A.D. 1990). Another proposed standard for Thai encoding (ISO 8859-11) follows the same order. See the TIS (Thai Industrial Standards Institute) website for detailed information.
I then compiled a complete list (from 161 until 255, the lower part of the set being the same as ASCII) and posted it to SCT, with a lot of questions attached. In the discussion that followed I received very valuable input from other SCT contributors (most notably Khun Benja - thanks!) and the idea grew to put this list on some stable place, for all to see and to comment. This stable place has been found and you are reading it <g>. Another idea that arose during the discussion was to submit the list (or at least its URL) for inclusion in the group's FAQ. Khun Trin, who officially maintains the SCT FAQs, suggested some changes to my table. Following his suggestions, I might completely rework it (split the graphical part from the "character name" part, so to speak). Come back later.
One last remark: I have used the SCT transcription scheme in my table, which has drawn some criticism, because it does not conform to any "official standard". I intend to correct this by *adding* the "official" transcription, but I feel I have to leave the SCT transcription in it, because it just is a superior system... On the other hand, I have not completely adhered to it, because I have not yet put in the tone marks (mainly because I have problems figuring out the tones myself ;-). Revision of my table so as to conform to the "de facto" standard (SCT) by adding the tone marks would be very welcome. Who can help me make this table as complete and correct as possible? Mail me now!
Note: still under revision. Come back regularly.
| Number | Character | Thai Name | English Name | Meaning | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | ¡ | ¡ ä¡è | kOO kai | Chicken | The first letter of the Thai consonant table. Some SCTers write gOO gai. |
| 162 | ¢ | ¢ ä¢è | khOO khai | Egg | - |
| 163 | £ | £ £Ç´ (¢Ç´) | khOO khuad | Bottle | Obsolete, use #162 (¢) instead. |
| 164 | ¤ | ¤ ¤ÇÒ | khOO khwaay | Buffalo | - |
| 165 | ¥ | ¥ ¥¹ (¤¹) | khOO khon | Person | Obsolete, use #164 (¤) instead. |
| 166 | ¦ | ¦ ÃЦѧ | khOO rakhang | Bell | - |
| 167 | § | § §Ù | ngOO nguu | Snake | - |
| 168 | ¨ | ¨ ¨Ò¹ | jOO jaan | Dish | - |
| 169 | © | © ©Ôè§ | chOO ching | Cymbal | Some have proposed to write shOO shing, but the SCT script is a *transcription* scheme, and this would mean mixing it with *transliteration* elements... |
| 170 | ª | ª ªéÒ§ | chOO chaang | Elephant | - |
| 171 | « | « â«è | sOO soo | Chain | - |
| 172 | ¬ | ¬ à¬Í | chOO chEE | Tree | - |
| 173 | | ËÔ§ | yOO ying | Woman | In some fonts there is a glyph at #144 () to render yOO ying without the little curl underneath, so as not to overstrike the vowels u and uu. (Only useful for poorly designed fonts?) |
| 174 | ® | ® ª®Ò | dOO chadaa | Crown | - |
| 175 | ¯ | ¯ »¯Ñ¡ | tOO patak | Goad | - |
| 176 | ° | ° °Ò¹ | thOO thaan | Base | In some fonts there is a glyph at #128 (€) to render thOO thaan without the little glyph underneath, so as not to overstrike the vowels u and uu. (Only useful for poorly designed fonts?) |
| 177 | ± | ± Á³â± | thOO mOnthoo | (a name) | Name of a mythical giant's wife in the Ramayana play |
| 178 | ² | ² ¼Ùèà²èÒ | thOO phuuthau | Old man | - |
| 179 | ³ | ³ à¬Ã | nOO neen | Novice | - |
| 180 | ´ | ´ à´ç¡ | dOO dek | Child | - |
| 181 | µ | µ àµèÒ | tOO tau | Turtle | - |
| 182 | ¶ | ¶ ¶Ø§ | thOO thung | Bag | - |
| 183 | · | · ·ËÒÃ | thOO thahaan | Soldier | Missing in some fonts, more specifically the Windows fonts with the letters UPC after
the name. Very strange, because this a common letter. |
| 184 | ¸ | ¸ ¸§ | thOO thOng | Flag | - |
| 185 | ¹ | ¹ ˹٠| nOO nuu | Rat | - |
| 186 | º | º ãºäÁé | bOO bai mai | Leaf | - |
| 187 | » | » »ÅÒ | pOO plaa | Fish | - |
| 188 | ¼ | ¼ ¼Öé§ | phOO phUng | Bee | - |
| 189 | ½ | ½ ½Ò | fOO faa | Lid | - |
| 190 | ¾ | ¾ ¾Ò¹ | phOO phaan | Tray | - |
| 191 | ¿ | ¿ ¿Ñ¹ | fOO fan | Tooth | - |
| 192 | À | À ÊÓàÀÒ | phOO samphau | Junk | - |
| 193 | Á | Á ÁéÒ | mOO maa | Horse | - |
| 194 | Â | Â ÂÑ¡Éì | yOO yak | Giant | - |
| 195 | à | à àÃ×Í | rOO rUaa | Boat | - |
| 196 | Ä | Ä | ri or rU | - | A Sanskrit consonant-vowel ligature; there is also a longer form (Äå), using #229 (å). |
| 197 | Å | Å ÅÔ§ | lOO ling | Monkey | - |
| 198 | Æ | Æ | lU | - | A Sanskrit consonant-vowel ligature; there is also a longer form (Æå), using #229 (å). |
| 199 | Ç | Ç áËǹ | wOO wAAn | Ring | - |
| 200 | È | È ÈÒÅÒ | sOO saalaa | Pavilion | I have heard this letter being spelled as ʤ (sOO khOO) because of its resemblence to #164 (¤). |
| 201 | É | É ÄåÉÕ | sOO rUsii | Hermit | I have heard this letter being spelled as ʺ (sOO bOO) because of its resemblence to #186 (º). |
| 202 | Ê | Ê àÊ×Í | sOO sUaa | Tiger | I have heard this letter being spelled as ÊÅ (sOO lOO) because of its resemblence to #197 (Å). |
| 203 | Ë | Ë ËÕº | hOO hiib | Box | - |
| 204 | Ì | Ì ¨ØÌÒ | lOO julaa | Kite | - |
| 205 | Í | Í ÍèÒ§ | ?OO ?aang | Bowl | - |
| 206 | Î | Î ¹¡ÎÙ¡ | hOO nOkhuuk | Owl | - |
| 207 | Ï | 1. ä»ÂÒŹéÍ 2. à»ÂÂÒŹéÍ 3. ¤Ñè¹ |
1. pai yaan noy 2. pEEy yaan noy 3. khan |
- 2. Nail's head (small) - |
1. The first name is for contemporary Thai, the second is used for
original Pali and Khmer texts, the third is the Khmer name. 2. See also #250 (ú). 3. Used for ellipsis and abbreviation, as in ¡ÃØ§à·¾Ï (Krungtheep, Bangkok). 4. Also used in certain fixed combinations: a) ÏÅÏ (ä»/à»Â ÂÒÅãËè, pai/pEEy yaan yai, big nailhead), which means "etc." and is spoken áÅÐÍ×è¹æ (lA Un Un) or ÅÐ (la) when reading. b) Ïà»Ï, read as à» (pee), is the Pali and Khmer variant of this. c) Ͼ³Ï, meaning ¾³ËÑÇà¨éÒ·èÒ¹ (phana huajao thaan), short form ¾³·èÒ¹ (phana thaan), meaning Excellency. This form is only used for 3 individuals, namely the Prime Minister, the House Speaker and the Head of the Supreme Court of Judges. d) ¾³Ï, also meaning Excellency and used for all other Ministers. |
| 208 | Ð | 1. ÊÃÐÍÐ 2. ÇÔÊÃê¹ÕÂì |
1. sara a 2. wisanchanii |
Vowel a | - |
| 209 | Ñ | 1. äÁéËѹÍÒ¡ÒÈ 2. äÁé¾Ñ´ |
1. mai han ?aakaat 2. mai phad |
Vowel a | 1. The first name means "stick turning in the air". 2. This name is probably derived in a way comparable to those of the consonants, i.e. by giving an example word (?). |
| 210 | Ò | 1. ÊÃÐÍÒ 2. ÅÒ¡¢éÒ§ |
1. sara aa 2. laak khaang |
Vowel aa | - |
| 211 | Ó | ÊÃÐÍÓ | sara am | Semi-vowel am | According to the Unicode table this glyph can also be obtained by combining #210 and #237, but I think this is a mistake, because the little circle is slightly offset to the left in sara am, wheras nikhahit is almost centred above the preceding letter (normally a consonant). Compare:Ó and Òí. I hope you see the same as I do ;-) |
| 212 | Ô | 1. ÊÃÐÍÔ 2. ¾Ô¹·ØÍÔ |
1. sara i 2. Phinthu i |
Vowel i | Or is it ¾Ô¹·ØìÍÔ? |
| 213 | Õ | ÊÃÐÍÕ | sara ii | Vowel ii | - |
| 214 | Ö | ÊÃÐÍÖ | sara U | Vowel U | - |
| 215 | × | ÊÃÐÍ× | sara UU | Vowel UU | - |
| 216 | Ø | 1. ÊÃÐÍØ 2. µÕ¹àËÂÕ´ |
1. sara u 2. stretched foot |
Vowel u | - |
| 217 | Ù | 1. ÊÃÐÍÙ 2. µÕ¹¤Ùé Ù |
1. sara uu 2. rolled up foot |
Vowel uu | - |
| 218 | Ú | ¾Ô¹·Ø | phinthu | Dew | Pali virama, whatever that means. Another source says this is a dictionary mark to help with pronunciation? |
| 219 | Û | - | - | - | Seems to be empty (space). In some fonts I see the same as 218 or a smaller very
fine dot on the baseline (but not the same as a final dot). Unicode says: reserved. |
| 220 | Ü | - | - | - | Seems to be empty (space). In some fonts I see a small lying square bracket under
the baseline. Unicode says: reserved. |
| 221 | Ý | - | - | - | Seems to be empty (space). In some fonts I see a thin square box. Unicode says: reserved. |
| 222 | Þ | - | - | - | Seems to be empty (space). In some fonts I see a thin square box. Unicode says: reserved. |
| 223 | ß | ºÒ· | Baath | THB | The Thai currency symbol, officially called Baht (Baath being the SCT transcription). |
| 224 | à | 1. ÊÃÐàÍ 2. äÁé˹éÒ |
1. sara ee 2. mai naa |
Vowel ee | - |
| 225 | á | ÊÃÐáÍ | sara AA | Vowel AA | - |
| 226 | â | ÊÃÐâÍ | sara oo | Vowel oo | - |
| 227 | ã | ÊÃÐãÍ / äÁéÁéǹ | sara ai / mai muan | Vowel ai | The Thai name means "rolled stick". There are only twenty words using this vowel. There is even a poem to help remember them all. |
| 228 | ä | ÊÃÐäÍ / äÁéÁÅÒ | sara ai / mai malaay | Vowel ai | The Thai name means "broken stick". |
| 229 | å | 1. ÊÃÐÍÒÂÒÇ 2. ÅÒ¡¢éÒ§ÂÒÇ |
1. sara aa yau 2. laak khaang yau |
- | This symbol is only used together with the Sanskrit ligatures 196 (Ä) and 198 (Æ) to make them longer. |
| 230 | æ | äÁéÂÁ¡ | mai yamok | - | Repetition sign (preceding word has to be read twice). Also called äÁéÊͧ (mai sOOng) or äÁé¤Ùè (mai khuu). |
| 231 | ç | 1. äÁéäµè¤Ùé 2. á»´¹éÍ |
1. mai tai khuu 2. pAAd noi |
- | Makes the sound of the vowel shorter. Also called pAAd noi (little eight), because it is the same character as the Thai digit eight (8), but smaller. |
| 232 | è | 1. äÁé àÍ¡ 2. ½¹·Í§ |
1. mai eek 2. fOn tOOng |
- | First tonal marker. |
| 233 | é | äÁéâ· | mai thoo | - | Second tonal marker. |
| 234 | ê | äÁéµÃÕ | mai trii | - | Third tonal marker. Also called jed noi (little seven), because it is the same character as the Thai digit seven (7), but smaller. |
| 235 | ë | äÁé¨ÑµÇÒ | mai jattawaa | - | Fourth tonal marker. |
| 236 | ì | 1. äÁé·Ñ³±¦Òµ 2. ¡ÒÃѹµì |
1. mai thantakaat 2. kaaran |
- | Cancellation mark. The consonant under this sign is not pronounced. |
| 237 | í | 1. ¹Ô¤¤ËÔµ¨Ø´º¹ 2. Íí 3. ¹Ä¤ËÔµ 4. ËÂÒ´¹Óé¤éÒ§ |
1. nikhahit judbon 2. ang 3. ??? 4. dew drips |
- | Final nasal. Used in Pali texts. The alternative name Íí is often pronounced am (ÍÓ). |
| 238 | î | 1. ÂÒÁÑ¡¡ÒÃ 2. »Õ¡¡Ò |
1. yaamakkaan 2. piik kaa |
- | This sign was used until 1932 (King Rama VII) when it was replaced with character 218. It means that the consonant has to be pronounced twice (once as a final consonant with the previous syllable and once as a beginning consonant with the next syllable). Piik kaa means crow's wing. |
| 239 | ï | 1. ¿Í§Áѹ 2. ¨Ø´ãËè 3. µÒä¡è |
1. fongman 2. jud yai 3. taa kai |
- | Name 1 is the Unicode name. Formerly used to indicate the beginning of a paragraph, a
kind of bullet. Some say it is used as a full stop (???). Also known as "chicken's eye" (nr. 3). |
| 240 | ð | ÈÙ¹Âì | suun | zero | Thai digit 0 |
| 241 | ñ | ˹Öè§ | nUng | one | Thai digit 1 |
| 242 | ò | Êͧ | sOOng | two | Thai digit 2 |
| 243 | ó | ÊÒÁ | saam | three | Thai digit 3 |
| 244 | ô | ÊÕè | sii | four | Thai digit 4 |
| 245 | õ | ËéÒ | haa | five | Thai digit 5 |
| 246 | ö | Ë¡ | hOk | six | Thai digit 6 |
| 247 | ÷ | à¨ç´ | jed | seven | Thai digit 7 |
| 248 | ø | á»´ | pAAd | eight | Thai digit 8 |
| 249 | ù | à¡éÒ | kau | nine | Thai digit 9 |
| 250 | ú | 1. Íѧ¤èѹ¤èÙ 2. ¢éѹ¤èÙ 3. à»ÂÂÒŨº 4. à»ÂÂÒÅÊÁºÙóì 5. ¤Ñ蹨º 6. ¤Ñè¹ÊÁºÙóì 7. »ÃÐâ¤à¡ç§ |
1. angkhankhu (Unicode name) |
- | One of the most mysterious signs. What a plethora of names! Used by students to mark the parts of a text to learn by heart. According to another source, used for ellipsis. |
| 251 | û | â¤Áٵà | khoomuut | "Bull's urine" | Marks the end of a poem or stanza. According to another source, marks the beginning of a religious text. |
| 252 | ü | - | - | - | Probably meant to be empty, but in some fonts I see the same as nr. 216, but lower. Used in some fonts under consonants that reach further under the baseline. |
| 253 | ý | - | - | - | Probably meant to be empty, but in some fonts I see the same as nr. 217, but lower. Used in some fonts under consonants that reach further under the baseline. |
| 254 | þ | - | - | - | Probably meant to be empty, but in some fonts I see the same as nr. 218, but a little
lower under the baseline. Used in some fonts under consonants that reach further under the
baseline. Someone reported a copyright sign here. |
| 255 | ÿ | - | - | - | Probably meant to be empty, but in some fonts I see a thin square box. |
