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The high class consonants (อักษรสูง, àksǒn sǔung) are the second group to learn. There are 11 high class consonants, and they are all aspirated or fricative sounds. Their tone rules differ from middle class — most importantly, a high class consonant with no tone mark on a live syllable produces a rising tone.
| # | Character | Name | Sound (Initial) | Sound (Final) | Example Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ข | ขอ ไข่ (khɔ̌ɔ khài) | kh | k | ไข่ (khài) | Egg |
| 2 | ฃ | ขอ ขวด (khɔ̌ɔ khùat) | kh | k | ขวด (khùat) | Bottle (obsolete) |
| 3 | ฉ | ฉอ ฉิ่ง (chɔ̌ɔ chìng) | ch | — | ฉิ่ง (chìng) | Cymbals |
| 4 | ถ | ถอ ถุง (thɔ̌ɔ thǔng) | th | t | ถุง (thǔng) | Bag |
| 5 | ฐ | ฐอ ฐาน (thɔ̌ɔ thǎan) | th | t | ฐาน (thǎan) | Base/pedestal |
| 6 | ผ | ผอ ผึ้ง (phɔ̌ɔ phûeng) | ph | — | ผึ้ง (phûeng) | Bee |
| 7 | ฝ | ฝอ ฝา (fɔ̌ɔ fǎa) | f | — | ฝา (fǎa) | Lid/cover |
| 8 | ศ | ศอ ศาลา (sɔ̌ɔ sǎa-laa) | s | t | ศาลา (sǎa-laa) | Pavilion |
| 9 | ษ | ษอ ฤๅษี (sɔ̌ɔ rʉʉ-sǐi) | s | t | ฤๅษี (rʉʉ-sǐi) | Hermit |
| 10 | ส | สอ เสือ (sɔ̌ɔ sʉ̌a) | s | t | เสือ (sʉ̌a) | Tiger |
| 11 | ห | หอ หีบ (hɔ̌ɔ hìip) | h | — | หีบ (hìip) | Chest/box |
A traditional mnemonic for remembering the high class consonants:
ผี ฝาก ถุง ฐาน ข้าง ขวด ศาลา ษี สูง หี่ ฉัน (A ghost entrusted a bag at the base beside a bottle in a tall pavilion — that's me!)
Or simply remember the sounds they make — all high class consonants are either aspirated stops (kh, ch, th, ph) or voiceless fricatives (f, s, h).
| Tone Mark | Resulting Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| No mark | Rising tone | ขา (khǎa) — rising |
| ่ (mai ek) | Low tone | ข่า (khàa) — low |
| ้ (mai tho) | Falling tone | ข้า (khâa) — falling |
| ๊ (mai tri) | Not used with high class | — |
| ๋ (mai jattawa) | Not used with high class | — |
| Vowel Length | Resulting Tone |
|---|---|
| Short vowel | Low tone |
| Long vowel | Low tone |
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