Middle Class Consonants

The middle class consonants (อักษรกลาง, àksǒn glaang) are the foundation of the Thai writing system. There are 9 middle class consonants, and they are the easiest group to start with because their tone rules are the most straightforward.

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Why Start with Middle Class?

Middle class consonants produce the most predictable tones:

• Live syllable (open or ending in a sonorant) with no tone mark → mid tone
• They respond to all four tone marks in a regular pattern
• They are the "baseline" — high and low class consonants modify their behaviour relative to middle class

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The 9 Middle Class Consonants