How to write Thai letters: stroke order for all 44 consonants

How do you write the first Thai letters?

You write the first Thai letters by starting with the nine middle-class consonants below, the same ones you learn first to read, and Mooteach's writing practice takes you through each one.

Each one below is drawn in its stroke order and direction; select a letter for its sound, class and name.

Where do you start writing a Thai letter?

You start writing a Thai letter at its head, the small circle most consonants have.

You draw the head first and carry on from it into the rest of the letter. Where the head sits changes from letter to letter: at the top, at the bottom or partway up the side, which is why it pays to watch each letter drawn once. A few letters, such as ก and ธ, have no head; their animations show where they start.

Do you lift the pen while writing Thai?

You rarely lift the pen while writing Thai, since most consonants are one continuous stroke.

Five take a second stroke, added after the main shape: the tail under ญ and ฐ, and the small mark on top of ศ, ษ and ส. Writing each letter in one go is what makes quick handwriting readable.

Which Thai letters go above or below the line?

A few Thai letters rise above the line or dip below it, while the rest sit on it at the same height.

A few rise above it, such as ป, ฝ, ฟ and ฬ, and a few dip below it, such as ฎ, ฏ, ฐ and ญ. Telling บ from ป comes down to that one rising stroke, so keep it tall.

In what order do you write vowels and tone marks?

You write Thai vowels and tone marks in the order they sit on the page, left to right, with the tone mark last.

Write each syllable left to right as it sits on the page: a vowel that comes before the consonant first, then the consonant, then any vowel above or below it, and the tone mark last, on top. Thai vowels shows where each vowel sits, and tone marks and special characters shows the marks.

How do you write all 44 Thai consonants?

You write all 44 Thai consonants by watching each one drawn below, by class, then writing it yourself.

Select one to watch it drawn on its own page.

Middle class (9)

High class (11)

Low class (24)

Why do Thai letters on signs have no circles?

Thai letters on signs often have no circles because many modern fonts leave the heads off.

Many modern fonts, on signs, menus, packaging and logos, leave the heads off, so some letters look closer to Latin letters. Handwriting, school books and most printed text keep the heads. Learn the letters with their heads first, since the head shows where to start writing and tells look-alike letters apart; the plainer shapes are easy to read once you know them.

How do you practice writing Thai?

You practice writing Thai by watching, tracing, copying and then writing each letter from memory, the same path Mooteach's writing practice follows.

Watch a letter drawn once, noting where it starts.
Trace it a few times, saying its name out loud.
Copy it beside the original.
Write it from memory, then check it against the animation.

A few letters a day is enough, and learning them in the same order you learn to read them means every letter you write is one you can already say.

Do you need to write Thai by hand if you can type it?

You don't need to write Thai by hand to use it day to day, but writing each letter a few times helps you tell look-alike letters apart.

Most writing now happens on a keyboard: typing in Thai covers that.

Is there an app for learning to write Thai?

Yes, there is an app for learning to write Thai: Mooteach, whose writing practice takes each letter from tracing, to copying, to writing it from memory, in the same stroke order as the animations on this page, vowel signs and tone marks included.

See how Mooteach compares with other Thai apps.