The Course
You already know your Thai consonants and vowels from Volume 1. Now it's time to make every word sound right.
Volume 2 covers the two things that stop most learners from reading real Thai: tone rules and the reading rules nobody explains. You'll learn how consonant class, live and dead syllables, and the four tone marks work together to give every syllable its tone. Then you'll tackle the advanced rules, like the hidden sa-ra-à (สระอะ), obsolete letters, and the five ways ร behaves in a word.
By the end, you'll be able to look at a Thai word you've never seen before and know how to say it, so you can read full sentences with full understanding.
What you will learn
Volume 2 has 12 video lessons (over 4 hours) across two chapters, plus downloadable books. Here's what you'll be able to do:
- Work out the tone of any syllable using consonant class and live or dead syllables
- Read all four tone marks: ไม้เอก, ไม้โท, ไม้ตรี and ไม้จัตวา
- Use the tone helpers ห นำ and อ นำ to change a word's tone
- Spot the hidden sa-ra-à (สระอะ) in words where it isn't written
- Recognize obsolete consonants and vowel sounds so they don't trip you up
- Read ร correctly in all five of the ways it's used in Thai
Most students finish in about 2 to 3 months, but you go at your own pace with lifetime access. Want a taste first? The first three tone lessons are free to preview in the curriculum below.
Curriculum
- Thai Tones and Indicators (10:12)
- Tone Rules without Tone Marks (Live Syllable) (20:52)
- Tone Rules without Tone Marks (Dead Syllable) (33:56)
- Tone Rules with Tone Marks (ไม้เอก and ไม้โท) (21:38)
- Tone Rules with Tone Marks (ไม้ตรี and ไม้จัตวา) (20:54)
- Tone Helpers: ห นำ (High-Class Rules) (13:04)
- Tone Helpers: อ นำ (Middle-Class Rules) (17:27)
- Thai Tone Summary (24:07)
Your instructor
Hi, I'm Kru Smuk, founder of BananaThai. I've spent over a decade teaching Thai, and I built Volume 2 around the questions students ask most once they can read the alphabet: why does this word sound different, and where did that vowel come from?
Tones are where most learners get stuck, so I break every rule down step by step with clear examples. My goal is simple: tones stop feeling like guesswork, and you start reading Thai sentences with real confidence.
Who it's for
You finished Volume 1 or already know your Thai consonants and vowels
What you get
12 video lessons (over 4 hours), downloadable books and lifetime access
What's next
Practice with Thai Reading Exercise to grow your vocabulary and read faster