ห- and อ- changes the tone rule

There is one more important thing you have to learn in order to completely master Thai tone in which it's the topic ห- and อ- leads. When you see ห or อ leads an initial consonant, you don't pronounce ห- and อ- sounds but they will change the tone rules of the syllable.

For example, the word หมา is not pronounced 'ha-maa or hmaa' but rather just 'maa'. However the tone of the word will change according to ห- leads.

Well, it might sound complicated but it's quite simple. I will help you master this crucial topic just easy and fun!

Key Takeaways

• ห- normally leads low class consonant group 1.
• อ- normally leads ย.
• ห- and อ- are not pronounced.
• When ห- leads an initial consonant, the tone rule changed to high class tone rule (as ห is a high class consonant)
• When อ- leads an initial consonant, the tone rule changed to middle class tone rule (as ห is a middle class consonant)
• For อ- lead words, there are only 4 exist words which are อย่า, อยู่, อย่าง and อยาก

Solution

Exercise

• Read and learn the Thai vocabulary below. Pronounce and define a tone of each word. Then listen to the Thai audio to practice your pronunciation.
• Pick 5 words with ห- and อ- leads and make 5 sentences accordingly. Post them in the comment below and I will help correct your answers.