Lesson 3

Meet Five More Thai Letters

Welcome back to Super Speed Thai!

In Lessons 1 and 2, you learned your first ten Thai consonants and started using our memory-hook method.

Remember:

Look → Imagine → Connect → Repeat

First, look carefully at the Thai letter.

Then, try to see something familiar in its shape.

Next, connect that image to the letter’s sound.

Finally, practise and review it until it becomes familiar.

Don’t worry if you don’t remember every letter immediately. That’s completely normal. The more you see the letters and retrieve them from memory, the easier they will become.

Today, we’re going to learn five more Thai consonants.

Before we start, can you remember some of the letters from the previous lessons?

ก　ข　ค　ม　น

จ　ด　ต　บ　ป

If you can’t remember them all yet, don’t worry. We’ll keep reviewing them as we go.

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Today’s Five Letters

Just look. Don’t worry about remembering yet.

Thai letter	Sound	Thai name
ฉ	ch (chair)	ฉ ฉิ่ง (chor ching)
ช	ch (chair)	ช ช้าง (chor chang)
ซ	s (sun)	ซ โซ่ (sor so)
ง	ng (sing)	ง งู (ngor nguu)
ย	y (yes)	ย ยักษ์ (yor yak)

For now, your main goal is simple:

Recognise each letter and remember its basic sound.

You don’t need to learn to read Thai words yet.

You don’t need to memorise the traditional names yet.

For now, we’re training your eyes to recognise the letters.

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Meet the Letters

Now let’s take a closer look at each letter.

Don’t just look at the character and try to memorise it.

Instead, look carefully at its shape and try to see the picture inside it.

That picture will become your memory hook.

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Letter 1 — ฉ

Sound: ch, as in chair

Thai name: ฉ ฉิ่ง (chor ching)

Memory hook: ⛓️ Chain

Take a good look at:

ฉ

Can you see a piece of chain?

Imagine that the shape is a single chain link.

Look carefully at the shape and picture a chain link in your mind.

Can you see it?

ฉ ⛓️

Great!

Now make the connection:

ฉ → ⛓️ Chain → ch

Whenever you see ฉ, think:

ฉ → Chain → ch

You don’t need to worry about the Thai name yet.

Just look at the shape, picture the chain, and remember the ch sound.

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Letter 2 — ช

Sound: ch, as in chair

Thai name: ช ช้าง (chor chang)

Memory hook: 🫖 China teapot

Now look carefully at:

ช

What does the shape remind you of?

Can you see a China teapot?

Look at the shape carefully.

Imagine a traditional teapot with:

• the handle on the left
• the spout on the right

Can you see it?

ช 🫖

Good!

Now make the connection:

ช → 🫖 China teapot → ch

The teapot helps you remember the shape, while China helps you remember the ch sound.

Whenever you see ช, think:

ช → China teapot → ch

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Letter 3 — ซ

Sound: s, as in sun

Thai name: ซ โซ่ (sor so)

Memory hook: 🫖 Slightly different China teapot

Now look carefully at:

ซ

Does it remind you of the previous letter?

It also looks a little like a teapot.

But look carefully.

There is a difference in the shape.

So imagine a slightly different China teapot.

Can you see it?

ซ 🫖

Good!

Now focus on the important word:

Slightly

The s in slightly gives you the sound.

Now make the connection:

ซ → 🫖 Slightly different China teapot → s

Whenever you see ซ, think:

ซ → Slightly different China teapot → s

This also helps you distinguish it from ช.

Remember:

ช → China teapot → ch

ซ → Slightly different China teapot → s

The similar memory hooks help you see that the shapes are related, while the differences help you tell the letters apart.

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Letter 4 — ง

Sound: ng, as in sing

Thai name: ง งู (ngor nguu)

Memory hook: 🪝 Hanging hook

Now look carefully at:

ง

What does the shape remind you of?

Can you see a hanging hook for your clothes?

Imagine a hook that you use for hanging clothes.

Look carefully at the shape and picture the hook.

Can you see it?

ง 🪝

Excellent!

Now make the connection:

ง → 🪝 Hanging hook → ng

The word hanging contains the ng sound.

So remember:

ง → Hanging hook → ng

Don’t worry about the pronunciation yet.

For now, look at the shape, picture the hanging hook, and remember ng.

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Letter 5 — ย

Sound: y, as in yes

Thai name: ย ยักษ์ (yor yak)

Memory hook: 🧍 Little man facing the wall → Why?

Now look carefully at:

ย

What does the shape remind you of?

Imagine a little man standing on a platform, facing a wall.

Look carefully at the shape and picture the little man.

Now ask yourself:

Why?

Why is the little man standing there facing the wall?

It’s a slightly silly image.

That’s exactly why it should stick.

Can you see your little man?

ย 🧍

Great!

Now make the connection:

ย → 🧍 Little man facing the wall → Why? → y

The word Why gives you the y sound.

Whenever you see ย, think:

ย → Little man facing the wall → Why? → y

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Let’s Put Them Together

Now look at all five letters again:

ฉ　ช　ซ　ง　ย

Before you think about the sounds, try to see the pictures.

ฉ → ⛓️ Chain → ch

ช → 🫖 China teapot → ch

ซ → 🫖 Slightly different China teapot → s

ง → 🪝 Hanging hook → ng

ย → 🧍 Little man facing the wall → Why? → y

Don’t worry if you can’t remember all five perfectly yet.

The important thing is that you’re actively looking at the shape and trying to see the picture.

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NB: Notice something important about ช and ซ.

They have different sounds, but their shapes are similar.

That’s why the memory hooks are useful.

ช → China teapot → ch

ซ → Slightly different China teapot → s

The similar pictures help you see the relationship between the shapes, while the extra details help you tell the letters apart.

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Drill 1 — Letter → Sound

Now let’s test your recognition.

Try to answer each one before looking at the answers.

1. ฉ = ?
2. ช = ?
3. ซ = ?
4. ง = ?
5. ย = ?

Answers

1. ฉ = ⛓️ Chain – ch
2. ช = 🫖 China teapot – ch
3. ซ = 🫖 Slightly different China teapot – s
4. ง = 🪝 Hanging hook – ng
5. ย = 🧍 Little man facing the wall – y

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Drill 2 — Memory Hook → Letter

Now let’s go in the opposite direction.

Can you use the memory hook to find the correct Thai letter?

1. ⛓️ Chain = ?
2. 🫖 China teapot = ?
3. 🫖 Slightly different China teapot = ?
4. 🪝 Hanging hook = ?
5. 🧍 Little man facing the wall → Why? = ?

Answers

1. ⛓️ Chain → ฉ
2. 🫖 China teapot → ช
3. 🫖 Slightly different China teapot → ซ
4. 🪝 Hanging hook → ง
5. 🧍 Little man facing the wall → Why? → ย

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🎉 Well Done!

You’ve completed Super Speed Thai Lesson 3 and learned five more Thai consonants!

You can now recognise ฉ ช ซ ง ย and connect each letter to its memory hook and basic sound.

Don’t worry if you can’t remember every letter perfectly yet. That’s completely normal. We’ll keep reviewing them as you continue through the course.

Fifteen letters down. You’re making great progress! 🇹🇭