#9 of forty-four · high class
ฉ
cho ching
ฉ ฉิ่ง · cymbals
High class อักษรสูง
High class + no mark on a live syllable = rising tone; it reaches tones the low twins can't.
A consonant’s class exists for one reason: it decides the tone. High class + no mark on a live syllable = rising tone; it reaches tones the low twins can't. Here’s every outcome for ฉ as the initial:
| Syllable | – No mark | ◌่ mái èek | ◌้ mái thoo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liveopen or sonorant end | rising | low | falling |
| Deadstop end or short vowel | low | low | — |
Live syllable — open or sonorant end
Dead syllable — stop end or short vowel
Change the initial to another class and the same marks produce different tones — that shift is what makes tone a small system, not 44 separate facts. Derive tones on the Tones surface →
Looks like — watch the shape
The tell: ฌ adds an extra tail on the right that ฉ lacks; ฉ is the simpler shape.ฉ is /tɕʰ/ high · ฌ is /tɕʰ/ low.
Sounds like — watch the spelling
Same initial /tɕʰ/:
Same final /t/ — identical at a word’s end:
Stroke-order animation isn’t available for this letter yet. Nearly every Thai letter begins at its head — the little loop — then one continuous stroke.
Indic — Sanskrit aspirate ch.