Thai word
ส
sǎw
字母 ส (saw suea) — 高辅音
How to pronounce ส
Rising tone
Starts low, rises to high
ส is written sǎw and carries the rising tone. Listen first, then copy the pitch — in Thai the pitch belongs to the word the way a vowel does.
Same syllable, five tones
Thai uses pitch to tell words apart. Below is the same syllable on each of the five tones — nothing changes but the pitch. Say your word (highlighted) on one of the other four and a Thai listener hears a different word, or none at all.
-
saw
Mid tone
-
sàw
Low tone
-
sâw
Falling tone
- ส
sǎw
Rising tone
-
sáw
High tone
What does ส mean?
Translation
字母 ส (saw suea) — 高辅音
ส (sǎw) means "字母 ส (saw suea) — 高辅音" in Thai.
Example sentences
สวัสดีครับ
sawàtdii khráp
您好。
สวัสดีครับ
sà-wàt-dii khráp
您好。
กรุณาแต่งกายสุภาพ
gà-rú-naa dtàeng gaai sù-phâap
请着装得体。
Test yourself
One word from the same tone group. Its meaning is not on this page — see whether it stuck.
What does this word mean?
หู
hǔu
Related words
More words with the rising tone — the same pitch shape, different words.
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