Thai Romanization: Converting Thai Script to English
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Thai romanization turns Thai script into Roman letters. You'll see it on street signs, menus, and maps throughout Thailand.
But there's a problem: Thai romanization is inconsistent, and it can't fully represent Thai sounds. Learning Thai script directly is the better long-term investment.
The Official System: RTGS
Thailand uses the Royal Thai General System (RTGS) as its official romanization. It was designed for maps and signage, not language learning.
RTGS Characteristics
No tone marks
Simplified vowel representation
Designed for Thai speakers reading romanized Thai
Often confusing for English speakers
Consonant Romanization
Initial Position
Thai
RTGS
Sound
ก
k
g/k
ข ฃ ค ฅ ฆ
kh
aspirated k
ง
ng
ng
จ
ch
j
ฉ ช ฌ
ch
aspirated ch
ซ ศ ษ ส
s
s
ญ ย
y
y
ฎ ด
d
d
ฏ ต
t
t
ฐ ฑ ฒ ถ ท ธ
th
aspirated t
ณ น
n
n
บ
b
b
ป
p
p
ผ พ ภ
ph
aspirated p
ฝ ฟ
f
f
ม
m
m
ร
r
r
ล ฬ
l
l
ว
w
w
ห ฮ
h
h
อ
(silent)
vowel carrier
Final Position
Final consonants often differ:
Thai
Initial
Final
ก
k
k
ด
d
t
บ
b
p
ง
ng
ng
น
n
n
ม
m
m
ย
y
i
ว
w
o
Vowel Romanization
Simple Vowels
Thai
RTGS
Sound
-ะ / -า
a
short/long a
-ิ / -ี
i
short/long i
-ึ / -ื
ue
short/long ue
-ุ / -ู
u
short/long u
เ-ะ / เ-
e
short/long e
แ-ะ / แ-
ae
short/long ae
โ-ะ / โ-
o
short/long o
-อ
o
open o
เ-าะ / -อ
o
short/long aw
Diphthongs
Thai
RTGS
Sound
ไ- / ใ-
ai
ai
เ-า
ao
ow
-ัว
ua
oo-a
เ-ือ
uea
ue-a
เ-ีย
ia
ee-a
The "Kh", "Ph", "Th" Problem
RTGS uses "kh", "ph", and "th" to show aspiration. This confuses English speakers:
kh = aspirated k (like "k" in "skin" with more breath), NOT "k" + "h"
ph = aspirated p (like "p" in "spin" with more breath), NOT "f"
th = aspirated t (like "t" in "star" with more breath), NOT "th" in "think"
