Shangri Lingua

How to say “star” in Thai

ดาว

daao

/daːw/

ดาว means star.

Pronunciation and usage

Tone: mid

It’s used for ratings as well, so a five-star hotel is ห้าดาว (hâa daao). A movie star is a different word, ดารา (daa-raa).

Reading the romanization: the mark over a vowel shows its tone. bp and dt are a p and a t with no puff of air, while plain p, t and k have the puff. The IPA shows the exact sounds, and Learn the IPA explains how to read it.

Examples

  • คืนนี้มีดาวเต็มฟ้า

    kuen née mee daao dtem fáa/kʰɯːn níː miː daːw tem fáː/

    Tonight the sky is full of stars.

How it’s spelled

Thai is written in a fixed order, which isn’t always the order you hear. Here’s each letter of ดาว in the order you’d write it.

  • ด

    “d” starts the word.

    do dek, from เด็ก (child)Mid class

    A rounded top, with the line curling back inside at the top left. Compare ต.

  • า

    The vowel “long a”. Written after the consonant.

    sara aa

    A hook over the top and a straight drop down.

  • ว

    “w” ends the word.

    wo waen, from แหวน (ring)Low class

    A small arch curling over to the right, with a loop at the lower left.

Why the tone is mid

  1. It starts with ด, which is mid class.
  2. There’s no tone mark, so the kind of syllable decides.
  3. It ends in “w”, a sound you can hold, so the syllable is live.
  4. Mid class and live gives a mid tone.

New to consonant classes and live or dead syllables? See how Thai tones work.

Learn to write it

The Shangri Lingua app teaches ดาว in its Thai writing course. You write the word one letter at a time, with your finger or Apple Pencil, and the app checks each letter and gives you more help if you get stuck. Get it on the App Store.

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