Saying Bpaw Bplaa (ป)

Another consonant which is not found in the English language is ป (which I'll write as bp). This letter actually sounds like a combination of two seperate English consonants, b and p. It is subtly different though and first time learners will have to get the pronunciation correct in order to properly speak Thai in an understandable manner. Follow the mouth techniques below and you should be able to say each consonant (b, bp and p) in the right way.

• P (ผ พ ภ): Gently place your lips together, fill your mouth with air and blow out while making a sound with your voice box. If you place your hand in front of your face, you should be able to feel a breath of air come out from between your lips. While doing this, your tongue should be flat in your mouth.
• Bp (ป): This is more forceful than b or p. Squeeze your lips together tightly and then let out an explosive burst of air. What you should hear is a b sound that ends with a p sound. Again, your tongue will have no role in this. The trick here is how your lips are pressed together. Do it strongly enough and you will hear the right consonant sound. I generally bring my lips inward, smiling slightly to get the right effect.
• B (บ): For this consonant, place your lips together in a fully relaxed manner. Open them and make a sound with your voice box, leaving your tongue in its neutral position. Remember to completely relax your lips here otherwise it might sound like bp instead.

Here, b and p constitute another consonant pair. They both use the same tongue/teeth positions except that you breathe out when you say p. To tell the difference, place your hand in front of your mouth to feel the burst of air. With bp, you should also feel a slight breeze against your hand thanks to the explosive nature of how you force the air through your lips.