The Thai Kedmanee keyboard layout explained

What Kedmanee is

Kedmanee dates from the typewriter era and is named after its designer's family name. It later became the computer standard under Thai Industrial Standard TIS 820-2538. Almost every keyboard sold in Thailand has Kedmanee legends printed on the keys, and Windows, macOS, Android and iOS all use it by default when you add Thai.

Because everyone uses it, Kedmanee is the layout worth learning. Your skill will transfer to any computer at work, in an exam room or anywhere else, with nothing to install or configure.

The full Kedmanee map

Large characters are the normal layer; small characters in the top-left corner need Shift. Key colour shows the finger that presses it, and the outlined keys are the home row.

Row by row

Number row

In Thai mode this row types letters: ๅ / - ภ ถ ุ ึ ค ต จ ข ช. Thai digits ๑–๙ and ๐ are on the Shift layer. For Arabic digits 0–9, use the numeric keypad or switch to English briefly.

Top row

ๆ ไ ำ พ ะ ั ี ร น ย บ ล and ฃ, including very common vowels such as mai han-akat, sara i, sara am and sara ai (mai malai).

Home row

ฟ ห ก ด เ ้ ่ า ส ว ง: the most frequent consonants and vowels, with mai ek and mai tho right under the right index finger.

Bottom row

ผ ป แ อ ิ ื ท ม ใ ฝ, including sara i, sara ue, sara ae and sara ai (mai muan).

The Shift layer

Thai has more characters than there are keys, so less frequent ones live on the Shift layer. The key rule: press Shift with the hand opposite the character. One hand holds Shift while the other types, so you never twist a hand.

Sara uu and mai taikhu are on the Shift layer even though they are fairly common, so beginners often type sara u or mai tho instead. Drill words like ดู, รู้, เป็น and เก็บ.

Typing order for vowels and tone marks

Computers store Thai in the order you type, not the order you see. Typed in the wrong order, text can look right but fail search and spell-check, or render oddly in some fonts. The correct order is:

1. a leading vowel (เ แ โ ใ ไ), if any, before the consonant, as you see it;
2. the initial consonant;
3. an upper or lower vowel (ิ ี ึ ื ั ็ ุ ู), if any;
4. the tone mark (่ ้ ๊ ๋) or thanthakhat;
5. trailing vowels (า ำ ะ) and final consonants.

The classic trap is sara am with a tone mark, as in น้ำ: the tone mark always comes before sara am. Typing to Learn checks this order on every character, so the right habit forms from the start.

Kedmanee vs Pattachote

Pattachote is an alternative Thai layout designed later from Thai letter-frequency statistics, to balance the work between hands and spare the weaker fingers. It is more efficient on paper but never caught on.

Beginners should learn Kedmanee. Switching layouts later means rebuilding almost all your muscle memory.

Setting up Kedmanee

• Windows 10 and 11: Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region. Add Thai and check that the keyboard is Thai Kedmanee. Switch with Windows + Space or your chosen hotkey; many Thai machines use the ` (grave accent) key.
• macOS: System Settings, then Keyboard. Under Text Input choose Edit and add Thai, which is Kedmanee (Pattachote is listed separately as Thai - Pattachote). Switch with the Globe key or Control + Space.

Typing to Learn reads physical key positions, so you can practise Kedmanee even if your system is still in English. For real work, set Thai up properly in your operating system.

Learning the layout fast

Do not try to memorise the whole map from a picture. Learn it row by row outward from the home row, typing real words from day one. The order and a four-week plan are in our Thai touch typing guide, or open the app and start level 1, where the on-screen keyboard shows the finger colours from Figure 1 on every key.

Frequently asked questions