Thai Sara E

It marks a vowel, not a word or reaction.

Also called mai na, เ helps spell a syllable's vowel. It participates in patterns such as เ-อ, เ-ีย, and เ-ือ; the dash shows where the consonant goes. The last two represent sounds that glide between vowel positions rather than a single steady vowel.

Its history belongs to Thai writing's development from Old Khmer writing of the 10th–13th centuries. Early Thai writing from Sukhothai uses this sign in e-vowel spellings. Inscription 1, a stone inscription dated 1292, is traditionally treated as the earliest Thai record, though its authenticity is disputed.

Why is เ written before the consonant?

Thai places this vowel on the consonant's left.

Type it in the order you see: เก is เ + ก, although the consonant is spoken first. If a syllable begins with a group of consonants, เ goes before the whole group. Moving it to match pronunciation changes the text and can disrupt searching or display.

How do I type เ?

Switch to a Thai keyboard layout first.

On Windows Thai Kedmanee, use the G key for เ. Other layouts and phone keyboards have their own arrangements; do not assume the English e key produces this vowel.