Thai Alphabet
The Thai alphabet can be confusing for a Westerner: several letters correspond to a sound very close to K for us. Learning Thai, what crazy idea will you tell me? Yes, but it is inevitable if you want to integrate in Thailand. English is sometimes poorly mastered, and speaking Thai is a mark of respect much appreciated there. It is not uncommon to see people stop in the street if they see you with a newspaper written in Thai, and look at you with wide eyes!
Learn Thai: hello, how are you? You should know that the Thai alphabet has nothing to do with what you have already seen, unless you have studied Pali or Sanskrit at some point in your life: the origins of Thai are a bit of a mixture of the two. Thai is written from left to right, there is no punctuation, and several words can be written together. The letters are not linked and there are no capital letters.
It can be scary, but it’s like everything: once the mystery is clarified, everything seems simpler. Opinions differ on learning methods, learning materials and the way of learning. Two great schools that never stop arguing: learning to read and write, or simply learning to speak it.
The first will tell you that learning to speak without writing is mission impossible, because you will miss out on tones (tonal language), while the others will tell you: writing is wasting time, speaking is already difficult enough. Indeed, there are 5 different tones in the Thai language: that’s the difficulty: the same word pronounced in a different tone can have up to five different meanings. Kao for example means “rice”, “white”, “enter” and “nine” (the number). But pronounced differently of course.
There is also the famous “kaï” which means “egg”, “chicken” and “sell”. To that we can add “krai” (Who? in Thai), and we find a good way to practice the tones by saying “Who sells chicken eggs” (Kraï Kaï kai Kai….).
Indeed, the first time you see a Thai alphabet, you will say to yourself: that’s not possible, it’s Chinese. But in fact not at all: Chinese is a language which is written with ideograms which correspond to words (you have to know at least 1000 of them to hope to read a little), while Thai is an alphabet. Each sign corresponds to a letter which are assembled to make words. A positive point: it is much easier to memorize 44 letters than 1000 ideograms.
Depending on the needs and desires of each person, it is not necessarily necessary to learn to read, speaking is already more than enough (if you spend one month of vacation per year for example). Below are our tips and resources for learning to write and speak Thai.
1 – Learn the alphabet
Essential step in learning any language: the alphabet. Because the little drawings you see are actually an alpha-syllabary alphabet made up of 44 letters. A secret: divide them into 10 and try to remember them by learning each group of 4 letters every 3-4 days. In just over a month you will know your alphabet by heart. As each letter is associated with a word, you will also know so many useful words to start speaking. Small additional difficulty: There is no spacing between words. The spaces actually serve as punctuation to distinguish each sentence.
2 – Subscribe to Learn Thai With Mod on Youtube
We are completely a fan of it. A Thai who studied in the US, she gives her lessons on YouTube. Mainly composed of small scenes (discussions) which are then dissected and explained, which allows you to retain, in addition to vocabulary, the grammar essential to speaking correctly. The best part of this method: its lessons are subtitled in English and Thai. Be careful though, she is an English speaker. For those who resist the language of Shakespeare, all that remains is to hope that Mod’s charm works!
3 – A Teacher to guide you
Like all learning, it is possible to learn alone, but it is rare to succeed. The only way to learn well (and above all to stay motivated): call on a teacher (Krou in Thai). As the Thai community is very developed worldwide, it is easy to find a teacher near you. It will cost around $15 per hour on average. If you don’t have one, or you prefer to take lessons from your couch, with the internet, everything is possible. Many teachers now give their lessons on Skype. Very practical when you have children, you stay at home, and you don’t waste time on transport.
4 – The essential Assimil method
Its main goal is to learn quickly. The method focuses its learning on the use of everyday Thai. You should therefore very quickly see the fruit of your efforts by engaging in small conversations from the first weeks. It is recommended in this method to set a goal of one lesson per day (around fifteen minutes per lesson). Easy to free up time (public transport, lunch break, before bed), it therefore allows you to keep yourself motivated. Each Lesson is composed of a dialogue that allows you to integrate new words from day to day. The little extra, the MP3s allow you to get used to the intonations of the language!
5 – Charles Degnau’s Method
Method downloadable from the internet. Many Internet users highlight this method founded by a Frenchman. Based on learning everyday Thai, it provides a more in-depth method in books (available on its site and on Amazon). Like Assimil, it also offers an audio CD to familiarize yourself with Thai.
6 – Ponyothai videos (the best)
Impossible not to mention the famous Ponyo which has been providing free and above all quality videos on Youtube for several years. She listens very often and answers the questions her subscribers ask, which is a huge asset for beginners. She also created a Thai language learning school. If you have already followed the other 7, you are on the right track. As such, we offer you 3 additional tips.
7 – Stick post-its on everyday objects
Language students are familiar with this practice. From coffee in the morning, to sugar for your tea… it’s impossible not to remember them over time by seeing them every day. And you will quickly realize that the words you miss in a discussion are often linked to everyday objects. Plus, it will prevent you from looking like an idiot when one of your friends asks you: How do you say that for example?
8 – Open up to Thais
Learning is above all an exchange. The more you speak Thai with Thai people, the more self-confidence you will gain, and the more likely you are to improve your level of Thai. Being a tonal language, it is easy to make a mistake. It would be stupid to want to ride a horse and end up with a dog (Same word (Maa), but different tone). Over time, as your level progresses, you will be able to understand a sentence without understanding all of the words (and above all know how to ask for the meaning of these words that escape). It is from this moment that learning becomes a pleasure.
9 – Only speak Thai with Thai people
Going back to English is the easy way out. It is when we have no choice that we do things. So ban English when you are in Thailand, and you will see, you will progress much faster than alone at home. Thai people in general are very patient and understanding. They will correct you and make sure that you speak very polite and perfect Thai. Their advice is the most valuable (and above all the most useful). What’s more, seeing a Farang speak Thai will please them enormously, and they will immediately give you more respect than the average tourist who makes no effort.
Be careful though, they will very often answer you in English (so not used to a foreigner making the effort to speak their language). It’s up to you to take up the challenge and respond again in Thai.