paiboonpublishing.com) Thai-English, English-Thai Dictionary (also available as an app) lists words in phonetic Thai as well as Thai script, with audio recordings for each word.Thai belongs to one of the oldest families of languages in the world, Austro-Thai, and is radically different from most of the other tongues of Southeast Asia. Being tonal, Thai is very difficult for Westerners to master, but by building up from a small core of set phrases, you should soon have enough to get by. Most Thais who deal with tourists speak some English, but once you stray off the beaten track you’ll probably need at least a little Thai. Anywhere you go, you’ll impress and get better treatment if you at least make an effort to speak a few words.
Distinct dialects are spoken in the north, the northeast and the south, which can increase the difficulty of comprehending what’s said to you. Thai script is even more of a problem to Westerners, with 44 consonants and 32 vowels. However, street signs in touristed areas are nearly always written in Roman script as well as Thai, and in other circumstances you’re better off asking than trying to unscramble the swirling mess of letters and accents. For more information on transliteration into Roman script, see the box in this book’s introduction.
Paiboon Publishing’s (paiboonpublishing.com) Thai-English, English-Thai Dictionary (also available as an app) lists words in phonetic Thai as well as Thai script, with audio recordings for each word.
The best teach-yourself course is the expensive Linguaphone Thai (including eight CDs and an alphabet book), which also has a shorter, cheaper beginner-level PDQ version (with four CDs or available as a downloadable coursebook and audio files). Thai for Beginners by Benjawan Poomsan Becker (book with CDs or app; Paiboon Publishing) is a cheaper, more manageable textbook and is especially good for getting to grips with the Thai writing system. For a more traditional textbook, try Stuart Campbell and Chuan Shaweevongse’s The Fundamentals of the Thai Language, which is comprehensive, though hard going. The website thai-language.com is an amazing free resource, featuring a searchable dictionary with over seventy thousand entries, complete with Thai script and audio clips, plus lessons and forums; you can also browse and buy Thai language books and learning materials. There are also plenty of language classes available in Thailand.
Mastering tones is probably the most difficult part of learning Thai. Five different tones are used – low, middle, high, falling, and rising – by which the meaning of a single syllable can be altered in five different ways. Thus, using four of the five tones, you can make a sentence from just one syllable: “mái mài mâi ma˘i” meaning “New wood burns, doesn’t it?” As well as the natural difficulty in becoming attuned to speaking and listening to these different tones, Western efforts are complicated by our habit of denoting the overall meaning of a sentence by modulating our tones – for example, turning a statement into a question through a shift of stress and tone. Listen to native Thai speakers and you’ll soon begin to pick up the different approach to tone.
The pitch of each tone is gauged in relation to your vocal range when speaking, but they should all lie within a narrow band, separated by gaps just big enough to differentiate them. The low tones (syllables marked `), middle tones (unmarked syllables), and high tones (syllables marked ´) should each be pronounced evenly and with no inflection. The falling tone (syllables marked ˆ) is spoken with an obvious drop in pitch, as if you were sharply emphasizing a word in English. The rising tone (marked ˇ) is pronounced as if you were asking an exaggerated question in English.
As well as the unfamiliar tones, you’ll find that, despite the best efforts of the transliterators, there is no precise English equivalent to many vowel and consonant sounds in the Thai language. The lists below give a simplified idea of pronunciation.
Vowels
a as in dad
aa has no precise equivalent, but is pronounced as it looks, with the vowel elongated
ae as in there
ai as in buy
ao as in now
aw as in awe
ay as in pay
e as in pen
eu as in sir, but heavily nasalized
i as in tip
ii as in feet
o as in knock
oe as in hurt, but more closed
oh as in toe
u as in loot
uu as in pool
Consonants
r as in rip, but with the tongue flapped quickly against the palate – in everyday speech, it’s often pronounced like “l”
kh as in keep
ph as in put
th as in time
k is unaspirated and unvoiced, and closer to “g”
p is also unaspirated and unvoiced, and closer to “b”
t is also unaspirated and unvoiced, and closer to “d”
General words and phrases
Greetings and basic phrases
When you speak to a stranger in Thailand, you should generally end your sentence in khráp if you’re a man, khâ if you’re a woman – these untranslatable politening syllables will gain goodwill, and are nearly always used after sawàt dii (hello/goodbye) and khàwp khun (thank you). Khráp and khâ are also often used to answer “yes” to a question, though the most common way is to repeat the verb of the question (precede it with mâi for “no”). Châi (yes) and mâi châi (no) are less frequently used than their English equivalents.
Hello sawàt dii
Where are you going? pai năi? (not always meant literally, but used as a general greeting)
I’m out having fun/I’m travelling pai thîaw (answer to pai năi, almost indefinable pleasantry)
Goodbye sawàt dii/la kàwn
Good luck/cheers chôhk dii
Excuse me khăw thâwt
Thank you khàwp khun
It’s nothing/it doesn’t matter mâi pen rai
How are you? sabai dii reŭ?
I’m fine sabai dii
What’s your name? khun chêu arai?
My name is… phŏm (men)/diichăn (women) chêu…
I come from… phŏm/diichăn maa jàak…
I don’t understand mâi khâo jai
Do you speak English? khun phûut phasăa angkrìt dâi măi?
Do you have…? mii…măi?
Is…possible? …dâi măi?
Can you help me? chûay phŏm/diichăn dâi măi?
(I) want… ao…
(I) would like to… yàak jà…
(I) like… châwp…
What is this called in Thai? níi phasăa thai rîak wâa arai?
Getting around
Where is the…? …yùu thîi năi?
How far? klai thâo rai?
I would like to go to… yàak jà pai…
Where have you been? pai năi maa?
Where is this bus going? rót níi pai năi?
When will the bus leave? rót jà àwk mêua rai?
What time does the bus arrive in…? rót theŭng…kìi mohng?
Stop here jàwt thîi nîi
here thîi nîi
there/over there thîi nâan/thîi nôhn
right khwăa
left sái
straight trong
north neŭa
south tâi
east tawan àwk
west tawan tòk
near/far klâi/klai
street thanŏn
train station sathàanii rót fai
bus station sathàanii rót mae
airport sanăam bin
ticket tŭa
hotel rohng raem
post office praisanii
restaurant raan ahăan
shop raan
market talàat
hospital rohng pha-yaabaan
motorbike rót mohtoesai
taxi rót táksîi
boat reua
bicycle jàkràyaan
Accommodation and shopping
How much is…? …thâo rai/kìi bàat?
I don’t want a plastic bag, thanks mâi ao thŭng khráp/khâ
How much is a room here per night? hâwng thîi nîi kheun lá thâo rai?
Do you have a cheaperroom? mii hâwng thùuk kwàa măi?
Can I/we look at the room? duu hâwng dâi măi?
I/We’ll stay two nights jà yùu săwng kheun
Can you reduce the price? lót raakhaa dâi măi?
Can I store my bag here? fàak krapăo wái thîi nîi dâi măi?
cheap/expensive thùuk/phaeng
air-con room hăwng ae
ordinary room hăwng thammadaa
telephone thohrásàp
laundry sák phâa
blanket phâa hòm
fan phát lom
General adjectives
alone khon diaw
another ìik…nèung
bad mâi dii
big yài
clean sa-àat
closed pìt
cold (object) yen
cold (person or weather) năo
delicious aròi
difficult yâak
dirty sokaprok
easy ngâi
fun sanùk
hot (temperature) ráwn
hot (spicy) phèt
hungry hiŭ khâo
ill mâi sabai
open pòet
pretty sŭay
small lek
thirsty hiŭ nám
tired nèu-ay
very mâak
General nouns
Nouns have no plurals or genders, and don’t require an article.
bathroom/toilet hăwng nám
boyfriend or girlfriend faen
food ahăan
foreigner fàràng
friend phêuan
money ngoen
water/liquid nám
General verbs
Thai verbs do not conjugate at all, and also often double up as nouns and adjectives, which means that foreigners’ most unidiomatic attempts to construct sentences are often readily understood.
come maa
do tham
eat kin/thaan khâo
give hâi
go pai
sit nâng
sleep nawn làp
walk doen pai
Numbers
zero sŭun
one nèung
two săwng
three săam
four sìi
five hâa
six hòk
seven jèt
eight pàet
nine kâo
ten sìp
eleven sìp èt
twelve, thirteen… sìp săwng, sìp săam…
twenty yîi sìp/yiip
twenty-one yîi sìp èt
twenty-two, twenty-three… yîi sìp săwng, yîi sìp săam…
thirty, forty, etc săam sìp, sìi sìp…
one hundred, two hundred… nèung rói, săwng rói…
one thousand nèung phan
ten thousand nèung mèun
one hundred thousand nèung săen
one million nèung lăan
Time
The most common system for telling the time, as outlined below, is actually a confusing mix of several different systems. The State Railway and government officials use the 24-hour clock (9am is kâo naalikaa, 10am sìp naalikaa, and so on), which is always worth trying if you get stuck.
1–5am tii nèung–tii hâa
6–11am hòk mohng cháo–sìp èt mohng cháo
noon thîang
1pm bài mohng
2–4pm bài săwng mohng– bài sìi mohng
5–6pm hâa mohng yen– hòk mohng yen
7–11pm nèung thûm–hâa thûm
midnight thîang kheun
What time is it? kìi mohng láew?
How many hours? kìi chûa mohng?
How long? naan thâo rai?
minute naathii
hour chûa mohng
day wan
week aathít
month deuan
year pii
today wan níi
tomorrow phrûng níi
yesterday mêua wan níi
now diăw níi
next week aathít nâa
last week aathít kàwn
morning cháo
afternoon bài
evening yen
night kheun
Days
Sunday wan aathít
Monday wan jan
Tuesday wan angkhaan
Wednesday wan phút
Thursday wan pháréuhàt
Friday wan sùk
Saturday wan săo
Food and drink
Basic ingredients
kài chicken
mŭu pork
néua beef, meat
pèt duck
ahăan thalay seafood
plaa fish
plaa dùk catfish
plaa mèuk squid
kûng prawn, shrimp
hŏy shellfish
hŏy nang rom oyster
puu crab
khài egg
phàk vegetables
Vegetables
makěua aubergine
makěua thêt tomato
nàw mái bamboo shoots
tùa ngâwk bean sprouts
phrík chilli
man faràng potato
man faràng thâwt chips
taeng kwaa cucumber
phrík yùak green pepper
krathiam garlic
hèt mushroom
tùa peas, beans or lentils
tôn hŏrm spring onions
Noodles
ba miì egg noodles
kwáy tiăw (sên yaì/sên lék) white rice noodles (wide/thin)
khanŏm jiin nám yaa noodles topped with fish curry
kwáy tiăw/ba miì haêng rice noodle/egg noodles fried with egg, small pieces of meat and a few vegetables
kwáy tiăw/bamiì nám (mŭu) rice noodle/egg noodle soup, made with chicken broth (and pork balls)
kwáy tiăw/ba miì rât nâ (mŭu) rice noodles/egg noodles fried in gravy-like sauce with vegetables (and pork slices)
miì kràwp crisp fried egg noodles with small pieces of meat and a few vegetables
phàt thai thin noodles fried with egg, bean sprouts and tofu, topped with ground peanuts
phàt siyú wide or thin noodles fried with soy sauce, egg and meat
Rice
khâo rice
khâo man kài slices of chicken served over marinated rice
khâo mŭu daeng red pork with rice
khâo nâ kài/pèt chicken/duck served with sauce over rice
khâo niăw sticky rice
khâo phàt fried rice
khâo kaeng curry over rice
khâo tôm rice soup (usually for breakfast)
Curries and soups
kaeng phèt hot, red curry
kaeng phánaeng thick, savoury curry
kaeng khîaw wan green curry
kaeng mátsàman rich Muslim-style curry, usually with beef and potatoes
kaeng karìi mild, Indian-style curry
hàw mòk thalay seafood curry soufflé
kaeng liang peppery vegetable soup
kaeng sôm tamarind soup
tôm khà kài chicken, coconut and galangal soup
tôm yam kûng hot and sour prawn soup
kaeng jèut mild soup with vegetables and usually pork
Salads
lâap spicy ground meat salad
nám tòk grilled beef or pork salad
sôm tam spicy papaya salad
yam hua plee banana flower salad
yam néua grilled beef salad
yam plaa mèuk squid salad
yam sôm oh pomelo salad
yam plaa dùk foo crispy fried catfish salad
yam thùa phuu wing-bean salad
yam wun sen noodle and pork salad
Other dishes
hâwy thâwt omelette stuffed with mussels
kài phàt bai kraprao chicken fried with holy basil leaves
kài phàt nàw mái chicken with bamboo shoots
kài phàt mét mámûang chicken with cashew nuts
kài phàt khîng chicken with ginger
kài yâang grilled chicken
khài yát sài omelette with pork and vegetables
kûng chúp paêng thâwt prawns fried in batter
mŭu prîaw wăan sweet and sour pork
néua phàt krathiam phrík thai beef fried with garlic and pepper
néua phàt nám man hâwy beef in oyster sauce
phàt phàk bûng fai daeng morning glory fried in garlic and bean sauce
phàt phàk ruam stir-fried vegetables
pàw pía spring rolls
plaa nêung páe sá whole fish steamed with vegetables and ginger
plaa rât phrík whole fish cooked with chillies
plaa thâwt fried whole fish
sàté satay
thâwt man plaa fish cake
Thai desserts (khanŏm)
khanŏm beuang small crispy pancake folded over with coconut cream and strands of sweet egg inside
khâo lăam sticky rice, coconut cream and black beans cooked and served in bamboo tubes
khâo niăw daeng sticky red rice mixed with coconut cream
khâo niăw thúrian/mámûang sticky rice mixed with coconut cream and durian/mango
klûay khàek fried banana
lûk taan chêum sweet palm kernels served in syrup
săngkhayaa coconut custard
tàkôh squares of transparent jelly (jello) topped with coconut cream
Drinks (khreûang deùm)
bia beer
chaa ráwn hot tea
chaa yen iced tea
kaafae ráwn hot coffee
kâew glass
khúat bottle
mâekhŏng (or anglicized Mekong) Thai brand-name rice whisky
klûay pan banana shake
nám mánao/sôm fresh, bottled or fizzy lemon/orange juice
nám plào drinking water (boiled or filtered)
nám sŏdaa soda water
nám taan sugar
kleua salt
nám yen cold water
nom jeùd milk
ohlíang iced black coffee
thûay cup
Ordering
I am vegetarian/vegan Phŏm (male)/diichăn (female) kin ahăan mangsàwirát/jeh
Can I see the menu? Khăw duù menu nóy?
I would like… Khăw…
with/without… Saì/mâi saì…
Can I have the bill please? Khăw check bin?