Thailand Starter Kit Editorial Team

Learning about onomatopoeic words in the Thai language has been quite the experience. Onomatopoeia (occasionally spelled onomateopoeia or onomatopœia, from Greek ονοματοποιία) is a word or a grouping of words that imitates the sound it is describing, suggesting its source object, such as “click,” “bunk”, “clang,” “buzz,” or animal noises such as “oink”, “slurp”, or … Read more

Thai words and phrases for being ill: how to describe symptoms, name body parts and ask for what you need at a pharmacy or hospital, with script and romanisation.

Connectors help smooth the way without resorting to stuttering and stumbling. Some are there to give you thinking space, so’s you can come up with something appropriate (or not) to say. There are almost 500 connectors (448 at last count) that have been translated from English to Thai. And with some being difficult to translate … Read more

If I were to ask you: what is the future tense word in Thai? Most of you would probably respond instantaneously-“จะ /jà/, of course!” And if I ask you: how about the most common past tense word? There are a few but you’d probably invariably select แล้ว /láeo/ as your first choice. Then let me … Read more

Here you’ll discover apps for Thai dictionaries, Thai courses, translators, OCR, studying the Thai alphabet and vocabulary, phrasebooks, pronunciation lessons, quizzes, ebooks and online bookstores, flashcards, games, keyboards, entertainment (TV and radio), newspapers and magazines, telling time, language exchange and more. The number of available apps is so GINORMOUS. If you’d like to help out … Read more

325 common Thai phrases in Thai script with English meanings and free audio for every line, plus how to drill them and where tone trips up beginners.

Note to beginners: Transliteration along with Thai script is in the explanation of the pdf download at the end of the post (tables are Thai only). How to Be Happy Before learning the emotion/feeling words, let’s learn about the grammar as it is very important for you to construct a sentence correctly in order to … Read more

1) ความรักทำให้คนตาบอดkwaam rák tam hâi kon dtaa bòtLove is blind. 2) ไก่งามเพราะขน คนงามเพราะแต่งgài-ngaam-prór-kŏn kon-ngaam-prór-dtàengFine feathers make fine birds. 3) จับปลาสองมือjàp bplaa sŏng meuSeek two things simultaneously. 4) น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตักnám kêun hâi rêep dtàkMake hay while the sun shines. 5) รำไม่ดีโทษปี่โทษกลองram mâi dee tôht bpèe tôht glongA bad workman blames his tools. Learn Thai Without the Guesswork … Read more

Thailand, like the majority of SE Asia, has a deeply embedded culture of employing house help. Housekeepers, cooks, gardeners, nannies and drivers are a normal part of the daily fabric of life out here. When expats move to this region they get the opportunity to hand their cleaning chores to others. Some wobble in alarm … Read more