thai
Thai
Thai
Upcoming:
- If you would like Thai courses on Livemocha vote here in their poll.
Essays
- Gives some tips on studying Thai on your own.
- Strategies for learning Thai on your own and with the help of the SEAsite materials.
Thai: Languages of Southeast Asia
- Interesting video with a linguist and 4 native speakers from different parts of Thailand discussing the language, literature, learning strategies and learning materials.
- A concise essay on Thai phonology, tones, writing system, related languages etc.
- Lots of information about the script, dialects, phonology, vocabulary and much more.
- Information for a learner on difficulties, usefulness, learning resources, culture, travel and more.
Comparing Thai & Lao by J. Higbie & S. Thinsan
- Compares Thai & Lao vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, script and more.
- Answers to common questions about learning Thai & Lao.
- Information on the Thai language & script with links.
- Article with diagram on the history, dialects, script, grammar and role in society of Thai.
- Concise information from a university site about the language, its history, literature etc.
About Thai by Pisith Phlong
- Information about the history of Thai, comparisons with other languages, dialects, script etc.
A Guide to the Study of Southeast Asian Languages by E. Riddle, K. Carpenter, C. J. Compton & J. Wheatley, 2000
- Great article with loads of advice on learning a language, strategies, learning different skills, maintaining a language etc.
The Farang's Guide to Asian Languages
- Covers Thai language characteristics that are important for travellers wanting to learn some of the language: grammar, sounds, script, difficulties, easy parts etc.
- Overview of the language, politeness levels and grammar.
- Interesting essay about learning Thai, the Thai script, grammar, difficulties & good things about learning the language.
- Info on the history of Thai and its relationship to other languages.
- Concise article on Thai dialects, phonology, grammar & script.
Courses
- Fantastic, thorough course with two volumes, audio, drills and a big section on Thai phonology. Now also available with Thai script.
- A 30 lesson course, reading materials, vocabulary lists, reference materials etc. A fantastic site with loads of content.
TCU Open Courseware - e-Learning Thai Language
- Huge interactive course teaching conversational & written Thai, with cartoon dialogues, audio, and varied exercises. Also with downloadable pdfs.
L-Lingo Thai Available in English, French, German & Spanish
- Interactive course with 40 lessons using pictures, audio and exercises to teach Thai phrases and vocabulary.
Learn to Read Thai with Manee & Friends
- A lovely course based on a children's Thai reader with gorgeous illustrations, reading materials, exercises, vocabulary lists etc.
- Lessons on speaking, reading, writing, listening, vocabulary, grammar, script etc. A great all-round site for everything Thai.
- Another nice site with several lessons, a phrasebook (under 'categories'), essays, links etc.
GLOSS Thai by the Defense Language Institute
- Improve your Thai with lessons on listening and reading comprehension from authentic material. Intermediate+ level.
TUFS Language Modules Only available in Japanese
- 40 video lessons teaching language patterns through dialogues. More material to come.
- Audio and video for learning basic, intermediate & advanced Thai.
- Introduces basic words and phrases with audio.
- Interactive lessons on the Thai script as well as loads of comprehension exercises for intermediate+ learners.
Websites
- Several nice in-depth lessons, links, reviews of Thai learning materials, reference section etc.
- Lots of video clips and mp3s of authentic Thai material.
- Words and phrases with audio for anyone with a Thai boyfriend/girlfriend.
- An online phrasebook with audio, only available in French.
- Multimedia games for learning numbers, colours, fruit and vegetables in Thai.
- Phrasebooks with audio available to download, some specific to the military.
- Short quiz and survival phrases with audio.
- Guides on Thai pronunciation, tones, script and lists of commercial and online resources.
- Thai vocabulary & grammar guides with pictures and mnemonics, vocab is romanised.
Thai Language Audio Resource Centre
- Sample of dialects, speech styles, folktales, poetry and listening exercises on weather reports in Thai.
- Notes from a student attending formal lessons in Thailand, as well as recommendations for resources they used. More info on Thailand and the language here.
- A collection of links for learning resources, authentic materials etc.
- 10 lessons teaching survival language in everyday situations. In romanization only.
English-Thai Vocabulary Quizzes
- Lots of quizzes for testing Thai vocabulary and expressions.
- Survival phrases with audio and articles on the language, script, poetry, pronunciation and tones.
- A photo collection of common signs in Thai, with translations.
- Great resource with 56 reading passages about Thai culture. Includes glossary and full audio.
- 4 basic conversation lessons teaching around 80 common words, uses romanization.
- Free trial flashcard program with vocab lists for learning Thai.
- A great collection of videos for learning Thai, covering topics like tones, verbs, vocabulary etc, using fun methods like roleplay, songs and more. There is also a blog with explanations for the videos.
- A collection of 40+ Thai proverbs with illustrations, audio and explanations for each proverb.
Script
- A free, downloadable e-book on the Thai alphabet with pictures and audio.
DLI Thai: Introduction to Thai Script
- Thorough book covering sounds in Thai and the Thai alphabet.
- Charts with audio & example words of each letter, info on Thai numerals & IPA transciption etc.
- Interactive lessons on the Thai script as well as loads of comprehension exercises for intermediate+ learners.
- 24 lessons introducing Thai letters with info on the class, pronunciation, usage etc and reading practice. No audio.
- Chart of Thai consonants with audio and example words.
- Charts with audio of the consonants & vowels and information on how to write Thai tones.
South East Asian Scripts & Brahmi Scripts
- Comparative charts of Brahmi & South East Asian scripts.
E-books
Fundamentals of the Thai Language
- An online reference book covering grammar, tones, vocabulary etc. Looks really useful.
DLI Thai I, II, III, IV, V, VI, glossary,
- US government audio-lingual course for the military, thorough and long but unfortunately no audio available right now.
DLI Thai Workbook I, II, reading & translation exercises
- Workbooks reviewing content covered in the DLI Thai course.
Thai Language Textbook for Foreigners from Commision on Higher Education (CHE) & Chiang Mai University, Thailand
- Free textbook covering speaking Thai in daily situations and reading & writing Thai.
- Blog post with links for downloading all 12 Manee books, as well as links for audio, podcasts, lessons, translations projects etc. associated with the Manee readers. Great for learners just starting reading.
- 4 books from the Thai reader Manee series, with illustrations, audio and vocabulary for each lesson.
Browse more Thai e-books in the Language e-books section.
Podcasts
- Video and audio podcasts teaching pronunciation, tones, the alphabet, and language for everyday situations.
- Teaches situational Thai through dialogues, which it then breaks down into vocab and grammar points. Beginners to advanced lessons available.
標準泰國語初級 Only available in Chinese (traditional characters)
- Two hosts explaining Thai phrases and vocabulary. 88 episodes.
泰國語會話中級 Only available in Chinese (traditional characters)
- Intermediate series with 88 episodes, two hosts explaining Thai sentences.
- Learn survival Thai with short and functional lessons.
- 30 short podcasts for intermediate+ Thai learners, teaching advanced vocab such as idioms, onomatopoeia, acronyms etc.
- 10 lessons and PDF guides available free, 50 more to pay for.
World Nomads Thai Language Guide
- 1 episode teaching travel phrases to get by in Thailand. Includes a romanised transcript and free iphone application.
Forums
- Extensive forums with loads of useful posts.
- Active forum on loads of different topics relating to Thai.
- Big forum with threads on lots of different topics, including Thai phrases, tips, resources and advice.
- Large forum with English and Thai sections about the Thai language, culture etc.
- Small forum for Thai learners.
Blogs
- Thoughts on the Thai language, media and culture.
Women Learning Thai ... and some men too
- Blog by an expat living in Thailand with reviews of different materials, cheat sheets, tips etc. Loads of useful stuff as well as an extensive collection of free materials for learning Thai.
Learn Thai Language & Thai Alive
- 2 blogs by the same person explaining Thai grammar, phrases & vocabulary for specific situations with pictures & videos.
- Lots of posts with articles in Thai to practise reading, with English translation, vocabulary notes, Thai script and transliteration.
- Posts about the author's experiences and reflections while learning Thai.
- Analyses Thai linguistics, gives advice on learning Thai, business Thai help etc.
- Posts on Thai vocabulary, grammar and short Thai texts for reading comprehension.
- Interesting blog about learning Thai, Thai language resources, Thai films and media, reading in Thai, grammar and more.
- Professional blog on Thai culture, vocabulary, grammar, tones and more.
Authentic Materials
- Videos of Thai songs with English subtitles and Thai subtitles in Thai script and transliteration. Great resource.
- Huge collection of thai songs with audio, English translation, Thai script and transliteration.
- Funny Thai TV commercials.
- Huge collection of Thai texts and stories, graded for difficulty, with vocabulary lists and lots of interactive tools to help the reader.
- Collection of funny Thai videos to practise listening, for beginning to advanced learners.
- An English learning program for Thai speakers, but light, entertaining storylines and jokes are useful for advanced learners.
- Radio segments in Thai on art & culture, news, sport, lifestyle etc.
- Watch live TV from a variety of Thai TV channels.
VOA, NHK, CRI, Kom Chad Luek, Bangkok Biz News, Daily News & Thairath Daily
- News articles and radio in Thai.
- Blog with videos spoofing modern Thai culture.
Technical
- A Firefox add-on that gives you the definition of any Thai, Lao, Burmese or Khmer word.
Longdo Dictionary Available in De, Fr, En & Jp
- Multilingual searchable dictionary with pop-up internet translator. However, you cannot specify particular dictionaries.
- Translates & transliterates Thai to English and also gives translations of websites.
- Searchable one-way dictionary with online Thai keyboard.
SEAlang Library Thai Dictionary
- Searchable one-way Thai-English dictionary.
- Searchable two-way dictionary with audio.
- A downloadable program for learning to type Thai.
- An online keyboard for typing in Thai script.
- A post detailing resources that the author used to learn how to type Thai on the computer.
Commerical
Review of Thai Language and Culture for Beginners by J. Hartmann, 2008
Review of Reading and Writing Thai by J. Hartmann, 2008
- SRS vocabulary trainer which teaches the most common words through various exercises such as audio and sentence quizzes. Each word has example sentences, related words and components. The first 100 words are free and the rest are subscription based.