Thai Language

If you plan to stay for six months or longer in Thailand, it is highly recommended that you take a Thai language course early on. Learning a few phrases from daily life is useful, but without structured learning your progress will often slow down quickly.

Central Thai is the official language and is understood nationwide, although many people speak regional dialects as their first language. Thai is a tonal language with its own script, which may seem complicated initially but becomes manageable with regular practice and proper instruction.

Many expatriates discover that even basic Thai language ability dramatically improves daily life, whether ordering food, speaking with taxi drivers, shopping in markets, or building friendships with local people. Even small efforts to speak Thai are usually appreciated.

Many Thai words originate from Pali, Sanskrit, and Old Khmer, while others have been adopted from Chinese and English. Loanwords are often pronounced differently, which can make them difficult to recognise for foreigners.

The most famous word adopted from French is the Thai word for all white skinned foreigners, “farang”. The word comes from the Thai pronounciation of the country France, “Farangcet”.

Week Days and Months

Although the names of the days of the week in Thai are very different from in English, they are derived from the names of planets in the same way. In a similar fashion, the names of the months in Thai are named after signs of the Zodiac.

The Thai word for Thursday is usually abbreviated to just วันพฤหัส wan pá-réu-hàt .

The names of the months of the year in Thai are long, very different from English and typically difficult for learners of Thai to remember. The names are derived from the names of signs of the Zodiac in Thai, combined with the suffix อาคม aa-kom or อายน aa-yon both of which mean “the arrival of…”. Only February has a different suffix, พันธ์ pan , which means “the tying of…”.

The names of the days of the week have a similar celestial origin, being named after the planets.

If you’re having trouble with remembering all these, there is something of a clue in the last syllable of each one. Months with 31 days all in -คม kom , months with 30 days all end in -ยน ( yon ) and only February with its 28 or 29 days has the different ending of -พันธ์ pan. In normal speech, this last syllable of the month’s name is sometimes dropped though.

TRANSLATION

Google Translate is widely used in Thailand and works well for basic communication between Thai and English. Many expatriates use it daily for menus, signs, short messages, and simple conversations.

AI assistants such as ChatGPT often provide more natural translations and better explanations of context and tone. When translating into Thai, it can sometimes help to specify your age and gender, since Thai language usage often changes depending on social context and politeness levels.

Online, the following services are free and highly useful:

https://thai2english.com
https://thai-language.com

For official translation of documents, many private agencies operate in Bangkok and other major cities. For certified translations and legalisation, services are available at the Department of Consular Affairs on Chaengwattana Road.

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Gregers Alling Moller

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