Thai is both the national and official language of Thailand and is thought to have developed in an area now part of southern China. It is a member of the Tai sub-group of the Kradai language family. There are many other Tai family languages spoken in Thailand, but about 70 million people speak Thai. The Thai alphabet has a combination of 24+ vowels, 44 consonants, tone marks and its own numerals, though Thais make use of Hindu-Arabic numerals like those in English. There are no capital letters.

This page provides access to online courses, Thai/English/Thai dictionaries, cultural information, grammar, vocabulary, tutorials, podcasts, Free and Fee-based software, other selected resources and general information.

If you are aware of other quality resources - courses or specific language aspects, let the webmasters know, so they can be considered for inclusion.

Thai Language Courses

Courses

• Free Thai Lessons and Courses
  ‘We have gathered together here a number of free Thai language lessons and language courses for those learning Thai, along with some other Thai language resources, such as Thai online courses and exercises, podcasts, video lessons, alphabets, dictionaries, lexicons, verb conjugations, language communities, newspapers, articles, and books’.
• Learning Thai the Easy Way
  Check the main menu for Free resources available, from the Alphabet, grammar, listening resources, reading resources, more.
• Thai 101
  Pronunciation, Phrases & Vocabulary, Thai Language. Each section has multiple components, e.g. Language - Overview, news, dialects, scripts, grammar, vocabulary.
• Thai Basic Course
  Foreign Services Institute. PDF student text, plus MP3 tapes for audio presentations. Two Volumes with the student text. Also an introduction to Thai phonology using 19 tapes [MP3].
• Thai Home Page
  Information that goes way beyond language.
• Thai-Language.com
  ‘Your Internet resource for learning the Thai language. Find 13 136 audio clips, over 45 200 dictionary entries [all transliterated and featuring hot-link anywhere technology], 822 images and illustrations, message boards, and a fun world-wide community of folks interested in Thai language, culture, and travel’.

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Language Tools

Alphabets

• Easy Thai
  Consonants, vowels, tone marks, more. From Google Books.
• Thai Alphabet
  History, orthography, alphabet listing, other symbols, Sanskrit and Pali, Thai in Unicode, references, links. From Wikipedia.
• Thai Alphabet [2]
  ‘A table showing the Thai alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word’. Consonants and vowels.
• Thai Alphabet [YouTube]
  ‘A complete overview of the 44 consonants of the Thai Alphabet, complete with matching photos of consonant names’. Approx. 5 min. video. Links to other Thai language videos.
• Writing Thai Letters
  Part of a larger program. ‘We start with the first four letters of the Thai alphabet. When writing Thai letters, it is important that you always start with the loop. As you write each letter, say out loud the name’. 11 lessons.

Dictionaries

• English Thai Dictionary [Babylon]
  ‘A selection of general English Thai Dictionaries and glossaries with a rich and general vocabulary that offer a wide-ranged vocabulary and well written, detailed translations’.
• Free Thai Dictionary
  ‘Use our search to translate Thai to English and translate English to Thai. More Translation means there is more than one translation’.
• Lexitron
  Look up Thai or English. Appears Free to establish an account.
• Thai Language : Internet Dictionary
  Enter Thai or English Terms, use the options and find the word[s] you are after. You can also search on transliteration.
• Universal Dictionary
  English - Thai - English. Enter a word, then choose from the options.

General Sites

• Digital Dialects : Thai
  ‘Click on the links below to begin the games for learning Thai language’.
• Farang Thai
  ‘Thai learners books, audio CD’s, DVDs. Farang Thai® is Australia’s largest dedicated Thai language shop !’
• Free Thai Lessons and Courses
  ‘Free language lessons and courses for those learning Thai, along with some other Thai language resources, such as Thai online newspapers, Thai dictionaries, Thai internet radio sites, and other sources relevant to the student of Thai. Most sites in English’.
• Fundamentals of the Thai Language
  ‘FunThai is an excellent reference book; so much that some Thai teachers refer to it as the black book. It is certainly the best Thai language book that I have ever read’. Download via this site.
• Langhub
  ‘MP3 audio and MP4 video files for learning to speak and write Thai and English. Lessons are written for expats, travellers, businessmen and those simply learning a second language’.
• Learn Thai Language Online
  ‘Free Thai language learning aids from beginners to advanced levels. With hundreds of flashcards and exercises and around 3 500 audio clips, the site should be useful to most people interested in learning Thai or in improving their Thai language skills’.
• Learn to Speak Thai
  Phrasebank. Memorize key phrases, practice common dialogue, words, phrases, more.
• Reference Information and Tables
  The alphabet, tones, spelling, pronunciation, grammar, writing & typing, and more. Part of larger Thai Language site.
• Thai2English
  ‘Designed for anyone interested in translating, reading, understanding, speaking, learning, typing in Thai, beginners to experienced learners’. Dictionary [Free online], grammar, reference, transliteration, reading Thai, more. Fee-based.
• ThaiARC
  Overviews of language and writing system. alphabet [with audio], Thai phrases, pronunciation guide, poetry [with audio], CDs and books for language, programs, IT information [fonts, keyboards, etc.], some cultural information.
• Thai as a Foreign Language Knowledgebase
  ‘A resource of knowledge about learning Thai as a foreign language. The website is developed in 6 main menus’.
• Thai Language
  Languages, dialects, script, grammar, phonology, vocabulary, references, links. From Wikipedia.
• Thai Language [2]
  Characters and numerals, use a Thai dictionary, other resources.
• Thai Language Information
  ‘Main Thai language features, such as Thai alphabet, pronunciation rules, grammar, more. If needed, the input method is also described’. Links to other tools.
• Thai Language Page
  Links to pages listing programs, alphabet information, technological resources, CDs, books, survival phrases, more. Some sections have audio.
• Thai Phrasebook
  Pronunciation, vowels, consonants, words, phrases. From Wikitravel.
• Women Learning Thai … and some men too
  ‘Here it is, finally, the mother of all Free Thai resources. [The page is updated weekly, so please check back often]’. Resources for everyone interested in learning Thai.

Grammar

• Thai Grammar
  Check not only the home page but also the links under Grammar in the upper left-hand column. Part of a larger site which also covers Phrases, References and general advice
• Thai Grammar [2]
  Links to sites covering Thai Grammar.
• Thai Principles [Grammar]
  Grammar from Sentence Structure to Comparative & Superlative formats.

Vocabulary

• Online Phrase Book [Lingvosoft]
  Select Thai in the To box. ‘Featuring the natural voice of native-speakers, the application includes about 3 000 frequently used phrases, in 15 major topics, with several options for practising each phrase’.
• Survival Thai Phrases
  Pronunciation Guide and phrases grouped by topics. ‘Please click the highlighted Thai phrases to listen to the sound. [In .wav format]’.

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Other Resources

Culture

• Culture of Thailand
  Arts, religion, cuisine, sports, customs, marriage, funerals, holidays, nicknames, notes, links. From Wikipedia.
• Thai Culture
  Part of larger site about many aspects of Thailand.
• Thaifocus
  Much of the site is about visiting Thailand, but there is a large section on Culture & People, geography, flora & fauna, weather & climate, Thai media.

General Sites

• Computing with Accents, Symbols & Foreign Scripts
  Extensive information and links for all operating systems. Works with Unicode as you can see from Unicode Entity Codes for the Thai Script.
• Language Quizzes
  ‘These online quizzes are based on the Thai content in the Transparent Language’s Languages of the World program’.
• Learn to Speak Like a Thai
  Podcasts, downloads, audio books, soap operas, radio, student video blogs, more.
• Slice-of-Thai
  ‘Tasty morsels of Thai food, language, culture and general silliness’.
• SoYouWannaLearn - Thai
  Links listed under specific headings. Quite extensive.
• LearningThai.com
  Access resources including video and audio. Check the menu on the left for the full extent of these. Some Free lessons.

Podcast, Blogs, Videos

• Cracking Thai Fundamentals
  ‘The way Thais really speak Thai, not just textbook Thai’.
• Learn Thai Language Videos
  A small collection of these.
• Learn Thai Podcast
  ‘Learn the Thai language with our audio lessons’. Now also has videocasts. Comes highly recommended. Fee-based for premium lessons, many with video.
• Thai Alphabet
  Done by a US university. Requires iTunes to be installed.

Software

• AbcThai for Windows
  Text editor with translation assistance. Other Javascript applets for Thai from the same site. Freeware.
• Easy Thai Alphabet
  Free trial, but fee-based
• Learn Thai
  ‘Designed to run on Microsoft Windows systems with the Microsoft .NET framework installed. The program’s main purpose is to help students of Thai language to understand spoken Thai and to read written Thai’.
• Let’s Talk Thai
  ‘Let’s Talk Thai is the most modern, integrated course available for basic spoken Thai, using the Key-Word Method for rapid and effective learning’.
• Mister Kwai - Virtual Thai Keyboard
  Keyboard, Thai-English-Thai Dictionary, ThaiMemorisator. Freeware.
• Spoken Thai
  ‘Thai language learning software package that includes six main components and other useful tools for the beginner and advanced student’. Dictionary, speaking dictionary.
• ThaiTrainer 111
  ‘Education course with audio and illustrations in 90 lessons’.
• The Meaning
  ‘“The Meaning” is the best dictionary software in Thailand’. Freeware for Windows.

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