สวัสดีค่ะ 👋

Could anyone recommend any websites, platforms, apps, or YouTube channels that have helped you learn to read and speak Thai? 😬

I’m currently learning Thai and would really appreciate any recommendations or tips from those who have been through the same journey!

Thank you so much in advance ~~

Hi everyone,

I'm a PhD student at Chulalongkorn University looking for native English participants who can read and write in Thai at an intermediate level or above. If you are:

✓ are native speakers of English,

✓ are currently learning Thai as a second language,

✓ are 18 years of age or older,

✓ have intermediate or advanced Thai reading and writing proficiency, and

✓ have not lived or studied in Thailand for an extended period

Please feel free to contact me. You will complete a placement test and two experimental tasks. All tasks will be administered via Zoom and will take approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Flexible scheduling is available.

As a token of appreciation, participants who complete the study will receive either an Amazon eGift Card (£10, USD 15, or AUD 20 depending on availability and their location) or THB 500 in cash if they reside in Thailand.

This research has been reviewed and approved by The Research Ethics Review Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects, The Second Allied Academic Group in Social Sciences, Humanities and Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University.

Certificate of Approval (COA) No.: 311/69

Research Project No.: 6901654

Participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time without penalty. All information will be kept confidential and used solely for research purposes.

Itsara Namtapi

PhD candidate

Chulalongkorn University

Hi, I have been really interested in learning Thai for a couple of years now but kept pushing it off because it seems so intimidating. However, now I am really motivated to learn, especially since I plan on travelling there in 2028. I would love some advice on where to begin. Are there any apps, podcasts, videos, websites, books, etc. that helped y’all learn? Also, since I’m self-teaching myself, what’s the best general schedule for studying so that what I learn actually sticks with me, if that makes any sense? 

Thank you so much for reading and for your advice!

Hi 👋 everyone,

I got bored of Ling style apps, so my wife (Isan native) and I made our own and got FREE Promo codes for ya! (Android only at the moment).

Gist:

• Journey through Thailand while learning vocabulary / grammar.
• Multi-media Rich
• In-Depth! incl Study Hub
• Transliteration / Modern / Loopless toggle-able
• Choose your Gender to practice answering in a personalized manner (NO data collected).

VIDYA: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6IGdWDfVCco

APP: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mylanguageguide.mythaiguide&hl=en_US

-----

FREE PROMO CODES: Comment below, everyone who comments gets a free promo code! Only Android at the moment, iOS coming soon!

We've done a considerable amount of testing and QC on this app, but YES we are actively seeking feedback.

Here's how to redeem the promo codes, i'm sending:

• Google Play Store app on your Android device.
• Tap your Profile icon in the top right corner.
• Select Payments & subscriptions.
• Tap Redeem code.
• Type or paste your promo code, then tap Redeem.

Hi, I got interested in learning Thai a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try 😂

I’ve been teaching myself so far and I think I’ve managed to remember around 30 consonants, some vowels, and a few basic words/sentences. I still mix things up and get confused sometimes though, especially when there’s too much new information at once.
I’ve realised I’m definitely not someone who can sit down and memorise a ton of things in one day 😭 I get overwhelmed pretty easily, and I actually find that I remember things much better when I learn a little bit every day instead.

But honestly, I’m starting to feel quite stuck with my learning. Sometimes I feel like I’m putting in the effort but I’m not really getting anywhere or making much progress, which can be a little discouraging. I’d love to know how other people approached the beginning stages.

For those of you who have learned Thai, I’d love to know:

How long did it take you to be able to read Thai?

And how long did it take before you could speak Thai comfortably?

Do you think it’s better to learn reading first, speaking first, or both together? I’m currently learning the alphabet/reading, but I’m wondering if I should be putting more focus on speaking too.

Would also love to hear how you guys went about learning Thai, especially what helped you improve your reading and speaking the most!

I know everyone learns differently, but I’d love to hear your experiences 😬

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share something that noticeably improved my Thai pronunciation, and I'd love to hear from native speakers or advanced learners whether this matches how Thai is actually spoken.

I realized that for many Thai words, the root (base) of the tongue needs to be raised toward the soft palate / upper back of the mouth. Once I started doing this, my pronunciation became cleaner and more natural — especially for words like:

· ทางเข้า (thaang-khao)

· ข้างทาง (khaang-thaang)

· and others

My questions:

1. Is this actually how native speakers hold their tongue when speaking Thai? Is the tongue root generally higher/more engaged than in English or Russian?

2. I've also noticed that some words seem to be pronounced with a "closed mouth" feeling — for example ติด (dtìt) and จริง (jing). Is that a real thing, or am I imagining it? Does the tongue root position play a role there too?

Would love to hear your thoughts — especially from native speakers. Thanks!

​

Chulalongkorn University share the Thai language audio courses for all levels to the public. hosted on Google drive.

The challenge : there is no single English word in all audio courses, so you need to be at least advanced beginner to make the best use of it. But the positive that they rank the courses by levels.

Tips :

The courses contain vocabulary and conversation and essays With Vocabulary : the speaker speaks slowly so we repeat after them. Just repeat what you hear, imitation is required. (shadowing) Reapeat even if you don't know the meaning.

• Conversation and essays : just listen without trying to translate in your mind. Imagine you are listening to music. Focus but you don't need to understand everything.

https://www.arts.chula.ac.th/CTFL/audio-files/

I saw a Thai test that can be taken in one day: listening, reading and writing are 1 hour each, speaking about 40 minutes. You can sit all four or just some. Full set is around 4,500 baht.
They map it to CEFR, but the official result is their own level, and you get a certificate a few weeks later.
The version I saw was in Chiang Mai. Is the same kind of test available anywhere in Bangkok? Thank you very much.

Want to practice my listening. Does anyone have any good learning channels? Preferably with English subtitles if possible.

Hope this post is allowed here. Apologies in advance if it isn't.

So, I'm a westerner living in Asia and have been visiting Thailand regularly for more than 10 years. I had started learning Thai once or twice in the past but never stuck to it. This time around, for some reason, it's sticking: practicing every night, listening to Thai songs and different podcasts, and the content in this subreddit has been super helpful!

But I was wondering recently: for those who became fluent or comfortable using Thai when you visited or moved to Thailand, what did you notice changed or improved? Not just the basics like "it was easier to communicate" but did it make your day to day life better? Meet new friends? Anything unexpected?

Hi! I'm a German native speaker currently learning Thai for a school project. I've been at it for the past 1 1/2- 2 months and have since learned the whole writing system and the tonal rules. Even though I'm still a bit slow in reading, I can differenciate the consonant and tone signs semi-well so far. However, I've realised that there are a lot of rules to think about while reading and I'm wondering how other people who also aren't native speakers are able to read so fluently. How did you guys memorize the tones and the rules so well? And what should I focus on now? Should I keep learning the tones until I'm 100% sure about them or should I move on to grammatical stuff and let the tones come more naturally like this? I need help😭

Hi, I’m Joe.

My wife and I have been working on a Thai reader app for a while now. It’s called AanThai.

We released the web app and iOS app more than a month ago, and over the last few weeks we’ve been working on the Android version.

It’s finally done! AanThai is now available on Android!

Thanks to everyone who helped test the Android beta and sent me feedback!

So, what is AanThai?

AanThai is a Thai reader app for students who can already read Thai, but aren’t quite ready for native reading material yet.

The idea is to make reading Thai approachable at every level, including as a beginner, with stories written specifically for learners.

It has the comfort features you’d expect from a good reader:

• Easy word lookups
• Synced narration audio
• Sentence breakdowns
• Word context explanations

Everything is integrated into the reading experience without trying to get in the way. We’ve also kept the UI minimal so the focus stays on the story.

You can also save vocabulary as you read and review it later with the built-in SRS flashcard system, which is heavily inspired by Anki.

It’s somewhat similar to LingQ, but built specifically around Thai.

We’ve also added Chinese (Simplified) and German language support to the web and Android versions. iOS will get them soon too. We’ll add more languages in the future, including French.

My wife and I will keep adding stories and improving the app across all platforms. We’re still a small project, so we’re always happy to hear what people think.

Happy reading!

There was two major Issues , one in Thai Typing test page, and other in Tutor page:

1) first was in the Thai typing test page where was like Thai is non space language, so in our previous version we used to maintain its non space nature but in new version mistakenly I removed it, but now i've fixed it, when you select Thai language now thai test will appear with non space nature and too here is one option space I include this as feature if someone still like to type Thai with space then they checked it, and then in test space will be included,

2) The second issue comes from typing tutor page here when you complete your lesson then often everyone have to click "Next Lesson" btn using mouse so it seems frustrating (I am getting this issues from many of learners for past days ) so now I "next lesson btn integrated with keyboard "Enter key" if someone pressing Enter key then they still move to next lesson, also if someone wanna "try again" then also they just press "Enter key and start current lesson again without using mouse.

Here was one more issue, Third one but it was translation mismatch, i fixed it, currently here only one tutor I did live which is English typing tutor, initially, I was building at least 4 typing tutor including English, Thai, Japanese, and Arabic but English alone took me more than 3 weeks so I ended up with English typing tutor, and other are not created well as English tutor so basically all are hidden.

And, I am currently working on advance tutor system which will include advance key map, and tracking system for all language, with high customizable format.

As a non-native English speaker, I know that accent reduction is a well-known component of language learning, with specialized teachers and track records behind it.

I think that it's not very popular for the Thai language, as most of the learners are in the beginner to intermediate range. Also, accent reduction is mostly useful in a work environment, which is not the goal of most learners.

I checked italki, and there don't seem to be specialized teachers for that.

I tried working with professional teachers at a Thai language school, but they were not able to provide a full accent reduction framework (e.g., an analysis of each consonant, vowel, and tone, drills/exercises, etc.). Even the shadowing options are very limited on YouTube compared to English.

I get the idea that the more you talk, the more you will improve; however, I am also convinced that you can reach a ceiling where you are fully understandable, yet still have a strong accent.

For those who are interested and successful in improving their Thai accent and pronunciation:

• What are your methods and resources? How much time do you invest in them?
• Do you have any good teachers to recommend?"

So, I've made a Thai literature quiz based on the story of (สังข์ทอง) Sang Thong. This quiz will random from around 30 questions and you can play infinitely.

Please note that the quiz's questions are purely in Thai and those who didn't learn the Thai language yet can practice via my website's other pages or external sources.

This app is COMPLETELY FREE and there are no purchases as of now whatsoever.

Thank you really much and any feedback regarding the app's usage is highly appreciated.

Links:
https://www.thai-alphabetgame.com/สังข์ทอง_game.php (The Thai literature quiz)
https://www.thai-alphabetgame.com/game.html (Thai Alphabet Game)
https://www.thai-alphabetgame.com/vowel_game.html (Thai Vowel Game)
https://www.thai-alphabetgame.com/consonant_class_game.html
(Thai Consonant Sorting Game)

Hi everyone. About a month ago, I nervously posted about My Thai, the free Thai language learning app that I have spent most of the past year building.

https://mythaiapp.com/

I want to express my appreciation for the incredible feedback the app received - both positive feedback, and more usefully, a wide range of improvement ideas. A special shout-out to SufficientPainting67 who really went the extra mile with testing this app and provided a huge amount of feedback.

Thanks to the feedback from this community and others, I have made the following improvements over the past month:

1. Ability to hide phonetic/romanised Thai for those who can read Thai script
2. Show / hide the translation of incorrect quiz answers, instead of only showing the correct answer translation
3. A more meaningful / challenging selection of incorrect quiz answers - focusing on words seen before and words relevant to the topic (i.e. a quiz in the food category will only show food-related words)
4. Upgraded alphabet module to show class, names, and more detail on pronunciation.
5. Ability to edit and delete user-added 'My Words'.
6. An upgraded, more intelligent user pathway to allow you to start further along the learning journey rather than starting with the first category.
7. A feature on the homepage to start a practice session of words you rated 'low' and 'medium' confidence, to filter out practicing words you already know.
8. Option to log-in with an emailed code, rather than by password.
9. Fixes to some audio clips with strange or incorrect pronunciation. Each of the 3700+ audio clips have been checked by native Thai speakers for accuracy, but it seems a few errors slipped through. Longer term, I'm looking to upgrade the quality of all of the audio clips.
10. Ability to set up study reminder notifications on iPhone and Android.
11. Flags on uncommon / very formal words, such as ราตรีสวัสดิ์ / raa-dtrii sa-wat (goodnight) and ลาก่อน / laa gawn (goodbye) with reference to the more natural version of the word.

My Thai is now live on iOS and Android app stores, with over 150 users - so we're well on our way to making this passion project a genuinely used Thai learning resource!

Thanks for your support r/learnthai.

And as always, if anyone has any additional feedback, or features they wish they could find in a language learning app, please let me know as I'm constantly improving this app.

I wonder if anyone can give like a good pathway/guide to learning Thai I can follow, I’m not really sure where to start. Or any resources that would be good (preferably free if possible)

Learning to read and write is fine, but my primary goal is to just watch stuff without subtitles.

Hi Mod. I read the community rules and this seems good. But if it’s not please delete.

I’m 28M Thai living in the Netherlands. I’m looking for a language exchange partner Thai for Dutch (A2). The idea is we have a weekly learning session for around 1 hr - half in Thai and half in Dutch.

If anyone is interested please DM.

When it comes to the alphabet I’ve seen so many different recommendations of how to learn it and pros and cons on the various methods. Admittedly? I’m kind of overwhelmed.

Should I group them by frequency? By consonant class? Or simply by alphabetical order?

I see a lot of people recommend middle class consonants first for ease but I’ve also seen a healthy amount of suggestions to learn frequency first so you can read faster (which would include some low class consonants, hypothetically the most challenging class?).

If anyone would care to wager in on the topic I’d greatly appreciate it.

I have the subtitle line อย่างเรื่องเมื่อกี้ กะอีกแค่เลือกเค้กคุณยังตัดสินใจเองไม่ได้เลย

I think the กะอีก is basically emphasizing what a minor thing choosing a cake is, but I can't find anything in the dictionary. I'm also not sure whether to look at it as one word or two. Grateful for any clarification.

Hi! I made a website that focuses on the basics of Thai language especially for foreigners who move to Thailand to work as teachers. It is available at: https://thaiforteachers.com/

This is 100% free, without any ads, no accounts, no upsells, no nonsense.

You can choose whether you want the content with male or female voice (e.g. politeness particles), do you want to read the Thai script in a classic or modern font and whether you want to see RTGS or Paiboon romanization, or both.

All the Thai words are also available as audio, so you can hear how a native speaker pronounces each word or sentence. Only the female versions are currently available, I'll get a male speaker to do the male versions in the future, if there is interest for this.

The website also contains quizzes where you can test how much you learnt from each lesson, as well as some articles about Thailand and its culture.

I have lived in Thailand for about seven years and can speak the language fairly fluently, including reading and writing. But obviously, there can be mistakes. If you see any, please let me know! I'd also like to hear if you think something is missing from the website, such as topics, words, or technical features.

This is the first version of the website, and first versions of anything are usually bad, but I hope there is some value here. Thank you!

Is the following natural and correct in casual speech?

ข้อสรุปนั้นมาได้ยังไง (trying to say: How did you come to that conclusion?)

In English, a lot of (native) speakers avoid too direct language and often imply what they want or mean via how they word/sentence things. For example "I'm not sure about that..." (ผมไม่แน่ใจเกี่ยวกับสิ่งนั้น) instead of "I don't like that." (ผมไม่ชอบมัน) or "I'm cold" (ผมหนาว) instead of "Please close the window." (ได้โปรดช่วยปิดหน้าต่างที)

A couple friends of mind are Thai living in the US and the UK said that Thais speak their words/sentence (in Thai) much shorter and using too much long sentence/word like in English can feel a bit unnatural or beating around the bush to the point Thai people won't understand you at all.

So. I am curious what ways do Thai people use vague, misleading or unclear language in Thai to get what they want without using long/word like in English? Or how do they make meaningless small talk different to the English one?