Thai Basics

Thai Lesson


Thai is a tonal language that is a member of the Tai group of the Tai-Kadai language family and is spoken throughout the Southeast Asian country of Thailand. 


•    Thai language is spoken using five tones:

1.    Rising
2.    Falling
3.    High
4.    Low
5.    Middle

Speaking with correct tones is very important, as many words spoken with different tones have entirely different meanings.

On Langhub.com, we use the following accent marks to represent the different tones:


1. Ă - Rising 
2. Â - Falling
3. Á - High
4. À - Low
5. A – Middle


•    Thai uses long and short vowels. 

On Langhub.com, we use single and double vowels to represent the long and short vowels:

1. A   – Short
2. AA – Long


•    Words for "I" and "me"

In Thai, PHǑM is typically used by men when saying "I" or "me," while CHÁN is used by women when saying "I" or "me."

On Langhub.com, the statements contain PHǑM/CHÁN when the speaker is speaking of himself or herself.  Because many of the recordings were performed by a female speaker, CHÁN was used often (although not all of the time).  When speaking, make sure to use the appropriate word.

In some of the videos,  PHǑM/CHÁN was not included due to screen space constraints. 


•    Polite endings

In Thai, KRÁB is used by males at the end of statements, questions or whenever the speaker wishes to show respect, while is used by females.   Because many of the recordings were performed by a female speaker, was used often (although not all of the time).  When speaking, make sure to use the appropriate word.

In some of the videos,  KRÁB/KÀ was not included due to screen space constraints.