Hello,

I am trying to learn to read Thai.

I think I have learnt the alphabet so would now like to have a go at reading some words.

So far out and about I have managed to read the sign for pharmacy (yaa) with confidence but that is about it!

Due to the no spaces in between words I have no idea how to read most signs or things I see in Thai so short words would be the best start I think (with the English translation so I can check).

Is this a good approach after learning the individual characters?

In what stages did you learn to read Thai?

Thanks.

You might consider buying a first or second grade reader. They are very, very inexpensive and widely available in any SE-ED bookstore. AUA also has a good book on reading and writing Thai.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, will have a look in TESCO LOTUS tomorrow. Only problem is, will they have the transliteration so I know if I am correct or not?

Thanks, will have a look in TESCO LOTUS tomorrow. Only problem is, will they have the transliteration so I know if I am correct or not?

If you know the word in English you can look up Thai pronounciation (with sound) etc. on the Internet Thai-language.com

I use it to practice my pronounciation - works reasonably well. You are unlikely to find transliteration in a Thai book.

Edited May 11, 201016 yr by Parvis

Syllables and Tones.

Hammer that out before you move on to words.

I went with Mary Haas 'The Thai System of Writing'.

Edited May 12, 201016 yr by aitch

Thanks, will have a look in TESCO LOTUS tomorrow. Only problem is, will they have the transliteration so I know if I am correct or not?

If you know the word in English you can look up Thai pronounciation (with sound) etc. on the Internet Thai-language.com

I use it to practice my pronounciation - works reasonably well. You are unlikely to find transliteration in a Thai book.

sound advice! Much better to hear the sound rather than just reading it. Just like english once you can read a bit, you don't decipher the sound from the written word, rather you recognize the word and know which sound it is. Eg ไช่ ไช้. I don't really apply the tone rules in my head when reading these; I just know which is which.

Anyway, it's always better to have a native speaker's pronunciation.

You may want to try หัดอ่านภาษาไทยแบบใหม่ series at any se-ed bookstore if you have access to a native to practice with you. Otherwise I started with thai for beginners.

First thing.. get the consonants and the vowels.. then classes.. then rules.. when i was learning all this THAI FOR BEGINNERS by poomsan becker helped a lot.. not because i used it to teach me.. i just used it for reference. A lot of important stuff months,days, words, basic structure etc etc can be found there with transliteration, tone, and of course the words written in Thai as well.