Learning how to read and write Thai

[mshirtad]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to learn how to read and write Thai. I am fluent in speaking. Any one know a place or private tutor I can go to that's a reasonably cheap price?

Thanks!

[AyG]

Location?

[mshirtad]

Location?

Bangkok. I work in Phayathai but take the BTS to Saphan Taksin to go home... so anywhere close to those places or along that line would probably work best for me.

[Johpa]

If you are adept at speaking then reading should come easy, but not without effort. It really just becomes memory and the tone rules that I once remembered from classes at the university have long been forgotten. Get a children's book that associates the letter with the sound. Start with simple words and don't bother trying to read a newspaper, that is a far more advanced skill. Start with childrens books, menus, or labels on bottles. Unlike English, the Thai alphabet is highly phonetic. My son is fluent in Thai, and from a very early age, but he was illiterate. But even that lazy kid eventually taught himself to read after dad, whose Thai is good but not nearly as good as son, had to read road signs and menus for him. And like almost all Thais, son can now read but knows little about the formal tone rules.

[connda]

If you are adept at speaking then reading should come easy, but not without effort. It really just becomes memory and the tone rules that I once remembered from classes at the university have long been forgotten. Get a children's book that associates the letter with the sound. Start with simple words and don't bother trying to read a newspaper, that is a far more advanced skill. Start with childrens books, menus, or labels on bottles. Unlike English, the Thai alphabet is highly phonetic. My son is fluent in Thai, and from a very early age, but he was illiterate. But even that lazy kid eventually taught himself to read after dad, whose Thai is good but not nearly as good as son, had to read road signs and menus for him. And like almost all Thais, son can now read but knows little about the formal tone rules.

Start with Thai for Beginners. The book lays out the basics in an easy to learn manner. And then give yourself time. It doesn't come quickly, it comes over time with a lot of practice. You can then use a software program like Anki Thai or Byki Thai to reinforce your learning after your comfortable with the rules. I have the opposite problem. I learned to read and write on my own, but I don't speak worth beans, and my understanding of spoken Thai is not so good. So I'm back in school, now in a level 4 speaking class, taking notes in Thai because I can't stand trying to read the transliterations. Best of luck.