Trouble Reading Various Fonts and Stylized Script

[CrashTestDummy]

Greetings,

I've been keeping busy the last few months learning to read and write Thai. I feel like I now have a decent handle on reading Thai.

I've just arrived in Thailand and now I'm finding I'm having a lot of trouble recognizing Thai characters when they're printed in artistic or unique fonts/script. I could read text from a newspaper, magazine article or other clearly-printed source, but store signs, billboards and handwritten text are hard to read because the font is so different from the very basic and clear fonts I've been practicing with.

Can anyone suggest a website or other resource which demonstrates standard Thai characters printed in different ways?

[SoiBiker]

I have exactly the same issue. I can't offer a solution, but I'm interested to see if anyone can.

[MJCM]

I did a search for you and I found this.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/162815-learning-thai-fonts/

Unfortunately the pictures in that post are not visible anymore but maybe that topic should help a bit ?

[KhunBENQ]

62 font styles to practice:

http://www.thai-language.com/ref/typographical-styles?page=1

Yes it's sometimes hard to recognize the respecting characters compared to traditional "handwriting" style.

[SoiBiker]

62 font styles to practice:

http://www.thai-language.com/ref/typographical-styles?page=1

Yes it's sometimes hard to recognize the respecting characters compared to traditional "handwriting" style.

Good find, thanks!

[CrashTestDummy]

62 font styles to practice:

http://www.thai-language.com/ref/typographical-styles?page=1

Yes it's sometimes hard to recognize the respecting characters compared to traditional "handwriting" style.

Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

[Saastrajaa]

Best thing to do is put yourself in situations where successfully decoding these types of script MEANS something to you. Here's a good one: take a bus, without previous research on where the various routes go. They print all the route information on the side of the bus, in a stenciled font, in Thai only (at least for the non-aircon routes)...and you have to make a decision fast, and decide whether to get on or not. A big bus terminus like Victory Monument is particularly good for this activity. Plus, do it when you have to be somewhere on a schedule, as in an important appointment somewhere, etc. As I said, a situation where reading successfully will really mean something to you.

Trust me, I'm a language teacher of another SEAsian language that uses a non-Roman script like Thai does!

[Saastrajaa]

Another one is to put yourself in a meaningful, fast-paced reading (and writing) situation, such as a Facebook chat or texting on a cellphone. Do you have a Thai girlfriend? Discuss an important issue with her in Thai in a texting situation. The font may not be one of the "strange" ones you wrote about trying to master, but the heightened urgency of needing to read and respond is an excellent practice tool that will have benefits for all your Thai reading (and writing) needs. This (texting) is how I learned to spell in Thai. I used to sit there with my cellphone and a dictionary open at my side (12-14 years ago, pre-social media), and as time went on I got tired of having to rely on the dictionary for commonly written words, and memorized the spelling.

Advanced version of this: throw yourself into a GROUP online chat setting!! Really puts the pressure on and forces you to push your limits.

[Richard W]

There's already a discussion on the matter at Why Are Thai Letters So Hard To Read?.

[Richard W]

Best thing to do is put yourself in situations where successfully decoding these types of script MEANS something to you. Here's a good one: take a bus, without previous research on where the various routes go. They print all the route information on the side of the bus, in a stenciled font, in Thai only (at least for the non-aircon routes)...and you have to make a decision fast, and decide whether to get on or not.

That is extremely cruel, unless the stencilling's improved recently. When I tried it there were great vertical swathes missing, so one couldn't even count the letters, let alone recognise them.

[Johpa]

I am 35 years into trying to decipher stylized Thai script and haven't had all that much luck. I am having even less luck trying to parse some of the "social media" conversations. Just feeling old an out of the loop.

[painai2]

It just takes lots of practice reading Thai. You start to recognize the words in any font.

[Aforek]

It just takes lots of practice reading Thai. You start to recognize the words in any font.

Right, now I can read much more many fonts that I couldn't before, I don't know exactly why, maybe, as said above, question of practice