Learn Thai, from English.
Thai looks intimidating at first — a new script and five tones — but grammar is simpler than most languages and learners make fast progress when they study in the right order. This course walks you from the alphabet and pronunciation through everyday words and conversation to real travel phrases.
Start here
Your recommended route through the course.
- START Start Here — How to Learn Thai from English Begin with the big picture — what to learn first and why.
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STEP 1 Foundation & script How Thai works — the script, romanization, and the five tones.
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STEP 2 Words & conversation basics The everyday vocabulary and polite speech you'll use constantly.
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STEP 3 Travel & daily life Thai Airports, hotels, restaurants, shopping, and getting around.
- 100 Thai Travel Phrases: Airport to EmergencyRead this article
- Restaurant Thai: Ordering, Spice Levels, Allergies & the BillRead this article
- Shopping & Bargaining in Thai: Markets, Sizes, Colors & PricesRead this article
- Getting Around: Thai for Taxis, Tuk-Tuks, BTS, MRT & BusesRead this article
- ครับ & ค่ะ: Thai Polite Speech Made SimpleRead this article
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STEP 4 Sentences & progress Core grammar patterns plus the mistakes beginners should avoid.
Browse by topic
Getting started
The big picture — what Thai is and how to approach it.
Script & sounds
The Thai writing system, romanization, and the five tones.
- How to Read the Thai Script: A Beginner's Guide How the Thai writing system works: consonants, vowels written around them, tone marks, and why there are no spaces between words.
- The Thai Alphabet & Romanization: What English Speakers Should Know The Thai alphabet explained for English readers: consonant names, the letter classes, and how romanization (English-letter spellings) works — and where it misleads.
- The Five Tones of Thai: A Beginner's Pronunciation Guide Thai's five tones (mid, low, falling, high, rising) explained: real examples where tone changes meaning, how tones are determined, and practice tips.
Words & conversation
Core vocabulary, greetings, numbers, and everyday phrases.
- 100 Basic Thai Words: The Everyday Vocabulary Starter Set 100 essential Thai words for English speakers — people, places, food, transport, numbers, time, verbs, adjectives, and question words — with sound guides and usage notes.
- 80 Essential Thai Phrases: Greetings, Thanks, Replies & Questions 80 essential Thai phrases for English speakers — greetings, thanking, apologizing, answering, asking questions, daily small talk, and what to say when you're stuck.
- Thai Numbers, Prices & Telling Time: A Complete Beginner Guide Thai numbers 0–100,000, asking prices in baht, telling time and days of the week, and the classifiers you need to count things correctly.
Travel & daily life
Phrases for airports, hotels, restaurants, shopping, and transport.
- 100 Thai Travel Phrases: Airport to Emergency 100 practical Thai phrases for travelers — airport, immigration, hotel, sightseeing, shopping, food, transport, trouble, and emergencies.
- Restaurant Thai: Ordering, Spice Levels, Allergies & the Bill Everything you need to eat well in Thailand — getting seated, ordering, spice control, allergies, takeaway, and paying the bill.
- Shopping & Bargaining in Thai: Markets, Sizes, Colors & Prices Thai for markets and shops: asking prices, bargaining politely, colors and sizes, counting your purchases, and paying.
- Getting Around: Thai for Taxis, Tuk-Tuks, BTS, MRT & Buses Thai transport vocabulary and phrases — telling drivers where to go, meters vs. flat fares, directions, Grab, tuk-tuks, BTS, MRT, and buses.
- ครับ & ค่ะ: Thai Polite Speech Made Simple How Thai politeness particles work: ครับ for men, ค่ะ for women in statements, คะ in questions — with usage, tones, and mistakes to avoid.
Grammar & review
Essential grammar patterns and the mistakes to avoid.
- Basic Thai Grammar: Word Order, Negation, Questions & Patterns Thai grammar essentials for English speakers — S+V+O word order, ไม่ negation, ไหม questions, question words, อยาก/ได้ patterns, and sentence-ending particles.
- 12 Common Thai Mistakes English Speakers Make The most frequent Thai errors English speakers make — tone blindness, wrong politeness particle, romanization traps, classifier slips — and how to fix each one.