How to Learn Thai Easily
- 1). Learn the Thai alphabet. Download a Thai alphabet chart, such as the one on the Omniglot language website, print it and hang it in a prominent place in your home so that you can familiarize yourself with the shapes of the letters. Practice drawing out the letters one at a time, copying the shapes carefully from the chart. Once you can copy them confidently, cover up the chart and try to draw them from memory.
- 2). Master Thai pronunciation. Know that Thai has 20 consonants, many of which are pronounced the same as English consonants. Understand that there are also 18 vowel sounds in the language, which are divided into nine short sounds and nine long sounds. Listen to the correct pronunciation of these sounds on the Internet and practice saying them aloud. Compare your pronunciation to the recording and try to make your pronunciation as close to the examples as possible.
- 3). Study the tones of Thai. Understand that Thai is a tonal language, which means that the same word pronounced with different pitches can have different meanings. There are five tones in Thai: falling, rising, high-level, low-level and mid-level. Make learning the tones easier by using websites, such as LearningThai.com, to listen to examples of the tones and read about the factors that influence which tone you use.
- 4). Learn Thai vocabulary. Download free language software, found at the Transparent Language website, to learn Thai words in a fun and easy way. Use flash cards to master key words and phrases that will be useful when traveling in Thailand. Dedicate a certain amount of time every day to studying new words. Commence each session by reviewing the vocabulary you learned the day before to ensure that you retained it.
- 5). Practice what you have learned. Develop your listening comprehension skills in an enjoyable way by listening to podcasts, such as those on the website of Learn Thai Podcast. This is an easy way to improve your feel for how the language sounds. Listen to Thai radio broadcasts, such as those on the website BBC Thai, to hear news and current affairs in Thai and absorb new Thai vocabulary.
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