If you have been to Thailand, then you will probably agree with the statement that Thai writing is complete gibberish. Words in Thai are not separated by spaces, which gives the impression of a cumbersome language. The writing itself is based on Sanskrit signs, which for the eyes of a Western person differ little from each other.
Phonetically, the language is so monotonous that it looks more like a drawn-out meow than human speech. However, all this - only seems at first glance. In fact, the language spoken in Thailand is not very complex, and its sound is extremely melodic.
Thailand's linguistic diversity
For us Europeans, the people of Thailand appear to be a homogeneous ethnic group. However, it is not. The territory was inhabited by people in the very distant past. For thousands of years, there have been processes of mixing of peoples, attempts at assimilation, movement of the borders of the kingdoms. These processes have been especially active in the last 300 years. As a result, numerous ethnic groups live on the territory of modern Thailand, which, despite their external similarity, speak similar, but not the same languages.
For example, the population of the northeast of Thailand, on the border with Laos - about 16 million people - speaks a mixture of Lao and Thai. By the way, Laotians and Thais perfectly understand each other. More than 6 million people living in the northern province of Kham Muang speak Northern Thai, "Yuan", the language.
In the villages located in the mountains of Chiang Mai, the languages \u200b\u200bof the ethnic tribes inhabiting this region are widespread: Shan and Ly. They are spoken by about 150 thousand people.
Of the 70.5 million people in Thailand, about 40% speak Central Thai. This is what they mean when they talk about the official Thai language. But even within it there are adverbs and dialects that make it heterogeneous.
What is the Thai language
At first glance, the Thai language is difficult for a European. Starting with the inscription of alphabetic characters and ending with tonal variations that change the meaning of the word. However, if you study Thai at least superficially, it becomes clear that this complexity, like everything in the East, is external. Grammatically, the language spoken in Thailand is simple, to say the least - "primitive".
The main features of the Thai language:
- The alphabet consists of 44 consonants, which encode 21 sounds. 28 vowels are used to link consonants.
- Sounds are pronounced with different duration and tonality, which is reflected by the corresponding signs in the letter: signs of four tones; vowel reduction sign; sign denoting a quiet consonant.
The use of these marks (called diacritics) determines the meaning of words.
- In Thai there is no category of grammatical gender, there are no declensions and conjugations. That is, words do not change in cases, genders, numbers.
- The tense system of the Thai verb is represented by 3 tenses - past, present and future. In this case, the grammatical tense of the verb is determined by a special function word that is placed before it. The verbs themselves do not change their form.
- The speaker's gender self-identification is manifested in syntax (formation of sentences) and vocabulary (words used). The same sentence spoken by a man and a woman will sound different, just as the same sentence addressed to a man and a woman will look different.
- The traditional caste system of Eastern society is reflected in Thai dialects. The same meaning is conveyed in different words depending on the status of the person to whom the speaker is addressing.
For example, consider a simple word like "yes".
| Variants of meanings and features of use | Thai variant |
| The most neutral option that expresses agreement | "tea" |
| In the meaning of confirmation or consent coming from a woman | "kha" |
| In the meaning of confirmation or consent coming from a man | "snoring" |
| A polite "yes" from a woman | "kha thaan" |
| A polite "yes" from a man | "Khrap phohm" |
| A very polite "yes" from a man | "kho rap gra phohm" |
| If a woman answers a man with a higher status | "yao kha" |
| Addressed to a person of lower status, "familiar" | "ya" |
| addressed to royalty | "phaeh kha" |
| Used in communication by Thai monks | "ya reern phon" |
| In the meaning of "true?", "really?" | "eyu" |
| In the meaning of "yes, yes, I understand ... yes" | "snort, snort, snort..." |
| In the meaning of "exactly so", "absolutely true" | "nan na si" |
The table does not list all possible meanings and variations of the word "yes" in Thai. Nevertheless, even the above 13 are quite enough to see the versatility and colorfulness of the Thai language.
How to communicate with a foreigner in Thailand
- The easiest way to communicate with Thais is through gestures. The inhabitants of Thailand, perhaps, have succeeded in this like no one else in the world. Practice shows that by gesticulating, you can solve most domestic problems level "how to get there", "how much it costs" and the like.
- If you have a rest in areas traditionally focused on tourism, for example, in Phuket, Pattaya, on the islands in the Gulf of Thailand, in any major tourist center in Thailand, then, knowing basic English, there will be no communication problems not only in the hotel, but also in other public places, and on the street. By analogy with the well-known dialect “half in Russian, half - american”, the Thais have formed their own version of a mixture of English and Thai, which is conventionally called “Thai-inglish”. If your knowledge of English is at least not lower than the level at which Thais speak it, then the language barrier will not be a big problem, at least within the framework of standard everyday situations.
- If a English language about as far from you as Thai, and, except for Russian, you don’t speak any other language, then go to Pattaya or Phuket. There are hotels, streets, and even where everything is in the usual language, and most vacationers came from countries that used to be part of the USSR.
- It is a completely different matter if you are going to rest in the not quite touristic provinces of Thailand. For example, in which tourists are not uncommon, few people know English, and even Tayinglish will not save. There is no need to talk about Russian.
Sign language is appropriate here, but basic Thai words are better to master. Here are the main ones:
Me (female) - “shang” Me (male) - “pho:m” How much does it cost? - "thaw paradise?" Where is …? - "thi: nya: th ...?" Shop - ran cham Toilet - hong nam Pharmacy - "ran khai ya" Hospital - "rong phayaban" Thank you - "khop khu:n" Sorry - "kho thod" No - "mai" Yes - "tea" Good - "di"
It should be borne in mind that in Thai pronunciation, the sound "x" is conditional. This is not the dull sound we are used to in European languages. But, rather, aspiration, "semi-sound", a hint of sound. Because of this, you can often find variability in the spelling of place names: for example, Surrathani and Surratani. Among other phonetic features, attention should be paid to the sound "p", which is also often reduced, deafened.
You immediately hear Thai speech, and throughout your stay in this country, it continues to accompany us everywhere.
Thai is the official language of the Kingdom of Thailand and is spoken by about 46 million people and more and more more people are studying it.
Despite the fact that English is considered an international language, in Thailand, not everyone knows its basic phrases, and even more so they speak it.
Of course, you can meet individuals who communicate well in English, and sometimes even in Russian, but this is still a rarity.
If the tourist assumes that his Fluency English will solve any language barriers with the local population, then this is clearly not about Thailand.
- And the Russian language is not even worth mentioning. Here, Thai is needed for communication.
Therefore, in order not to find yourself in an uncomfortable situation when you can’t communicate with a Thai in any way, and in order not to resort to sign language or drawing pictures, you should at least learn a little about the native language of Thailand before the trip.
This beautiful melodious speech is unusually attractive, and one wants to understand what it means.
Of course, in order to understand the language and be able to communicate fluently in Thai, careful study and continuous practice is necessary.
However, if the traveler is just starting to get to know the country itself, it would be ideal for him to know the basic phrases of the Thai language that can come in handy at any time: greetings, farewells, gratitude, basic questions, numbers, colors and basic terms.
It is worth noting that there are tourists (especially in tourist cities) who forget that they are in a foreign country - visiting.
Unfortunately, they act as if all the people in the service staff are required to know their native language, and get very angry when they are not understood.
But it is worth remembering that in this country you are a guest, and you need to be grateful that you are so warmly welcomed.
Respect for traditions, observance of local norms of decency - knowledge of the language or its basic phrases is just as important.
When you speak to Thais in their native language, you can immediately see the reaction - respect and gratitude.
Although most Thais, of course, understand words like Hello, Thank you, Okey ...
But seeing a foreigner trying to greet or thank them in broken Thai makes them smile and smile. Thus, we are guaranteed recognition among the "good" tourists.
This Russian-Thai Phrasebook will undoubtedly come in handy when traveling.
Important point! In Thai conversation, it is customary to add a specific word at the end of each sentence. This means respect and respect for the interlocutor.
If a man speaks, he adds " khap"and if a woman, then -" kha". It is recommended to use these add-ons constantly.
For example, the greeting will sound like this: "Sawat di: khap" on behalf of men and "Savat di: kha" on behalf of women.
The Thai language is melodious and melodic. Many sounds in phrases are drawn out. In the phrase book, they are indicated by a colon. An inscription in Thai has been added in case the conversation fails to pronounce the desired phrase - it can simply be shown or written.
For convenience, phrases are combined into groups according to situations.
Basic phrases
- Hello - Savat di: / สวัสดี
- Goodbye - Savat di: / สวัสดี
- Thank you - Kho:p kun / ขอบคุณ
- Please - Karuna: / กรุณา
- Sorry - Kho:tho:d / ขอโทษ
- It's okay - Mai pen rai / ไม่มีปัญหา
- Yes - Tea / ใช่
- No - May / ไม่
- Good - Dee: / ดี
- Yesterday - Mye wa:n / เมื่อวาน
- Today - Vanni / วันนี้
- Tomorrow - Phrung ni: / วันพรุ่งนี้
Acquaintance
- My name is Chang chi: / ฉันชื่อ
- What is your name? - Khun chi: arai / คุณชื่ออะไร
- How are you doing? - Sabay di mai
- Ok thanks - Sabay di:
Questions
- Where? - Thi: nai / ที่ไหน?
- Where? - Pai nai
- When? - Mya: paradise / เมื่อไหร่
- Why? - Tham mai / ทำไม?
- At what time? - gi: mo:ng
- Where are you going? - Khun cha pan nai / คุณหายไปไหน
- How much is it? - Thau rai / เท่าไหร่?
- It's free? - An ni: fries: tea mai
- Is there a discount? - Lod give mai
Difficulties in speaking
- I don't understand - Chan mai khau tai / ฉันไม่เข้าใจ
- Please speak slowly - Karuna: phu:d cha:kua ni: / กรุณาพูดช้ากว่านี้
- I understand - Khau tai / เข้าใจ
Where is?
- Where is …? - Yu: thi nai / คือ ... ที่ไหน?
- Pharmacy - Ran kha:y ya: / ร้านขายยา
- - Rong Phayaban / โรงพยาบาล
- Doctor - Mo: / หมอ
- Police station - Satani Tamrout/ronpak / สถานีตำรวจ
- Grocery store - Ra:n cham / ร้านชำ
- Laundry - Sak ri:d / ซักรีด
- Toilet - Hong na:m / ห้องน้ำ
- Elevator - Li:f / ลิฟต์
Taxi
- … - Chuoy song chan thi
- At this address - Tam thi yu: ni:
- To the airport - Sleep: m bin
Telephone
- May I have your phone number? - Kho bae thorasap khong khun
- May I call you? - Kho cha:y thorasap khong khun dai mai
- It's Urgent - Mi ryang duon
Hotel, inn
- We have a problem - Rao mi: pan ha
- I would like ... - Phom to: ng ka: n
- I would like to take a room on a higher floor - Phom to:ng ka:n ho:ng thi: yu: chang soo:ng
- I would like a number ... - Chan To: ng ka: n hong mi:
- With double bed - Tieng khu:
- Double - Khong Khu:
- With bath - A:ng on:m
- With shower - Fakbuo
- Baby crib - Tieng daek
- Swimming pool - Sa wai on: m
- Towel - Pha: ched tuo
- Does not work ... - This
- Conditioner - Khryang prab aka:t
- Phone - Thorasap
- TV - Thorathad
- The light went out - Fai dub
- The toilet is clogged - Suom ud tan
- The faucet is flowing - Kok on: m pid may snit
- The lock is broken - Klo: n Pratu this
- Room key - Gong che:ho:ng
- I lost my room key - Chan tham kuntie hong ha:y
- I slammed the door of my room - Jang bae:d hong mai o:k
- Please wake me up at… - Karuna: pluk chan vela
Restaurant
- Menu Please - Kho: Menu Noi
- Do you have a menu in Russian? - Khun ni menu pasa: ratsie mai
- Do you have a menu for kids? - Khun ni menu dec may
- Without spices - Mai to:ng sai phrik
- Could you bring... - Kho: ...may
- Glass - Neung ke:u
- Plate - Tya:n
- Knife - Mi:t
- Spoon - Cho:n
- Fork - Co:m
- Ashtray - Thi: chi:e boo ri
- Napkins - Pha: th: t we:
- Delicious - Aro:y / อร่อย
- Bill please - Check bean
Food and drink
- Rice - Kha:u
- Vegetables - Phak
- Shrimp - Kung
- Kalmar - Plamyk
- Chicken - Guy
- Pork - Mu:
- Beef - Nue
- Bread - Khanompang
- Water - Nam plow
- Tea - Cha:
- Coffee - Cafe
- Milk - Nom sod
- Fresh squeezed orange juice - Na:m som khan
- Wine - Lau wah:y
- Beer - Bie:
- Ice - Nam khang
Pharmacy, hospital
- What do you advise from ... - Chuoy nanam me:
- Cough - Kai
- Diarrhea - Ke: thong siye
- Pain in the stomach - Ke: puod to: n
- Insect sting - Tha ke: maleng cad toy
- Sunburn- Cream gun dead
- Doctor - Mo:
- It hurts me - Chan zhep
- It Hurts Right Here - Puod Thini
- It hurts ... - Puod
- Head - Huo
- Throat - Kho
- Ear - Hu
- Belly - Thong
- Back - Lang
- I have a sick heart - pen rock huotai
- I have high/low blood pressure - Khwam dan sung
- I'm diabetic - Chang pen rok bawwan
- On ... a month of pregnancy - Chan to: n ... dyan
Incidents
- I lost my luggage - Chan tham krapau ha:y
- They stole from me ... - Chan thu: to khamoy
- Luggage/bag - Krapau
- - Krapau tang
- Passport - Nangsy den thang
- Camera - Khlong Thai Rup
- Help me please - karuna chuoi duoi
- Please call ... - Karuna suoy riek
- ambulance- Rot Phayaban
- Police - Tamroth
- There was an accident - Cad ubathet
- Car hit me - Roth jung chan
- I need an interpreter - Jang tonggan hai ple
Numbers
- 0 - Su:n / ศูนย์ - ๐
- 1 - Nung / หนึ่ง - ๑
- 2 - So:ng / สอง - ๒
- 3 - Sa:m / สาม - ๓
- 4 - Si: / สี่ - ๔
- 5 - Ha: / ห้า - ๕
- 6 - Hawk / หก - ๖
- 7 - Tiet / เจ็ด - ๗
- 8 - Pat / แปด - ๘
- 9 - Ka:u / เก้า - ๙
- 10 - Sip / สิบ - ๑๐
- 11 - Sip et / สิบเอ็ด - ๑๑
- 12 - Sip so:ng / สิบสอง - ๑๒
- 20 - Dee: sip / ยี่สิบ - ๒๐
- 30 - Sa:m sip / สามสิบ - ๓๐
- 31 - Sa:m sip et / สามสิบเอ็ด - ๓๑
- 32 - Sa:m sip so:ng / สามสิบสอง - ๓๒
- 40 - C: sip /
- 50 - Ha: sip /
- 100 - Ro:y / ร้อย - ๑๐๐
- 120 - Nung ro: y di: sip /
- 200 - So: ng ro: y /
- 250 - So: ng ro: y ha: sip /
- 500 - Ha: swarm /
- 1 000 - Neung pan / พัน - ๑ ๐๐๐
- 10 000 - We:n / หมื่น - ๑๐ ๐๐๐
- 100 000 - Se:n / แสน - ๑๐๐ ๐๐๐
- 1 000 000 - La:n / ล้าน - ๑ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
Colors
- White - Khau
- Black - Dam
- Gray - Thau
- Yellow - Lye:ng
- Green - Khie:u
- Blue - Na:m ngen
- Red - Dae:ng
The official language of the Kingdom of Thailand is Thai. This language is spoken by 46 million people. In addition to the main language, there are more than 70 dialects in the island kingdom. Of these, only three have a significant distribution.
History of the main language
Thai belongs to the Thai language group. Laos, Burma, China and Vietnam are the closest language groups of this language. Of these, there are many loanwords in Thai.
Thais appeared on the Indochina Peninsula around 400 BC. They came from South China, where even today it is possible to find settlements of ethnic Thais.
In the 10th century, the Thais fell under Khmer domination. But the king of Sukhothai freed them and founded the first capital among the Thai settlements. Then his descendant decided to carry out a written reform of the language in order to rid Thai of Khmer words. The resulting version was called Sukhothai. Thus, in 1283, the first ancient Thai script was born.
In 1378, Ayutthaya was recognized as the new capital of the kingdom. King Narai transformed the ancient script in a new way, and it became known as "Narai". Thais use this version of the letter even today.
AT modern language Thailand 76 letters. Of these, only 44 letters have Thai roots, the rest are borrowings from Sanskrit and Pali. Many letters represent the same sounds, which greatly complicates the study of the language.
Every Thai word starts with a dot on paper. Words consist of one syllable, practically do not change in cases, have no gender. In Thailand, the language is very similar to the languages of China. Linguists have identified many identical words in these two directions.
You can also not dream about verbs and parts of speech in Thai. One syllable can indicate both a noun and an action. Like Chinese, Thai uses counting words.
The language in Thailand is considered difficult; when studying it, there are often certain difficulties in perception. Words in Thai do not merge into a single sound, but are clearly pronounced separately. There are many ambiguities in the language rules that require clarification for each individual situation.
Thai dialects
There are three main dialects in the Kingdom of Thailand:
- Yuan;
- Thai;
- Isansky.
Speakers of dialects understand each other well in Everyday life. The above language groups can be divided into less common dialects depending on the region where the Thais live.
Thai and English
International English for many countries, for Thais is a real stumbling block. The average Thai may know a couple of words in this language, but they will be pronounced in such a way that a true Englishman will hardly understand the meaning.
Some Thais study English seriously, but their pronunciation is just as bad as that of those who do not learn it at all. This is due to the habit of speaking in their native language in a special way, which affects the phonetic hearing and pronunciation of Thais.
Thailand is not only a place to relax in a hot climate, it is also a whole culture consisting of different beliefs, rituals and habits. The local population considers their language advanced and modern, proud of it, composes songs and poems in it.
The language in Thailand for foreigners is of great importance when a trip to Thailand is made for the purpose of living there. If a person goes there just to relax, then a minimum supply of English and a couple of polite words in Thai. In addition, if there is a serious language barrier, you can always explain yourself with gestures.
Thailand annually attracts more and more Russians who go there not only as tourists, but also for permanent residence. And many migrants are wondering how to learn Thai.
Why learn a language?
Before you wonder how to learn the Thai language, you need to decide why to do it. Proper goal setting will allow you to quickly learn speaking and prevent discomfort from the language barrier. It could be:
- travel;
- business;
- migration.
How to learn a language?
If the goal is clear, then you need to start studying the lexical minimum. This concept was introduced by the Swedish polyglot Erich Gunnemark, who believed that when learning any language, you need to master:
- lexical minimum (about 400 words);
- phrase minimum;
- grammatical minimum.
The same can be said about the Thai language - words and phrases must be learned thoroughly in order to answer without thinking and hesitation. Practice shows that you can learn from 10 to 50 words a day.
Features of the Thai language
The Thai language has the following features:
- words are written together, only sentences are separated by spaces;
- there is no inflection in it, that is, there is no declension, conjugation;
- the function and meaning of the word determines its place in the sentence;
- the meaning of the word also directly depends on the tone of the voice - a word spoken in a descending or rising tone will have a different meaning (there are 5 keys in Thai - descending, ascending, low, high and neutral);
- most of the words are borrowings from Sanskrit, Pali, Old Khmer, Chinese and English;
- vocabulary is very rich - depending on the context and style of speech, concepts can be expressed in different words.
Based on the features, it is, of course, possible to learn the Thai language quickly and independently for a Russian speaker, but the process will have a number of difficulties. To avoid them, initially you need to try to listen to Thai speech, and practice a lot. The course "Thai for beginners" includes the development of the alphabet, correct application tones and the study of the lexical minimum.
Alphabet and Grammar
The Thai alphabet is a mixture of the alphabets of 3 languages - Thai, Pali and Sanskrit. Total: 76 letters, some of which have the same pronunciation.
Grammar is the framework of any language, as it allows native speakers and foreigners to understand each other. But unlike there are no inflections, and the main thing here is the correct setting of tone.
Thai language: verbs
The list is based on the most frequently used words in the English language.
| Pronunciation in Thai | Translation in Russian |
|
|
List of required words: adjectives
The necessary minimum of words for a tourist
Thai language for tourists includes the words you need to travel around the country. When speaking, you need to add at the end of the sentence: khrap (men) and kha (women). These words are an analogue of the Russian ending -those in verbs take dine and etc.
- Savatdy / Lakon - Hello / Goodbye.
- Cop kun - Thank you.
- Sabay di mai - How are you?
- Whose aray - What is your name?
- Phom chiu - My name is.
- Khotkot - I'm sorry.
- Di tai thi dai phop khun - Nice to meet you.
- Mi khrai phut pahasa angkrit (ratsia) - Does anyone speak English (Russian)?
- Ni thao rai? - What is the price?
- Mai pheng / Pheng maak - Inexpensive / Expensive.
- Ni arai - What is it?
- Tai rup give mai? - Can I take a photo?
- Yu thi nai? - Where is?
- Chai / Mei Chai - Yes / No.
- Naam plao - Water.
- Cafe - Coffee.
- Cha - Tea.
- Roon - Hot.
- Yen - Cold.
- Aroy maak - Very tasty.
- Mai Phet - Not spicy.
- Ko check beat - Please check.
If you doubt the correct intonation during pronunciation, then you can use a translator with audio pronunciation, which can be downloaded to your phone or tablet in advance.
Resources for Learning Thai
When learning a language, one should not bypass the achievements of modern technology. These include everything related to the Internet:
Thai language learning aids range from grammar and vocabulary sites to music and movie sites.
Youtube channels - a search query returns hundreds of answers for those who want to learn Thai through user channels. But there are only a few leaders. Among them is a little girl, Eva, who will teach the alphabet. On the next channel, you can already move from letters to conversation and dialogues. On the teacher's channel of Siam Sunrise School, you can learn to read in Thai in just 6 hours - that's 18 lessons of 20 minutes. Teacher Anatoly Borets promises to teach speaking without an accent with the correct setting of tones.
Publics and groups in social networks- another good way learn Thai. The advantage of publics is that here you can share knowledge or, conversely, learn new things from other people who are learning the language. One of the popular publics in VK is called "Thai language", which offers materials on Thai, films, links and music in the original.
Applications for phone and tablet. Language learning is hard to imagine without digital materials such as audio, video and vocabulary. Therefore, developers are on the alert and create programs that make it easier to learn the Thai language. iPhone owners can download the L-Lingo app, which allows you to learn a language through pictures and audio with pronunciation from native speakers. You can test your success with tests. For owners of phones based on the Android OS, the Thai with Nemo application is suitable - 100 phrases, a dictionary, a phrase book and a recording studio for practicing pronunciation will allow you to learn the Thai language without problems.
There are many ways to learn a language. The main thing is to choose a convenient one for yourself and, having developed a plan, follow it daily.
Hi friends! If by the title of this article you suddenly thought that I had doubts about the meaning of learning the Thai language, then you are right 🙂 Indeed, there are things that do not motivate me to study the Thai language more seriously. Some of them I did not expect to encounter in the 21st century! If I had known this earlier, maybe I would have limited myself to “sawadi-kha” and “kobkun-kha”.
But before proceeding to criticism, let me remind you and myself about the written positive article - from Russian and English. Well, now the whole truth after six months of study 🙂
At first, learning Thai seemed like a necessity to me, because we live in Pattaya! But gradually there were more and more doubts, and now for me it's just a hobby.
Problems of learning Thai that you have to come to terms with
1. Thai alphabet
Thai has 32 vowels and 44 consonants, 4 diacritics for tones, and 8 more hooks for different purposes. Letter names consist of at least two words, for example: “go gay”, “mai khan agad”, “sara ai mai malay”, etc. It turns out that you are not learning the alphabet, but the whole text!
In addition, in Thai 70% of consonants have 2-3 sounds depending on the location in the word. In this regard, it is similar to Russian, but in Russian there are only 21 consonants and only some of them can be voiced or stunned.
And also there are invisible vowels"a" and "o" - you need to know when they appear in the word, and when they do not.
2. Pronunciation of sounds
Thai has not only long and short vowels, but also two variants of the letter "o" and the letter "e". But with consonants, it’s generally a disaster ... There are two options for pronouncing the letters “t”, “k”, “p”, “d” - and even after six months of studying the language I won’t tell you how they differ.
Learning Thai: Titamon and I are learning Thai on the playground near
.
Old drunken Germans walk by and interfere with our studies.
3. Tonality
But this is all nonsense compared to tones. There are five tones in Thai: neutral, rising, falling, low, and high. It will take more than one month until you learn to distinguish between ascending and descending - seemingly located at different phonetic poles.
Mastering tones is the most important aspect of learning Thai. For example, the word "kao", pronounced in different tones, means "knee", "enter", "he" or "animal horn". And do not try to pronounce “a” for a long time, because if you pronounce the word “kaao”, then the meanings, depending on the tones, will be “full of fish”, “news”, “rice”, “white”. And there are a lot of such words!
4. Keyboard
I have not yet been able to install the Thai language on my computer. I use the virtual keyboard. Due to the fact that there are more letters than keys, they are located in different layouts, and it takes a long time to find the right letter. A trifle, but demotivating.
