THAILAND

Thailand, country located in the centre of

mainland Southeast Asia. The country is bordered in
west and northwest by Myanmar (Burma), in south
west by the Andaman Sea, in east and north east
by Lao PDR, in south east by Cambodia, in south by
the Gulf of Thailand (an inlet of the South China Sea
), and by Malaysia. In south the country occupies a
part of the Malay Peninsula.
THAILAND
Thailand covers an area of
513,120 km², the country is just
slightly larger than Spain or slightly
more than twice the size of the 
U.S. state of Wyoming. Until 1939
the country was known as Siam.

The Kingdom has a population of

68 million people, by far the largest
city is Bangkok, the national capital
with estimated 12 million citizens.
Spoken language is Thai.
Unique Features of Thai
Language
1. There are different forms of
Thai, depending on who you are
talking to and in which setting
Thai, also known as Siamese, is
the official language of
Thailand, but there are different
versions of the language that
are used depending on who you
are talking to and what you are
talking about.
Unique Features of Thai
Language
• Street, or common, Thai
is used to talk with
friends and family and is
an informal form with
no polite terms used.
• Royal Thai is used only
when addressing the
royal family or when
talking about them.
Unique Features of Thai
Language
• Elegant/formal Thai is the
official and written version
of Thai and is used in
formal situations and in
newspapers. Rhetorical
Thai is reserved for public
speaking, While religious
Thai is only used when
talking about Buddhism or
talking to monks.
2. More than half of Thai words are borrowed
from other languages

This may not seem as much of a shocker

for native English speakers, who are used
to having a vocabulary of words borrowed
from French, Spanish, German, and other
languages, but most Thai vocabulary is
borrowed too.
Thai language is not only spoken in
Thailand
Thai is the official and national
language of Thailand. It is spoken by
more than 69 million Thai people in the
country. Even though Thai and Laotian
are written with slightly different script,
they are linguistically related.
Learning Thai is easier than you think

Thai language greatly differs from most

western languages. It is a context tonal
language with five tones, 44 consonants
and 36 vowels. Thus, remembering Thai
words and its use in different
circumstances can be a massive task for
foreign learners.
• Body language is important in Thai conversation

In conversation with Thai people,

body language is an important factor.
Thai people consider the head to be
sacred and the feet to be dirty.
UNIQUE THAI CULTURE
Time to get wet…Songkran!
Time to get wet…Songkran!

Songkran is a festival that happens every year

during the month of April and coincides with
the Thai New Year. The official Songkran lasts 3
days, but celebrations go on for a week
everywhere.
Ghost Festival (Phi Ta Khon)
Ghost Festival (Phi Ta Khon)
Happening in the Dan Sai, Loei province this
3 day festival usually happens in June or July. It
combines local handicraft, religious traditions,
and a vibrant party atmosphere. This festival
happens on the 6th full moon of the lunar
calendar. The locals wear ghastly colorful
masks with an unusual looking nose.
Let it rain! The Rocket Festival
Let it rain! The Rocket Festival

Happening during the month of

June or July mainly in the Yasothorn
Province, this festival is a call for rain
and a celebration of fertility. It’s
celebrated before the planting
season begins.
 Send your wishes to the
Universe…Chiang Mai Yi Peng
Lantern Festival
Send your wishes to the Universe…
Chiang Mai Yi Peng Lantern Festival

The origin of this festival is a

tribute to the water goddess, in time
the festival has evolved and now is
celebrated in November in Chiang Mai.
During this festival you will see public
places and homes decorated with flags
and lanterns.
 Basic Greetings
Rule of Thumb
• Before we get into the details, there
are two words that show up in nearly
every Thai sentence. Sadly, those
words don’t have English translations.
• If you’re a boy, you’ll end
sentences in “Khrup”(pronounced
krahp). Girls end their sentences
in “Ka” (pronounced kah).
Keeping Things Simple
• Yes — Chai (khrup/ka)
• No — Mai (khrup/ka)
• I Don’t Want That — Mai Ao
(khrup/ka)
• Hello — Sawadee (khrup/ka)
• Thank You — Khop Khun
(khrup/ka)
• Sorry — Khor Thoad
(khrup/ka)
• No Worries — Man Pen Rai
Numbers
• Zero — Soon
• One — Neung
• Two  — Soeng
• Three  — Saam
• Four — See
• Five — Haa
• Six — Hok
• Seven — Jet
• Eight — Bpaed
• Nine — Gao
• Ten — Sip