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10 Best Books To Learn Thai For Beginners

Best books to learn Thai featured image. Best books in Thai in black text on yellow background with backdrop of woman holding books

Are you ready to dive in and dedicate yourself to learning the Thai language?

Learning Thai is no light undertaking, so in this article, we’ll give some recommendations on the best books to learn Thai.

To begin learning Thai, you must first understand the Thai script and the Thai alphabet.

Thai learners often find learning Thai confusing because it’s a tonal language with more characters and vowels than other familiar languages.

We’re not trying to scare you away from learning Thai.

In fact, you might find learning Thai is actually relatively easy for you!

We’re just giving you a heads-up that it can be more of a challenge than other dialects.

If you’re trying to read more books to reconnect with the Thai language and culture, the selection below will be an excellent starting point and springboard to more complex novels.

Read on to see what are the best books to learn Thai!

A blonde woman thinking about books to learn Thai with.

List Of Best Books To Learn Thai

Without further ado, let’s dive into the 10 of the best books to learn Thai!

Teach yourself Thai book

1. Teach Yourself Thai

Sometimes, instead of taking online courses or using other teaching methods, it’s easier (and sometimes better) to teach yourself!

Personally, this is the method that I prefer because you can learn at your own pace whenever you want.

Teach Yourself Thai is a great Thai book with an audio CD (now available online) because you can start learning before traveling and take the resources with you during your trip to Thailand.

This book will teach you the Thai language basics, such as the five tones, grammar, and sentence structures.

Read Thai in 10 days book by Arthit Juyaso

2. Read Thai In 10 Days

Perfect for beginners of the Thai language, this book will teach you the Thai alphabet, which is the first step to learning Thai. You’ll learn the Thai script and how to read and write Thai. Well, if you put in the effort, that is!

Reviewers say it is possible to do precisely as the title suggests; Read Thai in 10 Days. Some even learned to read Thai quickly and can now read effortlessly.

However, you will not learn how to speak Thai with this resource.

That being said, this is one of the best Thai learning books and should be strongly considered the first or second book you study.

The tones and different Thai pronunciations are taught, which is invaluable as a new language skill.

Master the Thai alphabet, a handwriting practice workbook

3. Master The Thai Alphabet, A Handwriting Practice Workbook

When you’re learning a tricky writing system like the Thai alphabet and Thai script, you’ll want to practice, practice, and practice your Thai letters!

This workbook is perfect for that and includes helpful studies on pronunciation and tone.

You’ll also learn the Thai symbols used to indicate tones and how to read and write them.

Thai for beginners book by Benjawan Poomban Becker

4. Thai For Beginners

This book is always within the top two books recommended to help beginners learn Thai.

However, to get proper use out of this book, you need to know the Thai script and alphabet first, so we recommend you purchase our number two and three recommended books first.

Thai for Beginners is one of the easiest Thai language books to get a hold of and is one of the oldest, but there is one thing to watch out for.

In the book, the author created their own phonetic version of Thai, which does not correlate to any other Thai language learning material anywhere else, making it very confusing.

That’s why you should use additional resources to learn the Thai alphabet first.

The book is an excellent resource that breaks down the alphabet appropriately into its middle, high, and low consonants and explains short and long vowels.

The book also has helpful quizzes to allow you to practice what you’ve learned.

Everyday Thai for beginners by Wiworn Kesawana-Dohrs

5. Everyday Thai For Beginners

This is the more updated version of Thai For Beginners (although not by the same author or publisher.)

Many people find the book’s layout is better.

However, one major complaint is that there is no phonetic Thai-English notation throughout.

Once again, studying or knowing the alphabet is a prerequisite for using this book.

This book will teach you tonal rules, greetings, Thai culture, time, food, shopping, and more!

Thai picture dictionary book

6. Thai Picture Dictionary

This is a must-have book for all Thai language beginners.

In this picture dictionary, you’ll learn 1,500 Thai words and phrases; the best part is each image’s Thai and English phonetic breakdowns.

The book is organized into 38 themes to make learning easy, but you are expected to already know about the five tones in Thai and how to pronounce them.

You can use the Google Translate’s speaker feature to help with pronouncing the words so you can memorize and practice.

Thai reference grammar book by James Higbie and Snea Thinsan

7. Thai Reference Grammar

Did you know that you can’t learn a new language without grammar?

This comprehensive and huge book breaks down the structure of the Thai vocabulary and Thai grammar.

With this resource, which is more like a textbook, you’ll learn the ins and outs of Thai.

To get the most out of this book, you must be already familiar with Thai. This deep dive will teach you all you need to know!

A.U.A. Language Center Thai Course: Book 1 prepared by J. Marvin Brown

8. A.U.A. Language Center Thai Course: Book 1

This is one of the most influential textbooks for learning Thai, as the most prestigious Thai language schools developed it.

Initially, an in-person course (it still is), you can get your hands on the textbook and study at your own pace, along with complementary resources to help you master learning Thai.

Outrageous Thai: Slang, Curses, And Epithets book by T.F. Rhoden

9. Outrageous Thai: Slang, Curses, And Epithets

Truly learning Thai means learning how to sound like a local! This is the best part of learning any new language – slang!

One of the best books to learn Thai, use this book to add some fun and entertainment to your learning.

Some slang is hilarious and strange, but you’ll need to know it to fit in with Thai culture truly. This book will have you having fun speaking Thai.

100 Thai Words That Make You Sound Thai: Thai For Intermediate Learners book by Stephen Saad

10. 100 Thai Words That Make You Sound Thai: Thai For Intermediate Learners

Once you’ve picked up on quite a bit of Thai and feel confident, it’s time to learn when to use different phrases in different contexts.

This book will teach you to use specific sentences in formal or informal situations.

You’ll also learn the class and age system for when to use certain Thai words or phrases and which ones are more often used by women or men.

How Do You Say ‘Best Books For Learning’ In Thai?

In Thai, the phrase for ‘best books for learning’ is nǎng sʉ̌ʉ tîi dii tîi sùt sǎm ràp gaan rian rúu (หนังสือที่ดีที่สุดสำหรับการเรียนรู้) .

If you’re going to be starting to read Thai-learning books, the vocabulary terms below are what you should be familiar with before starting. Read up!

EnglishThaiPronunciationSound
Booksหนังสือnǎng sʉ̌ʉ
Thai languageภาษาไทยpaa sǎa tai
To learn/studyเรียนrian
To readอ่านàan
To writeเขียนkǐan
Exercise/practiceแบบฝึกหัดbɛ̀ɛp fʉ̀k hàt
Sentenceประโยคbprà yòok
Grammarไวยากรณ์wai yaa gɔɔn
Vocabularyคำศัพท์kam sàp
Cultureวัฒนธรรมwát tá ná tam

Tips On Reading Thai Books And Learning Thai

Learning Thai is always a challenge for beginners.

To speak Thai, write Thai, or read Thai like a native, you will need to have a lot of patience, create a plan, and have some time.

Here are some helpful tips to help you learn Thai words more easily:

  1. Create Thai flashcards. You should make these on your own and preferably on paper. Create 3-5 per day to learn. Spend time dedicated to learning what’s on your flashcards for the day.
  2. Learn to read Thai characters. Create a phonetic script of the Thai alphabet. that’s why you’re here! Let’s get to our list of best books to learn Thai.
  3. Practice with Thai speakers. Get out there and start talking! Listen to people talking and repeat what they say to correct the pronunciation.
  4. Watch Thai movies and TV. Watch some of the latest blockbusters, popular series, and other Thai media to help you become more familiar with the Thai language and Thai culture.
  5. Get and use resources like an language learning app. Apps like the Ling app have everything you need built into them to help you learn a new language. From teaching different characters to everyday Thai phrases, you’ll learn more complex topics as you go along.

Hopefully, you’ll be familiar with a lot of the different Thai characters by following the tips above. You’ll also get some exposure to help with your speaking, too!

Frequently Asked Questions About The Best Books To Learn Thai

1. How Can I Learn Thai By Myself?

Learning Thai by yourself is difficult, but can be done! Starting off with basics like everyday common phrases, as well as familiarizing yourself with Thai grammar and speaking, is a great way to start.

Once you master that, you can move on to more harder aspects like reading and writing.

Other resources like Thai media, online courses, and language learning apps like the Ling app, can help you too!

2. Can I Learn Thai In 3 Months?

Learning Thai at a basic level is definitely achievable in 3 months. By this time, learners should be familiar with basic grammar and simple, everyday phrases.

To fast track learning Thai, leveraging resources like language learning apps and learning methods like spaced repetition and immersion can help you build a foundation even faster.

3. Is There A Duolingo For Thai?

No but we suggest an alternative. The Ling app’s Thai course is a great way to learn Thai from beginner to advanced levels.

The app’s use of self-paced lessons, situation-specific units, in addition to having native speaker-accurate pronunciation guides make it so that you can learn Thai in no time for any purpose.

Which Of These Books Caught Your Eye?

Out of the selection of the best books to learn Thai, which one stood out?

Personally, we recommend learning about Thai slang first. That is, once you’ve learned about Thai characters and other topics on Thai grammar from Thai Reference Grammar.

Learning slang can be a great way to be more casual with your Thai friends and family.

Other than that, the Thai Picture Dictionary is a great book for when you’re planning a trip to Thailand.

With that book, your brain can easily associate things you see on your trip with vocabulary you’ve learned previously!

Learn More Thai Beyond Reading And Books

Whichever book you choose from the selection is, exposure to Thai writing and literature can really elevate your Thai skills.

Like we’ve mentioned in our five tips, another great resource you can leverage apart from books is the use of a language-learning app like the Ling app.

After using the Ling app for 10 minutes every day for one month to learn Thai language, you’ll be able to pick up on and acquire natural pronunciation and conversational tone thanks to the audio recorded with native Thai speakers. 

User-friendly app design, the quality of the lessons, and the effectiveness of learning a language from beginning to advanced means that you can also learn at your own pace. 

Most notably, units 1-10 of the beginner Thai course sets up a fantastic foundation so you can read more Thai books, street signs, and everything in between!

If you’re curious to know everything that the Ling app has to offer, try it out now!

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