Have you ever heard Thai people use words that sounded exactly like what you knew in another language? That might be foreign loanwords in Thai.
Tinglish refers to the English spoken by Thai people with their native accents. Thai people regularly use English vocabulary, especially technical terms, in their own language such as computer (kom-pew-TER).
We bet that you will never see a single Thai individual in your everyday life using the word “คณิตกร,” pronounced as “ká nít gɔɔn,” which refers to a computer, for example. Many Thai terms, however, have been taken from other languages, including not just English but also Sanskrit, Chinese, Portuguese, and more.
You might be surprised to learn that the Thai words you’ve been using aren’t truly native Thai words as we talk about the use of foreign borrowed words in everyday Thai conversation today.
English Loanwords In Thai Conversation
It’s to be expected that English would have an impact on and be incorporated into languages throughout the world, including Thai. However, the Thai people are generally open to diverse perspectives, so foreigners have had a major impact on their cuisine, fashion, and vocabulary.
You’ll hear the following English borrowed words in everyday Thai conversation. Let’s check them out!
| Thai Word | Pronunciation | English Definition |
| บัส | bát | bus |
| ไวโอลิน | wai-o-lin | violin |
| อพาร์ทเมนต์ | a-pháat-mén | apartment |
| เคาน์เตอร์ | kháu-toê | counter, desk |
| คอมพิวเตอร์ | khom-phiw-tôe | computer |
| ราสเบอร์รี่ | ráat-ber-rîi | raspberry |
| เซ็กซ์ | sék | sex |
| แท็กซี่ | táek-sîi | taxi |
| ทีวี | thii-wii | television |
| ยีราฟ | yii-ráap | giraffe |
Sanskrit Loanwords In Thai Daily Conversation
Scripts used by southern Buddhists like Khmers and Thais all have their roots in India, namely in the ancient Indian alphabet Brahmi. Since Buddhist literature was originally written in Sanskrit, this ancient Indian language significantly impacted Thai, as seen in the many Sanskrit loanwords found in contemporary Thai. More than half of its lexicon is a direct or indirect descendant of Sanskrit.
There is no conclusive count of the number of loanwords from Sanskrit to Thai, so first, look at some words commonly used in casual conversation and see how much the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit has inspired modern Thai.
| Thai Word | Thai Pronunciation | Sanskrit Word | Sanskrit Pronunciation | English Definition |
| อักษร | àk-sǒrn | अक्षर | akṣara | alphabet |
| ภาษา | phaa-să | भाषा | bhāṣā | language |
| ภัย | phai | भय | bhaya | danger |
| ครู | kruu | गुरु | guru | teacher |
| มหา | ma-hăa | महा | mahā | great |
| มนุษย์ | ma-nút | मनुष्य | manuṣya | human being |
| นรก | na-rók | नरक | naraka | hell |
| ราชา | raa-chaa | राजा | rājā | king |
| รส | rót | रस | rasa | taste |
| รูป | rûp | रूप | rūpa | picture |
| ศัตรู | sàt-truu | शत्रु | śatru | enemy |
| สวรรค์ | sa-wăn | स्वर्ग | svarga | heaven |
| สุข | sùk | सुख | sukha | happiness |
| ประถม | pra-thǒm | प्रथम | prathama | primary |
| ประเทศ | pra-thêet | प्रदेश | pradeśa | country |
| นคร | ná-khorn | नगर | nagara | city |
| ชัย | chai | जय | jaya | victory |
| ภูมิ | phuum | भूमि | bhūmi | soil |
| วาจา | waa-jaa | वाचा | vācā | words |
| ภาวะ | phaa-wá | भाव | bhāva | condition |
| กษัตริย์ | ka-sàt | क्षत्रिय | kṣatriya | king |
| วิจารณ์ | wí-jaan | विचार्ण | vicārna | review |
| พายุ | phaa-yú | वायु | vāyu | storm |
| สัตว์ | sàt | सत्व | satva | animal |
| วิหาร | wí-hǎan | विहार | vihāra | temple |
| เวลา | wee-laa | वेला | velā | time |
| อาสา | aa-sǎa | अभिलाष | asha | volunteer |
| กระดาษ | kra-dàat | कागद | kagada | paper |
| อากาศ | aa-kàat | आकाश | ākāśa | air |
| เทศ | thêet | देश | deśa | outlandish |
| ทุกข์ | thúk | दुःख | duḥkha | suffering |
| โทษ | thôot | दोष | doṣa | blame |
| จิตร | jit | चित्र | citra | design |
| ทุน | thun | धन | dhana | fund |
| จันทร์ | jan | चन्द्र | chandra | moon |
| จักรวาล | jàk-kra-waan | चक्रवाल | chakravala | universe |
| คุณ | khun | गुण | ghuna | you, useful |
| อาคาร | aa-khaan | आगार | āgāra | building |
| ปราสาท | praa-sàat | प्रासाद | prāsāda | castle |
| นาม | naam | नाम | nama | name |
| ชีวา | chii-waa | जीव | jīva | living |
| กรุณา | ka-ru-naa | करुण | karuṇa | please, comparison |
| พิเศษ | phí-sèet | विशेष | viśeṣa | special |
| หิมะ | hì-má | हिम | hima | snow |
| เมฆ | mêek | मेघ | megha | cloud |
| วิทยา | wít-tha-yaa | विद्या | vidyā | knowledge, science |
| สัปดาห์ | sàp-daa | सप्ताह | saptāha | week |
| บริษัท | bor-ri-sàt | परिषद् | pariṣad | company |
| สมาคม | sa-maa-khom | समागम | samāgama | association |
| ชีวิต | chii-wít | जीवित | jīvita | life |
| อาหาร | aa-hǎan | आहार | āhāra | food |
Sanskrit Loanwords In Thai Written Or Formal Conversation
We’ve already shown the use of Sanskrit loanwords in daily Thai; now, we’ll introduce you to a few others you might not know; even native Thai speakers don’t use them frequently. However, you may see these words on the Thai news or in Thai period drama titles.
| Thai Word | Thai Pronunciation | Sanskrit Word | Sanskrit Pronunciation | English Definition |
| ตรีศูล | trii-sǔun | त्रिशूल | triśūla | trident |
| พุทธิ | phút-thí | बुद्धि | buddhi | intelligence |
| เภตรา | phee-traa | वहित्र | vahitra | boat |
| พินาศ | phí-nâat | विनाश | vināśa | destruction |
| ภักดี | phák-dii | भक्ति | bhakti | loyal |
| คชา | kha-chaa | गज | gaja | elephant |
| สิงห์ | sĭng | सिंह | singha | lion |
| เทวี | thee-wii | देवी | devī | Goddess |
| ทีฆายุ | thii-khaa-yú | दीर्घायु | dīrghāyu | long live |
| อุดร | ù-dorn | उत्तर | uttara | north |
| สมบูรณ์ | sŏm-buun | संपूर्ण | sampūrṇa | complete, perfect |
| สตรี | sa-trii | स्त्री | strī | woman |
Persian Loanwords In Thai Conversation
Here is an example of a Thai word borrowed from Persian.
| Thai Word | Thai Pronunciation | Persian Word | Persian Pronunciation | English Definition |
| องุ่น | a-ngùn | انگور | angur | grape |
Chinese Loanwords In Thai Conversation
Several Chinese dialects have significantly impacted the development of Thai words. However, some terms stayed the same in pronunciation while others were modified.
The following table lists common Chinese loanwords in Thai and their corresponding Chinese pronunciations.
| Thai Word | Thai Pronunciation | Chinese Word | Chinese Pronunciation | English Definition |
| ชา | chā | 茶 | chá | tea |
| หนอง | nǒng | 膿 | nóng | pus |
| อ่าว | ǎu | 澳 | ào | bay |
| อาน | ann | 鞍 | ān | saddle |
| หมี่ | mìi | 麵 | mī | noodles |
| เต้าหู้ | tâu-hûu | 豆腐 | tao-hu (Chinese Hokkien dialect) | beancurd |
Portuguese Loanwords In Thai Conversation
Here is an example of a Thai word borrowed from Portuguese.
| Thai Word | Thai Pronunciation | Portuguese Word | English Definition |
| สบู่ | sa-bùu | Sabão | soap |
Arabic Loanwords In Thai Conversation
Here is an example of a Thai word borrowed from Arabic
| Thai Word | Thai Pronunciation | Arabic Word | Arabic Pronunciation | English Definition |
| มัสยิด | mát-sa-yít | مسجد | masjid | mosque |
Summary
Can you think of any other English terms that have been adopted into Thai? Many Thai words are borrowed from other languages, and knowing their origins might simplify learning Thai speech. There are more words than the ones we’ve shown you here. We hope that you’ll be able to adopt the Thai pronunciation of loanwords as you immerse yourself in Thai culture. We are wishing you the best of luck!
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One Response
Interesting, but I will be delighted if you would also publish a list of Thai and English word pairs that come from a common Indo-European root. (Via Latin/Greek and Pali/Sanskrit)
Examples:
English Thai
Gossip. กระซิบกระซาบ
Station. สถานี
Two. ไม้โท
Three. ไม้ตรี
Quarter. ไม้จัตวา
(From Latin quattuor)
A long time time ago I read an article about this in the Bangkok Post. There were dozens of examples.