Curious What Are The Dialects Of Thai? Look At 4 Major Dialects Here

Traveling across the regions in Thailand and wondering what are the dialects of Thai? Read on to learn the four most widely spoken varieties in terms of vocabulary!

As you explore different parts of Thailand, you may be curious about the various Thai dialects spoken there. Interestingly, there are four regions in Thailand where Thai people use vastly distinct vocabularies, down to the word like “speak”: standard Thai พูด (pûut), Northern Thai อู้ (ûu), Northeastern Thai เว้า (wáao), and Southern Thai แหลง (lɛ̌ɛng) all use a distinct lexicon.

See? How unbelievable that they are distinct terms with no shared consonants or vowels!

So, if you’re curious, “what are the dialects of Thai?” then keep reading to gather knowledge that will come in handy on your upcoming trip!

What Are The Dialects Of Thai?

Does the Tai language family ring any bells with you?

It’s a language belonging to the Kra-Dai group. Standard Thai (ภาษาไทย, paa sǎa tai) of Thailand, the Shan language of Myanmar, Lao or Laotian of Laos, and Zhuang of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwestern China are all Tai languages.

The languages of neighboring nations and regions can affect the Thai language, sometimes causing significant changes. Here we’ve listed the four major regional dialects:

1. Standard Thai language (official language)
2. Northern Thai Dialect
3. Northeastern Thai Dialect (Isan)
4. Southern Thai Dialect

Although there are four primary dialects in Thailand, there are several minor ones that are interesting to know, such as Thai Puan, Phu Thai, Thai Malay language, Thai Korat, Thai Loei, and many more.

Let’s dive into this article and learn the four major dialects spoken in Thailand.

1. Standard Thai – ภาษากลาง (Paa Sǎa Glaang)

Let’s start with the national language, Thailand’s most spoken language. You can also playfully call it the Bangkok dialect. It’s called the central Thai language, widely used in provinces like Lopburi, Ayutthaya, and Chonburi (Pattaya), for example. If you’re learning Thai, you’ll encounter this kind of Thai official language in textbooks, government documents, TV broadcasts, social media, and general conversations with locals.

In other dialects, they only use distinct vocabulary on some familiar terms, but they all use the same Thai alphabet, so if you’re intrigued but worried about relearning the alphabet, you don’t have to!

In light of this, it would be fun to compare standard Thai with regional varieties of the language word for word. So, let’s look at examples of Thai words in different dialects!

2. Northern Thai Dialect – ภาษาเหนือ (Paa Sǎa Nʉ̌a)

Are you familiar with world-famous destinations like Chiang Mai, which attract millions of tourists annually? This major city, along with many others like Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Prae, and many more, speak the northern Thai tongue.

Let’s look at examples of Northern Thai vocabulary below!

3. Northeastern Thai Dialect – ภาษาอีสาน (Paa Sǎa Ii Sǎan)

Tourists frequently use Thailand as a jumping-off point to explore nearby countries like Laos. In this section, you’ll learn some Northeastern Thai or the Isaan dialect, a language that shares many similarities with the Lao language but also has its unique nuances.

Let’s look at examples of Northeastern Thai vocabulary below!

4. Southern Thai Dialect – ภาษาใต้ (Paa Sǎa Dtâai)

Is a trip to Phuket’s five-star hotels and Krabi’s white sandy beaches in your near future?

At this point, we’ve reached the region of Thailand most frequently visited by tourists and the home of the Southern Thai language. Even for native Thai speakers, keeping up with the rapid speech of the natives in this dialect would be a big challenge.

Let’s look at examples of Southern Thai vocabulary below!

So, Which Dialects Do You Like The Most?

Something is intriguing about the fact that some common words in Thai are completely distinct from what people in Thailand speak in different parts of the country.

There are a lot of terms to learn if you want to sound like a native Thai speaker, but don’t worry; most Thais can speak “standard Thai,” the official language in the country’s central region. But we swear that if you travel to those local areas and use some of these words we shared, the locals will be so impressed!

Do you wish you knew more Thai words? Then, we’ve got the top app for you!

Learn Thai With The Ling App

If you’re working on learning Thai and want access to a massive library of words that you can study and memorize, the Ling app is your best bet. So, if you decide to use Ling as your best resource throughout your time spent learning Thai, you will:

• Master the Thai language and use it fluently in all of your conversations.
• Playfully recall more vocabulary with a game-like memory aid.
• Explore more grammatical topics to become a sentence-building pro.
• Improve your listening and pronouncing abilities by listening to the natural voice of a native speaker.

Most Thai learners chose the Ling app to help them succeed, so why not join them? Download the Ling app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store now, and prepare to be fluent in Thai soon!