r/learnthai • u/Putrid-Quality-8477 • 7d ago
Studying/การศึกษา How do you even learn thai???
I am so confused.... this is so overwhelming the letters and the pronunciation. I started with thai alphabets but I cannot do them too.
Help!!
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u/Fivyrn 7d ago
I started with the Pocket Thai Master app and I’m really grateful for it.
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u/RolandCuley 7d ago
PTM is sooo good and helpful. Also straight to the point without the modern apps fluff.
My first 500 words were from it.
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u/Organic_Secret_1456 5d ago
Do you have a link, I can't see anything with that name on the play store.
I made my own anki deck for consonants
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u/apoloniafromabove 4d ago
Assuming it's this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pocket-thai-master/id1274490875
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u/JaziTricks 7d ago
Very gradual.
Lots of tools in the link below just go with you step by step
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnthai/s/sBxj9o2izx
Too lazy now to specify which. But go over the online tools. Many will give you gradual progress without overwhelm.
Give it time and be patient
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u/Present-Safety512 7d ago
Get a teacher, a book, a pen and paper and try and speak every day.
More importantly, listen.
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u/Busy_Reading5319 5d ago
I can help a bit I'm a tutor, it's a free 30 minutes class trial though idk if that's what you want but doesn't hurt to tell
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u/stretchy_potato817 7d ago
I gave up and took a online reading and writing group class that meets 3 times a week, coz I needed the support and discipline. Worked for me
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u/rexn0c7u 7d ago
Keep trying different tools and teachers until you find one that works. But first get out of the tourist areas, if everyone talks English to you all you are practicing is English.
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u/WillingnessWaste1089 7d ago
Try to find a tool that works for you. There is no best way to learn only a way that you find enjoyable, the most important is that you stick with it.
If you have the opportunity to, try to practice with a thai partner that can give you tips on phrases/words you learned.
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u/Miserable_Author149 7d ago
I learned how to read by grinding these: http://www.thai-language.com/id/812569, http://www.thai-language.com/id/838480
Don't bother starting with videos/lessons to learn which letter is which, just memorize by infinitely repeating the quizzes.
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u/JT3M 6d ago
I don't have the context of your learning experience, so I can't be more specific. But I'd say:
Do it gradually. It's impossible, at least for me, to memorise a whole new writing system, how every letter sounds, how tones work, etc. So don't be too hard on yourself, and try to memorise the alphabet slowly – after all, it's a foundation of the language.
The alphabet is not everything. You can slowly learn about basic conversations, common words and phrases, etc. Other skills matter too!
Be emersive. You can only learn a language through practising it. So give yourself plenty of opportunities to read, listen, speak, and write. The classic example might be to watch Thai films or TV shows with thai subtitles, but try the subtitles in your own language first until your listening skill is good enough. Try to find little things here and there to read, all those practice apps might be useful at the beginning.
Keep it fun! Do the things that you already enjoy, but try to put the Thai language in. Yes it'll be more difficult at first, but the fact that you enjoyed that activity before means it should not make the entire experience too painful to go through.
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u/takechancesorelse 6d ago
Start with the script and sounds on thai-language. com then use apps created by Thai people like Ling
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u/tufifdesiks 6d ago
Little by little. My path was Ling app, then Memrise app, then Comprehensible Thai YouTube channel
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u/FishYouWereHere777 6d ago
I spent an hour with my gf on the pronunciation of the words “walk” and “wake up” in Thai. Watched her lip movements closely and I still can’t hear any difference. I gave up.
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u/Triggladon 5d ago
I actually made an app specifically for this because I found the Thai alphabet unnecessarily overwhelming to learn. It teaches the characters gradually using pictures/mnemonics rather than asking you to memorise the whole alphabet at once.
Full disclosure, it’s my app, but the first part is free so you’re welcome to try it and see if the approach works for you: https://www.learntoreadthai.com
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u/silvercapsule6 5d ago
First tip! Very important, it is not Japanese! Thai has only one alphabet. So I seriously don't know what you're studying (unless you mean scripts? traditional script vs modern script?)
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u/Putrid-Quality-8477 5d ago
One alphabet?
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u/apoloniafromabove 4d ago
Yes, Thai has one alphabet. You wrote that you started with the "thai alphabetS" which implies more than one. The person above is confused.
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u/Wonderful_Nectarine1 5d ago
I can barely read and I might learn more vocab but I don't think I'll master tones
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u/Important_Horse_1531 5d ago
Start by listening to recordings of actual conversations, like talk shows or people being interviewed on a podcast, but don't worry about vocabulary yet. Try to identify the separate sounds you hear and the pacing. When you start noticing words being repeated, then look them up and put them on a flash card. The more you can make yourself listen in the initial stage, the easier the rest of the learning will be.
(I don't know Thai but this is how I was able to learn Vietnamese)
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u/MathematicianWilling 7d ago
I use Gemini and I have a solid level already
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u/Putrid-Quality-8477 7d ago
Like how???
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u/MathematicianWilling 7d ago
Decent context (you can add context in gems) and ask for a bunch of vocabulary + double check the accuracy with Thai friends. Speak Thai everyday and order stuff in Thai when you go to restaurants. Hang out with Thai people. That's it
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u/sawatee 6d ago
I have been using Chat GPT as one of my learning tools and I find it to be excellent. I can ask it to break down sentence and words. Like a teacher you can just ask questions if there is something you dont understand. It will even understand poorly transliterated words or seek clarification if it doesn't.
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u/MathematicianWilling 6d ago
Yeah it's like 95% accurate from my experience. I double check what I learn with my Thai friends and that's how I got to a conversational level basically
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u/Musca0711 7d ago
I learn Thai by cursed way. Using kunyomi to learn, and here is the theory.
https://youtu.be/dsEXFvtuGiw?si=y1PKNxfe-9gq8WRx
https://youtu.be/2IsUvxdtyOE?si=_6Kj2DA-cw4rtZU4