Thai

History

Alphabet listing

Consonants

To aid learning, each consonant is traditionally associated with a Thai word that either starts with the same sound, or features it prominently. For example, the name of the letter ข is kho khai (ข ไข่), in which kho is the sound it represents, and khai (ไข่) is a word which starts with the same sound and means "egg".

Equivalents for Romanization are shown, although there is no single standard. Many consonants are pronounced and Romanized differently when at the end of a word. In particular 'r' is pronounced as 'n', 'l' may be pronounced as 'n' and 's' is silent (this is why many Thai speakers will always miss 's' sounds at the end of words when speaking other languages).

Symbol	Name	Meaning (1)
ก่	mai ek	low tone
ก้	mai tho	falling tone
ก๊	mai tri	high tone
ก๋	mai jattawa	rising tone

Note 1: The meaning of the tone marker can be modified by the tone class of consonant to which it is attached.

• Standard or Central Thai, spoken by about 25 million (1990), is the official dialect of Thailand.
• Bangkok Thai can be included in Standard Thai or considered as a separate dialect.
• Korat. Spoken by about 400,000 (1984) in Ratchasima.
• Isaan (north-eastern). The dialect of the Isaan region of Thailand is sometimes considered a dialect of the Laotian language, which it closely resembles. Spoken by about 15 million (1983).
• Thai Yuan or Lanna (northern), spoken by about 6 million (1983).
• Southern, Pak Thai, or Dambro: spoken about 5 million (1990).
• Malay or Pattani. Spoken by 3 million (1998) in southern Thailand.
• Tai Dam. Spoken by about 500,000 (1990) in Vietnam.
• Tai Daeng. Spoken by about 125,000 (1990) in Vietnam and elsewhere.
• Phuan or Phu Thai. Spoken by about 400,000 (1993), mostly outside Thailand.
• Lue(Dai). Spoken by about 78,000 (1993) in Thailand, and 250,000 to 1 million in China.
• Song. Spoken by about 20,000 to 30,000 (1982).
• Shan. Spoken by about 3 million (1993) in Myanmar.

1. It is an abugida script, in which the default vowel is a long O.
2. Vowels associated with consonants are nonsequential: they can precede, follow, or surround their associated consonant(s).
3. Tone markers can occur at several places relative to the vowel grapheme.

Word-Order

Adjectives

Verbs

Nouns

Pronouns

For conversational use

• ผม ("pom", rising tone) = I/me (masculine)
• ดิฉัน ("di-chan", middle-rising) = I/me (feminine)
• ฉัน ("chan", rising) = I/me (masculine or feminine; informal)
• คุณ ("khun") = you (polite)
• เธอ ("ter") = you (informal)
• เรา ("rao") = we
• เขา ("kao", rising tone) = he/she
• มัน ("man") = it
• พวกเขา ("puak-kao", falling-rising) = they
• พี่ ("pee", falling tone) = older brother or sister (often used loosely for older non-relatives)
• น้อง ("norng", high tone) = younger brother or sister (often used loosely for younger non-relatives)

For sacred and royal use

Adverbs

Polite Particles

• Street Thai: informal, without polite terms of address, as used between close relatives and friends.
• Elegant Thai: official and written version, includes respectful terms of address; used in simplified form in newspapers.
• Rhetorical Thai: used for public speaking.
• Sacred Thai.
• Royal Thai.

12-hour	Pronunciation	Thai	Notes
1 am	ti 1	ตีหนึ่ง	ti = strike
2 am	ti 2	ตีสอง
3 am	ti 3	ตีสาม
4 am	ti 4	ตีสี่
5 am	ti 5	ตีห้า
6 am	6 meung chao	หกโมงเช้า	chao = morning
7 am	7 meung chao	เจ็ดโมงเช้า	meung = chime
8 am	8 meung chao	แปดโมงเช้า
9 am	9 meung chao	เก้าโมงเช้า
10 am	10 meung	สิบโมง
11 am	11 meung	สิบเอ็ดโมง
12 noon	thiang wan	เที่ยงวัน
1 pm	bai meung	บ่ายโมง	bai = slant, i.e. setting sun
2 pm	bai 2 meung	บ่ายสองโมง
3 pm	bai 3 meung	บ่ายสามโมง
4 pm	4 meung yen	สี่โมงเย็น	yen = cool, i.e. late afternoon
5 pm	5 meung yen	ห้าโมงเย็น
6 pm	6 meung yen	หกโมงเย็น
7 pm	1 thum	หนึ่งทุ่ม	thum = drumbeat
8 pm	2 thum	สองทุ่ม
9 pm	3 thum	สามทุ่ม
10 pm	4 thum	สี่ทุ่ม
11 pm	5 thum	ห้าทุ่ม
12 midnight	tieng keun	เที่ยงคืน

Note: These pronunciations are approximate, and would probably not be understood by native Thais.

Thailand's origin is traditionally tied to the short-lived kingdom of Sukhothai founded in 1238, after which the larger kingdom of Ayutthaya was established in the mid-14th century. Thai culture was greatly influenced by both China and India. Contact with various European powers began in the 16th century but despite continued pressure Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power, though Western influence led to many reforms in the 19th century.

A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. Known previously as Siam the country first changed its name to Thailand in 1939 and definitively in 1949 after reverting to the old name post-World War II. During that conflict Thailand was in a loose alliance with Japan; following its conclusion Thailand became an ally of the United States. Thailand then saw a series of military coup d'états, but progressed towards democracy from the 1980s onward.

The king has little direct power under the constitution but is a symbol of national identity and unity and the present monarch enjoys a great deal of popular respect and moral authority, which has on occasion been used to resolve political crises. The head of government is the prime minister, who is appointed by the king after having been designated from among the members of the lower house of parliament, usually the leader of the party that can organise a majority coalition government.

The bicameral Thai parliament is the National Assembly or Rathasapha, which consists of a House of Representatives (the Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon) of 500 seats and a senate (the Wuthisapha) of 200 seats. Members of both houses are elected by popular vote. Members of House of Representatives serve four-year terms. Members of Senate serve six-year terms. The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court or Sandika, whose judges are appointed by the monarch. Thailand is an active member of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Thailand is divided into 76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural), which are grouped into 5 groups of provinces. The name of a province is derived from its capital city.

Provinces are further subdivided into 642 districts (Amphoe) and 78 sub-districts (King Amphoe), and furthermore into 7,236 communes (Tambon), 55,746 villages (Muban), 123 municipalities (Tesaban), and 729 sanitation districts (Sukhaphiban) (numbers are for 1984).

Thailand is home to several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups. The north of the country is mountainous, with the highest point being the Doi Inthanon at 2,576 m. The northeast consists of the Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong river. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand. The south consists of the narrow Kra Isthmus that widens into the Malay Peninsula.

The local climate is tropical and characterised by monsoons. There is a rainy, warm, and cloudy southwest monsoon from mid-May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoon from November to mid-March. The southern isthmus is always hot and humid. Major cities beside the capital Bangkok include Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Mai, and Songkhla.

See also: List of islands of Thailand

After enjoying the world's highest growth rate from 1985 to 1995 - averaging almost 9% annually - increased speculative pressure on Thailand's currency, the baht, in 1997 led to a crisis that uncovered financial sector weaknesses and forced the government to float the currency. Long pegged at 25 to the US dollar, the baht reached its lowest point of 56 to the US dollar in January 1998 and the economy contracted by 10.2% that same year. The crisis spread to the Asian financial crisis.

Thailand entered a recovery stage in 1999, expanding 4.2% and grew 4.4% in 2000, largely due to strong exports - which increased about 20% in 2000. An ailing financial sector and the slow pace of corporate debt restructuring, combined with a softening of global demand, however, slowed growth in 2001 to 1.4%.

Thailand's population is dominated by ethnic Thais who make up three quarters of the population. There is also a large community of ethnic Chinese, who have historically played a disproportionately significant role in the economy. Other ethnic groups include Malays in the south and various indigenous hill tribes.

The majority of Thais are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition, but small minorities of Muslims, Christians and Hindus also exist. The Thai language is Thailand's national language, written in its own Thai alphabet, but many ethnic and regional dialects exist and English is commonly taught in schools.

Muay thai, or Thai boxing, is the national sport in Thailand and its native martial art. It reached popularity all over the world in the last decade.

A notable social norm holds that touching someone on the head may be considered rude. It is also considered rude to place one's feet at a level above someone else's head, especially if that person is of higher social standing.

Thai cuisine is famous for the blending of four fundamental tastes:

• sweet (sugar, fruits, sweet peppers)
• spicy hot (chilies)
• sour (vinegar, lime juice, tamarind)
• salty (soy sauce, fish sauce)

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	Wan Khun Pee Mai
February		Mahka Bucha	Based on thai lunar calendar
April 6	Chakri Day		Commemorates King Rama I, founder of the Chakri dynasty
April 13-April 15	Thai New Year	Songkran
May		Vaisakh Bucha	Based on thai lunar calendar
May	Royal Ploughing Ceremony		Government only
May 1	Labour Day		Bank holiday only
May 5	Coronation Day		Commemorates coronation of the current king Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950
July		Asarnha Bucha	Based on Thai lunar calendar, government only
July	Buddhist Lent	Khao Phansa	Based on Thai lunar calendar
July 1	Mid Year Day		Bank holiday only
August 12	Mothers Day		Commemorates birthday of the current queen
October 23	Chulalongkorn Day	Wan Piyamaharat	Commemorates King Chulalongkorn (Rama V)... the anniversary of his death
December 5	Fathers Day		Commemorates birthday of the current king Bhumibol Adulyadej
December 10	Constitution Day		Commemorates the change to constitutional monarchy in 1932
December 31	New Year's Eve

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