Pronounce Thai names and Thai words (reasonably) correctly
by Alan Lynas Pronouncing Thai words and names.
January 18, 2001
Many visitors to Thailand are confused by the spelling of Thai words and names
written in the Roman alphabet. It's worthwhile familiarising yourself with some
of the conventions in use as it can help you communicate more effectively and
avoid misunderstandings. Pronouncing 'PHUKET' as in 'PHONE' and rhyming it with
'BUCKET' won't endear you to the locals.
Transliteration - writing a language in an alien script, is of course a
compromise. This is especially true of Thai script which employs a 44 consonant
alphabet. The system adopted in Thailand is an attempt to enable foreign
speakers to pronounce Thai words or names with reasonable accuracy.
Modifications to the system have crept in at various times through the years,
with the result that you can find the same place names spelt in a variety of
ways.
For example you can find the following spellings (in order of popularity) to
represent one of Bangkok's districts:
BANGLAMPHU, BANGLAMPOO, BANGLUMPOO BANGLUMPHU.
The following letters and combinations of letters are often a source of
confusion. It makes for rather dry reading unfortunately, so best consulted as a
reference source if needed.
AI is pronounced like EYE not as in MAIN
e.g.,THAI
AO rhymes with COW or HOW not CHAOS
e.g., KHAOSAN RD.
CH is pronounced as in 'CHURCH' not as in CHRISTMAS, CHEF, or LOCH'
e.g., CHIANGMAI
G is pronounced as in 'GUN' - never as in 'GENERAL' (but see 'NG').
e.g. GAI (chicken)
I is pronounced either as in TIN or as the EE sound in BEE
e.g. PINKLAO BRIDGE or the Thai greeting - SAWATDI (sa-wat-dee)
KH = K as in 'KENYA'
e.g., KHAOSAN RD.
NG is pronounced as in SING but note that, unlike in English, some Thai words or
syllables start with this sound
e.g. NGOO (snake)
OH H placed after O (at the end of a word or syllable) is silent but shortens
the syllable.
e.g., KOH SAMET
OI is pronounced as in BOY not as in LOIS.
e.g., SOI (alley or lane)
PH = P as in 'PEACE' not PH as in 'PHONE'
e.g. CHAO PHRAYA RIVER, PHUKET
R can be used silently after A or O to indicate that it's a long vowel sound.
e.g. KHAO SARN CENTER in KHAOSAN ROAD (identical pronunciation)
S is pronounced exactly as in English when starting a word or syllable but
changes to T when finishing one. The commonly seen Thai greeting of SAWASDEE is
pronounced SA-WAT-DEE.
TH = T as in 'TOP', never 'TH' as in 'THANKS'.
e.g., THAILAND,
U, depending on the word in question, is pronounced either as in LUCK (e.g., RUK
= LOVE) or as in BOOK (e.g., TUK-TUK - the three wheeled open-sided taxi seen
throughout Thailand)
V is pronounced as W
e.g., VIETNAM is pronounced by Thais as WIETNAM.
The presence of the silent letter H after T, K, or P indicates that they're
pronounced with an aspirated (breathy) sound, which in English is exactly the
sound we use anyway, especially at the start of a word.
It's there to distinguish them from other Thai consonants that sound similar but
aren't aspirated.
For example in the English word 'TITLE' The first T is breathier (more
aspirated) than the second T Many Thai words begin with the unaspirated T P or K
sounds (which sound closer to D, B and G) and are indicated by the absence of
the 'H'.
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