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The national language of Thailand is Thai, spoken by about 53% of the population. Many more speak it as a second language. Lao is spoken by about 27%, and Chinese 12%. Malay is spoken by 4% and Khmer 3%. English is widely used in business, as are many of the Chinese dialects. Records were kept in Thai, Lao, Malay, Chinese and English.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Thailand,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2001.</ref> 
==Description==
=== Guidelines for Romanizing Thai Personal Names  ===
The official language spoken in Thailand is <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Thailand," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand#:~:text=official%20language%20of%20Thailand, accessed 17 May 2023.</ref>
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_language '''Thai'''] - also known as '''Central Thai'''. Thai is used in government and education.
** belongs to the language family of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kra%E2%80%93Dai_languages Kra–Dai]. Thai is closely related to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_language Lao], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shan_language Shan], and several smaller languages in the area.


==== Vowels ====
The Royal Thai Government recognizes 62 domestic languages in the country. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of Thailand," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Thailand, accessed 17 May 2023.</ref>
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Thailand#:~:text=following%20table%20comprises%20all%2062%20ethnolinguistic%20groups%20recognized%20by%20the%20Royal%20Thai%20Government List of Officially Recognized Languages divided into five language family groups]
Top languages by population are
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isan_language '''Isan'''] - also known as '''Northeastern Thai''', a Lao dialect. Spoken in the northeastern provinces. The largest of the minority languages.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Thai_language '''Kam Mueang'''] - also known as '''Northern Thai'''.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Thai_language '''Pak Tai'''] - also known as '''Southern Thai''' and '''Dambro'''


{| width="75%" border="1"
The national language of Thailand is Thai, spoken by about 53% of the population.  Many more speak it as a second language.  Lao is spoken by about 27%, and Chinese 12%.  Malay is spoken by 4% and Khmer 3%.  English is widely used in business, as are many of the Chinese dialects.  Records were kept in Thai, Lao, Malay, Chinese and English.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Thailand,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2001.</ref>  
|-
| '''Thai'''
| '''English'''
! colspan="5" | '''Examples'''
|-
| ะ, ั, า
| a, ar
| ปาน -<br>Parn
| สังวาลย์ -<br>Sangwarn
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| ิ
| i,  
| กลิ่น -<br>Glin
| ทิพย์ -<br>Tip, Thip
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| ี
| i, ee
| มี -<br>Mee
| ศรี -<br>See, Sri
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| ึ, ื
| ue
| จือ -<br>Jue
| ผึ้ง -<br>Pueng
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| ุ, ู
| oo, u, uu
| บุญ -<br>Boon
| กุล -<br>Koon, Kul
| ตุย -<br>Tui
| พฤกษ์ -<br>Pruuk
| &nbsp;
|-
| เ, เ-ะ
| ai, e
| เสน -<br>Sen, Sain
| เทพ -<br>Tep, Thep
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| แ, แ-ะ
| ae, a
| แก้ว -<br>Kaew
| แดง -<br>Daeng, Dang
| แพงพัน -<br>Phaengphan
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| โ, โ-ะ
| o, oa
| โต -<br>To
| เทพ -<br>Tep, Thep
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| ออ, เ-าะ
| or
| ละออ -<br>La-or
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| เ-ี, เ-ีะ
| ia
| เชียง -<br>Chiang
| เฉลียว -<br>Chaliaw
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| เ-ื, เ-ืะ
| ua
| เดือน -<br>Duan
| เมือง -<br>Muang
| เหลือง -<br>Luang
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| ใ, ไ, -ัย,ไ-ย,-าย
| ai
| ไหม -<br>Mai
| ใกล้ -<br>Klai
| ลาย -<br>Lai
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| ำ
| am
| กำธร -<br>Kamtorn
| ดำ -<br>Dam
| ทำ, ธรรม -<br>Tham
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| เ-า,-าว
| ao
| เผ่า -<br>Pao
| เจ้า -<br>Jao
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| เ-ิ
| er, oe
| เงิน -<br>Ngoen
| เจริญ -<br>Charoen
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
| -ัว
| uo,ua
| ผวน -<br>Puon
| สำรวย -<br>Samruoy
| สงวน -<br>Sa-nguon
| ดวง -<br>Duong
| บัว -<br>Bua
|-
| เ-ย
| oei, oey
| เหมย -<br>Moei
| คลองเตย -<br>Klongtoey
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|}


==== Consonants  ====
==Word List(s)==
* [[Thai Genealogical Word List|Thai Genealogical Word List]]
* Evans, Bruce. ''Thai phrasebook & dictionary.'' Carlton, Victoria: Lonely Planet Global Limited, 2018. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1052782748 WorldCat].
* Fanthorpe, Helen. ''Thai phrase book & dictionary.'' London: Berlitz Publishing, 2019. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1083159489 WorldCat].
* [https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/thai.php#:~:text=Useful%20Thai%20phrases Useful Thai phrases] - Omniglot
* [https://theculturetrip.com/asia/thailand/articles/15-essential-thai-phrases-to-learn-before-you-visit-thailand/ Essential Phrases in Thailand] - Culture Trip
* [https://polyglotclub.com/wiki/Language/Thai/Vocabulary/Isan-basic-phrases Isan basic phrases] - Polyglot Wiki
* [https://polyglotclub.com/wiki/Language/Northern-thai/Vocabulary/How-to-Say-Hello-and-Greetings Northern-thai Vocabulary] - Polyglot Wiki
* [https://midtownratsada.com/southern-thai/central-thai-southern-thai-vocabulary-phrases Central Thai & Southern Thai Vocabulary & Phrases] - Hotel Midtown


{| width="30%" border="1"
==Alphabet and Pronunciation==
|-
'''Alphabet'''
| width="15%" | '''Thai'''  
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/thai.htm#:~:text=Thai%20alphabet Thai alphabet] - Omniglot
| width="15%" | '''English'''
* [https://omniglot.com/conscripts/satthaaksoonthaj.htm#:~:text=Latin%20alphabet%20for%20the%20Thai Latin alphabet for the Thai] - Omniglot
|-
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/isan.htm#:~:text=Thai%20alphabet%20for%20Isan Thai alphabet for Isan] - Omniglot
| ก, ข, ค, ฆ
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/northernthai.htm Northern Thai (Kam Mueang)] - Omniglot
| k, g
|-
| ง
| ng
|-
| จ
| j, ch
|-
| ฉ, ช, ฌ
| ch, sh
|-
| ญ, ย
| y
|-
| ฎ, ด
| d
|-
| ฏ, ต
| t
|-
| ฐ, ฑ, ฒ, ถ, ท, ธ
| t, th
|-
| ณ, น
| n
|-
| บ
| b
|-
| ป
| p
|-
| ผ, พ, ภ
| p, ph
|-
| ฝ, ฟ
| f
|-
| ม
| m
|-
| ร
| r
|-
| ล, ฬ
| l
|-
| ว
| w
|-
| ศ, ษ, ส
| s
|-
| ห, ฮ
| h
|-
| อ
| a, or
|-
|}


=== Guidelines for Romanizing Thai Place Names  ===
'''Pronunciation'''
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/thai.htm#:~:text=Thai%20alphabet%20and%20pronunciation Thai pronunciation] - Omniglot
* [https://forvo.com/languages/th/ Thai pronunciation dictionary] - Forvo


Refer to Thailand Gazetteers page: [[Thailand Gazetteers]]  
==Language Aids and Dictionaries==
'''Dictionaries'''
* Barmé, Scot, Pensi Najaithong, and Jintana Rattanakhemakorn. ''Mini Thai dictionary : Thai-English English-Thai.'' La Vergne: Tuttle Publishing, 2018. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1041075558 WorldCat].
* ''Collins Thai dictionary.'' Bishopbriggs, Glasgow: Collins, 2019. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1101418173 WorldCat].
* Rattanakhemakorn, Jintana and Scot Barmé. ''Essential Thai phrasebook & dictionary.'' Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2019. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1083682027 WorldCat].
* Higbie, James. ''Lao-English, English-Lao dictionary and phrasebook.'' New York: Hippocrene Books, 2001. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/46918476 WorldCat].
* Higbie, James. ''Thai-English/English-Thai dictionary and phrasebook.'' New York: Hippocrene Books, 1999. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/41712147 WorldCat].


=== Key Words  ===
'''Online Dictionaries'''
* [https://glosbe.com/en/th Dictionary English - Thai] - Glosbe
* [https://glosbe.com/en/tts Dictionary English - Northeastern Thai] - Glosbe
* [https://glosbe.com/en/nod Dictionary English - Northern Thai] - Glosbe
* [https://glosbe.com/en/sou Dictionary English - Southern Thai] - Glosbe


To find and use specific types of Thai records, you will need to know some key words in Thai. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the Thai words with the same or similar meanings.  
'''Language Aids'''
* Michael. ''Essential Thai : Speak Thai With Confidence.'' n.p.: Tuttle Publishing, 2014. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/880412747 WorldCat].


For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Thai words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, joined, and other words used in Thai records to indicate marriage.  
==Additional Resources==
* Higbie, James. ''Let's speak Lao.'' Bangkok, Thailand: Orchid Press, 2018. '''''Available at:''''' [https://worldcat.org/title/1031918941 WorldCat].


{| width="100%" border="1"
== References ==
|-
{{reflist}}
| width="25%" | '''English'''
| '''Thai'''
|-
| birth
| การเกิด, การกำเนิด, การคลอด,จุดเริ่ม
|-
| Buddhist
| ศาสนาพุทธ
|-
| burial
| การฝัง, การฝังศพ
|-
| Catholic
| เกี่ยวกับศาสนาคริสต์นิกายโรมันคาทอลิก, ผู้นับถือนิกายโรมันคาทอลิก
|-
| child
| เด็ก, ทารก, บุตรหลาน, ลูก
|-
| christening
| การทำพิธีรับเข้าเป็นศริสต์ศาสนิกชน, ตั้งชื่อให้ในพิธีดังกล่าว
|-
| confirmations
| การยืนยัน, การรับรอง
|-
| civil registry
| สูติบัตร, ใบเกิด <br>
|-
| daughter
| ลูกสาว, ธิดา, บุตรี
|-
| death
| ความตาย, ความสิ้นสุด
|-
| father
| พ่อ, บิดา
|-
| Hindu
| ศาสนาฮินดู, ชาวฮินดู
|-
| husband
| สามี, ผัว
|-
| index
| ดัชนี, เครื่องชี้
|-
| Islam
| ศานาอิสลาม
|-
| Islamic
| ชาวมุสลิม
|-
| Jewish
| ชาวยิว
|-
| Latter-day Saint
| วิสุทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย
|-
| marriage registration
| ใบทะเบียนสมรส,เอกสารการสมรส<br>
|-
| marriage
| การแต่งงาน, วิวาห์, การสมรส, การวิวาห์, การครองเรือน
|-
| month
| เดือน
|-
| mother
| แม่, มารดา
|-
| name, given
| ชื่อที่่บิดามารดาตั้งให้ตอนเกิด
|-
| name, surname
| นามสกุล, ขื่อสกุล
|-
| parents
| พ่อแม่, ผู้ปกครอง, บูรพาจารย์
|-
| parish
| เขตการปกครองที่่มีโบสถ์ประจำท้องถิ่น, ข้อมูลที่่โบสถ์เก็บไว้<br>
|-
| Protestant
| ศาสนาคริสต์นิกายโปรเตสแตนต์, ผู้นับถือนิกายดังกล่าว<br>
|-
| Sikh
| แขกซิกข์, ผู้นับถือศาสนาซิกข์
|-
| son
| บุตรชาย, โอรส
|-
| wife
| ภรรยา, เมีย
|-
| year
| ปี
|}
 
=== Calendar, Months, Days ===
 
To work with Thai family history records, you will need to understand the Thai calendar and know the related words in Thai. This section gives key calendar terms in English and the Thai words with the same or similar meanings.
 
==== Thai Calendars  ====
 
The following Wikipedia.org articles explain the two Thai calendar systems:
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_lunar_calendar Thai Lunar Calendar]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_solar_calendar Thai Solar Calendar]
 
==== Thai Calendar Translations  ====
 
{| width="100%" border="1"
|-
| width="25%" | '''English'''
| '''Thai'''
|-
| January
| &nbsp;มกราคม
|-
| February
| &nbsp;กุมภาพันธ์
|-
| March
| &nbsp;มีนาคม
|-
| April
| &nbsp;เมษายน
|-
| May
| &nbsp;พฤษภาคม
|-
| June
| &nbsp;มิถุนายน
|-
| July
| &nbsp;กรกฎาคม
|-
| August
| &nbsp;สิงหาคม
|-
| September
| &nbsp;กันยายน
|-
| October
| &nbsp;ตุลาคม
|-
| November
| &nbsp;พฤศจิกายน
|-
| December
| &nbsp;ธันวาคม
|}
 
{| width="100%" border="1"
|-
| width="25%" | '''English'''
| '''Thai'''
|-
| Sunday
| &nbsp;วันอาทิตย์
|-
| Monday
| &nbsp;วันจันทร์
|-
| Tuesday
| &nbsp;วันอังคาร
|-
| Wednesday
| &nbsp;วันพุธ
|-
| Thursday
| &nbsp;วันพฤหัสบดี
|-
| Friday
| &nbsp;วันศุกร์
|-
| Saturday
| &nbsp;วันเสาร์
|}


[[Category:Thailand]]
[[Category:Thailand]]
<references />

Latest revision as of 21:17, 11 August 2025

Thailand Wiki Topics
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Record Types
Thailand Background
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Description

The official language spoken in Thailand is [1]

  • Thai - also known as Central Thai. Thai is used in government and education.
    • belongs to the language family of Kra–Dai. Thai is closely related to Lao, Shan, and several smaller languages in the area.

The Royal Thai Government recognizes 62 domestic languages in the country. [2]

Top languages by population are

  • Isan - also known as Northeastern Thai, a Lao dialect. Spoken in the northeastern provinces. The largest of the minority languages.
  • Kam Mueang - also known as Northern Thai.
  • Pak Tai - also known as Southern Thai and Dambro

The national language of Thailand is Thai, spoken by about 53% of the population. Many more speak it as a second language. Lao is spoken by about 27%, and Chinese 12%. Malay is spoken by 4% and Khmer 3%. English is widely used in business, as are many of the Chinese dialects. Records were kept in Thai, Lao, Malay, Chinese and English.[3]

Word List(s)

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Alphabet

Pronunciation

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Dictionaries

  • Barmé, Scot, Pensi Najaithong, and Jintana Rattanakhemakorn. Mini Thai dictionary : Thai-English English-Thai. La Vergne: Tuttle Publishing, 2018. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Collins Thai dictionary. Bishopbriggs, Glasgow: Collins, 2019. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Rattanakhemakorn, Jintana and Scot Barmé. Essential Thai phrasebook & dictionary. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2019. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Higbie, James. Lao-English, English-Lao dictionary and phrasebook. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2001. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Higbie, James. Thai-English/English-Thai dictionary and phrasebook. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1999. Available at: WorldCat.

Online Dictionaries

Language Aids

  • Michael. Essential Thai : Speak Thai With Confidence. n.p.: Tuttle Publishing, 2014. Available at: WorldCat.

Additional Resources

  • Higbie, James. Let's speak Lao. Bangkok, Thailand: Orchid Press, 2018. Available at: WorldCat.

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Thailand," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand#:~:text=official%20language%20of%20Thailand, accessed 17 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of Thailand," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Thailand, accessed 17 May 2023.
  3. ↑ The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Thailand,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2001.
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