Interesting facts about the language

In Thai, a distinction is always made between male and female speakers! As a woman in Thailand, you greet someone with "Sawaddee ka," while as a man, you say "Sawaddee krap" when meeting someone. Thai belongs to the Tai-Kadai language family. The Tai-Kadai language family comprises approximately 70 languages and is native to the region stretching from China through Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand to India. Thai is the largest subgroup of this language family. Thai is a tonal language. When learning Thai, you will need to distinguish and learn to speak five tones. There is a high, a mid, a low, a rising, and a falling tone.

The standard of the Thai language is determined by the language spoken in and around the capital, Bangkok. There and in central Thailand, this standard Thai is primarily spoken. In addition to this standard, there are three major dialects that deviate from it to a greater or lesser extent. For example, in Germany, where the dialects in the north and south of the country also differ greatly. In northeastern Thailand, the language that is probably furthest from the standard is spoken. There, you can find a fluid transition between Thai and Lao. Thai has been written in the so-called Thai script since the 13th century. This script originated in southern India. Thai is spoken by approximately 20 million native speakers and approximately 40 million second-language speakers!