I tried to but I could not get passed the first 6 letters of their alphabet!!! Like, it is HELL!!! I managed to…
I wrote about my experience with Thai above but I wanted to add that the letters of the alphabet are difficult indeed but my understanding is that there are a few that are not even used.. So out of all the ways to say K/Kh, only half or so are used in words.... I am guessing the same thing is true for T/Th.
PD People say the author, MAME, has an obsession with names that start with T (Techno, Tar, Tum, Type, Tharn, etc.) and I agree but I do wonder how many of those are spelled with different T/Th since Thai has several letters for sounds that are all pretty similar or the same to T/Th. IDK the answer to that. I pose this question earlier here hoping a Thai speaker would offer some insight but no one did.
We may very well be among the few people in these forum interested in the Thai language :(
I tried to but I could not get passed the first 6 letters of their alphabet!!! Like, it is HELL!!! I managed to…
Hi, I am currently learning Japanese so I had to tone down my goals for Thai. I am currently learning the alphabet. The biggest challenge I have found with that is that I know the "classic" font but not the "modern" font that they use in shows and most written ads and signs. It sucks.
As far as words go, I probably know a couple but definitively it is harder to understand than Japanese. Part of the issue is that Thai people tend to drop some consonants and, in my humble opinion, aspirate the Ks at the start of some words, and so two words can sound very similar. They also change the r into a really soft r. For example, you rarely hear the hard K and the R in krap at the end of most sentences, instead you hear something more like a cross between hap and kap. Its annoying for a beginner....
If you listen closely, you should be able to pick the words for "horrible/terrible/shitty/shit/f word" (sounds like a cross between chiaa and he-a, I still can't tell), "and..." (le-e-u, with a long eh sound), "no", "I can't", "yes" (sounds like chai as in chai tea), "let's go", and "actually/really/truth" (that one sounds like ting ting to me LOL). You should also listen closely when they count and you will quickly learn to not read the subtitles if they are counting because its pretty easy....
I do suggest you start with the alphabet because you will also learn words that way. I have learned a couple of words doing that, including the word for milk, eggs, elephant, and chicken. LOL!
I brought a book that has helped me a little bit but I don't have it with me to tell you the name of the book.
The app I use for the alphabet is "Thai alphabet". It probably is not the best but it works... In fact, I was watching "OffGun" fun night, and I could hear and understand when Gun was saying "A, B, C" because I know the first letters of the alphabet. :)
Good luck and if you can't find another resource who is better than me, feel free to msg me! ;)
Oh, one more thing. If you listen to songs like "Shake" from the Lovesick OST, you can also learn words. I learned "hand", "day", "this" and a couple of others that way and sometimes I can tell when they use them in another song :) At the end of the chorus in shake, the "nee" that sounds like "knee" in English, means "this" :) and when the song stars you can clearly hear the second word that Captain sings is the word for Day, it sounds like "want" without the T at the end "wan", something like "jon wan tee".... Until the day.... :)
I am addicted to this show, I need an intervention
Last night I struggled to explain to my 72 yr old latino mother why I like thai bl. As a gay man it is a little bit easier but its not straight forward. I also struggled to explain my love for asian tv shows to my 22 yrd old cousin.
Have a great time! I went 3 months ago and loved it! The temples and cultural places are beautiful and the food…
Fun fact, I used to say that Mario Maurer was the most gorgeous man on the planet. I know he gained weight, but I still think he is gorgeous. Ever since I started watching Thai BL series on TV and youtube I feel less inclined to say that about him, but I still have a ton of respect for who he is and what he did in Love of Siam... :) and I still think he is drop dead gorgeous, with a killer smile. BTW His english is really good!
Have a great time! I went 3 months ago and loved it! The temples and cultural places are beautiful and the food…
True. I am also hoping that he can communicate in Hmong with the Hmong people in Chiang Mai.... (I am not sure where are more Hmong in Chiang Mai or in Chiang Rai?)... It would be very fun!
Have a great time! I went 3 months ago and loved it! The temples and cultural places are beautiful and the food…
You need to watch Love of Siam. It is a true gem. It is the movie that made this genre possible. Mario and Pchy were the first Thai BL superstars. Without Mario and Pchy and the Love of Siam, there would probably not be any BL stories in Hormones and my guess is that without that and Love of Siam, MCOT would have never allowed Love Sick to air.
Have a great time! I went 3 months ago and loved it! The temples and cultural places are beautiful and the food…
I was only kidding about the beauty of the men. Of course, you will have everything. But I do think Southeast Asian man are very beautiful in general. That doesn't mean that there are not beautiful man in Africa, South America, Central America, etc. As a latino, I would never say that!
I think the BL industry is just great at showcasing the best of the best :)
Have a great time! I went 3 months ago and loved it! The temples and cultural places are beautiful and the food…
I want to go to Chiang Mai because my husband has connections to that area of Thailand. However, my one friend who visited that area said he didn't like it as much and wouldn't go back to it.
1 
PD People say the author, MAME, has an obsession with names that start with T (Techno, Tar, Tum, Type, Tharn, etc.) and I agree but I do wonder how many of those are spelled with different T/Th since Thai has several letters for sounds that are all pretty similar or the same to T/Th. IDK the answer to that. I pose this question earlier here hoping a Thai speaker would offer some insight but no one did.
We may very well be among the few people in these forum interested in the Thai language :(
As far as words go, I probably know a couple but definitively it is harder to understand than Japanese. Part of the issue is that Thai people tend to drop some consonants and, in my humble opinion, aspirate the Ks at the start of some words, and so two words can sound very similar. They also change the r into a really soft r. For example, you rarely hear the hard K and the R in krap at the end of most sentences, instead you hear something more like a cross between hap and kap. Its annoying for a beginner....
If you listen closely, you should be able to pick the words for "horrible/terrible/shitty/shit/f word" (sounds like a cross between chiaa and he-a, I still can't tell), "and..." (le-e-u, with a long eh sound), "no", "I can't", "yes" (sounds like chai as in chai tea), "let's go", and "actually/really/truth" (that one sounds like ting ting to me LOL). You should also listen closely when they count and you will quickly learn to not read the subtitles if they are counting because its pretty easy....
I do suggest you start with the alphabet because you will also learn words that way. I have learned a couple of words doing that, including the word for milk, eggs, elephant, and chicken. LOL!
I brought a book that has helped me a little bit but I don't have it with me to tell you the name of the book.
The app I use for the alphabet is "Thai alphabet". It probably is not the best but it works... In fact, I was watching "OffGun" fun night, and I could hear and understand when Gun was saying "A, B, C" because I know the first letters of the alphabet. :)
Good luck and if you can't find another resource who is better than me, feel free to msg me! ;)
Oh, one more thing. If you listen to songs like "Shake" from the Lovesick OST, you can also learn words. I learned "hand", "day", "this" and a couple of others that way and sometimes I can tell when they use them in another song :) At the end of the chorus in shake, the "nee" that sounds like "knee" in English, means "this" :) and when the song stars you can clearly hear the second word that Captain sings is the word for Day, it sounds like "want" without the T at the end "wan", something like "jon wan tee".... Until the day.... :)
Have fun! Enjoy your stay!
At least you guys get me. :)
So go watch it! :) Its on youtube!
I think the BL industry is just great at showcasing the best of the best :)
Mario Maurer hit it big with the movie Pee Mak, the highest grossing Thai film in the history of Thailand.
Of course, we BL fans know him from Love of Siam, the grandmother of Thai BL. We also remember him for that sweet kiss between him and Pchy :)
Merry Christmas!