I’ve been obsessing with the Thai language for a while and decided to start learning it last year. For two months or so I’ve scoured the Instagram space and found these useful accounts.
As a beginner, given that Thai is a tonal language, I set specific requirements for each account.
They must have either any of these;
I want to see how they pronounce the sentences, phrases, or words. Having explanations is a must.
Images with audio are better than just an image. It’s useless because learners won’t know the correct pronunciation. They may use the wrong tone and we don’t want that 😅
Showing only the Thai script is not enough. A translation is needed for those who can’t read the script.
Learning isn’t just about input. Learners have to make use of what they learn.
These accounts are not in a particular order. By the time I compiled the lists, I realized all were females. That’s unintentional. Anyway, let’s begin!
P.S. Don’t forget to click on the image to play the video.
Kru Chom is a teacher (since 2017) and certified instructor of Thai to foreigners. She runs the Thai By Chom Language School in Salaya, Nakhonpathom province in Thailand. Some of the things you’ll see on her feed are;
She also streams live lessons and uploads recorded live free classes (held monthly via Zoom) so people know how it goes if they want to sign up. In between are relatable memes and funny videos.
Her content isn’t geared towards a specific level but is beginner—and intermediate-friendly. She posts very little on advanced content.
Kru Smuk’s tagline is ‘Learning Thai is as easy as peeling a banana.’ Well, I’m not sure about that, but I love how she explains things. She makes it very easy to comprehend and does extra steps that others don’t bother doing.
For example, there is a difference with rúu. There are two types: rúu-càk + noun and rúu-wâa + verb, which I didn’t know. Others just put it as rúu, which means to know.
Below are some content you can expect on her feed;
She has a podcast, a YouTube channel, a Facebook page and her own courses (for beginners and intermediates). She uploads certain parts of them (except Facebook) to her feed, which you can see.
Kat creates content about the Thai language, food, culture, and drama. If you want to learn about Thai culture, you’ll want to follow this account. One of the things she posts is a series of interesting things you’ll find in Thailand.
Apart from that, you’ll see these;
Her ‘Why tones are important series’ is funny and informative. It depicts the real struggle of Thai learners to get their points across. Even though her content is catered to beginners, some may find her videos a bit fast.
Did you know that there is no Thai standard romanization?
This account is underrated. I love that she repeats words and sentences three times with clear pronunciation. In her ‘One Day One Sentence’ posts she introduces a sentence and explains the translation and the grammar.
She breaks it down by clarifying the patterns or structure. For example, subject + verb + object + classifier or subject + have/ has + person/thing + verb.
I’m a beginner and shouldn’t learn grammar this early, but she does it effortlessly. New always includes grammar explanations in every post, and it’s not overwhelming (so far).
She also does vocabulary (one word a day) where she teaches how to form a grammatically correct sentence with them. You’ll find some of these on her feed;
Kru New’s content is suitable for all levels. There are also advanced lessons where she teaches how to form longer and complex sentences.
If you want to learn naturally spoken Thai, you’re in the right place. Kru Vella only teaches practical ones. No textbooks. The ‘Did you know’ in a few of her posts is a good addition. You get to learn a tiny bit of interesting knowledge.
Her account has some of these;
The only con is that sometimes in some of her posts, the spelling doesn’t match the pronunciation—for example, office/ boss. She retains the English words and doesn’t change them to Thai so the romanization would be something like obfit/ bot.
She hasn’t addressed the rules for such pronunciations (at the moment of writing), which could confuse beginners, considering her content is suitable for that level.
That’s it for now. I have more, though, but I’ll save them for part two. Feel free to share your go-to accounts in the comments.
©2024 Together We Learn More
©2024 Together We Learn More
