ABC กขค is easy as 123…

If you ask the farangs you know who speak good Thai, many will tell you the same thing – learn to read. After years of dragging my feet on this one, I’ve finally taken their advice and learned the alphabet and it really is a whole new world. I’m still not saying that my Thai is any good, mind you — just that the alphabet has opened new doors for me in learning the language.

And here’s the other thing – if you’ve got small children, it turns out that you’ve got infinite opportunities for practicing. In fact, it may be easier for you to absorb a new alphabet now than at any other time in your adult life.

I regard drilling with only slightly more enthusiasm than doing dishes. It is, however, unavoidable if you’re trying to get a new alphabet in your head. But when you have toddlers or small children, “drillling” = “saying the same thing over and over again” = “how you spend most of your day anyway”. The only difference was that, instead of pointing to a bird, and saying something inane like, “Look, honey! a BIRD!”. I could pick up a flashcard and say “Kor Kai”. She thought the picture was pretty to look at, and then we’d talk about the chicken a little bit, and what the chicken says and then move on. Her attention span didn’t last for more than a few cards, but then again neither did mine – we’d just resume at another time, and I think I absorbed it better at the slower pace. You could easily do the same with building blocks, or play mats or any of the zillion Thai alphabet toys out there.

And this was before I joined the ranks of iPhone app addicts, so I didn’t yet know about all the cool free iPhone apps out there, like this one for learning the alphabet or this one for practicing your writing.

The other thing I didn’t expect was the sheer satisfaction. When I first tackled the Thai alphabet, it was with a sense of grim determination. Instead, learning the alphabet was probably the most rewarding thing I’ve done in a while. In a couple of weeks, I went from knowing nothing to knowing something, from having no idea what those squiggles meant to being able to sound out words. I was totally unprepared for the little rush of pride and pleasure I felt every time I puzzled out even the simplest of subway signs (“Suuu….khaam..KHUM! Sukhumvit!!). And it’s a feeling I hope I’ll remember when my daughter is old enough to start learning to read herself.

Some basic facts about the Thai alphabet

I suppose I should mention some of the quirks of the Thai alphabet to you, but please don’t be scared off – with a little bit of attention (and lots and lots of drilling playing time), it will all make sense.

• There are 44 consonants (thankfully, only some of them are used with regularity), divided into 3 consonant classes
• Each consonant is identified by a word – ก is kor kai, or “K Chicken”. Many words are common, like “boat”, “monkey”, “dog”, so lots of scope for playing with kids.
• There are 32 vowel combinations. But don’t worry, only 30 are in use. And you actually only have to learn 18 characters – it’s just that they make different sounds depending on whether you put them before, after, above, below, or all around the consonant….

Really, I know it sounds crazy, but it is fun. I promise.

Resources

• On Women Learn Thai, Catherine’s excellent post on The Easy Way for Beginners to Learn to Read and Write Thai walks you right through the steps without the need for a teacher and provides a whole host of online resources
• If you want to get Thai alphabet inspired books or toys, just walk into any Thai bookstore or toy section – there will be no end of flashcards, coloring books, alphabet, blocks, play mats and more. If you’d rather do your shopping online, check out Buy Thai Books, which has a great selection of children’s books and materials
• For the more technologically inclined, check out this comparative review of cool iPhone apps.