Language/Thai/Vocabulary/Count-to-10

Thai Vocabulary - Count to 10

Hi Thai learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn how to count to 10 in [Language/Thai|Thai], and some cultural information related to the Thai language. Feel free to ask any questions here, improve or add more to this lesson. 😎

Thai Numbers

The Thai language contains many unique and interesting aspects. One example is the Thai number system. The Thai numeral system is based on Hindu-Arabic numerals, but they also have their own system of numerals which are used in certain contexts, such as telling time and counting animals, people, or objects.

In addition, the Thai language uses classifiers to count nouns based on their shape, size, or other characteristics. For example, ตัว (tua) is used to count animals, ลูก (luk) is used for fruits, and คน (khon) is used for people.

Without further ado, let's count to 10 in Thai!

Thai	Pronunciation	English Translation
ศูนย์	suun	0, zero
หนึ่ง	nueng	1, one
สอง	song	2, two
สาม	saam	3, three
สี่	see	4, four
ห้า	haa	5, five
หก	hok	6, six
เจ็ด	jet	7, seven
แปด	bpaaet	8, eight
เก้า	gao	9, nine
สิบ	sip	10, ten

Notice that in Thai, the pronunciation of the numbers varies depending on the context, and that there is no universal rule to determine which pronunciation to use. Keep in mind that practice makes perfect, so the more you practice counting in Thai, the better you will get at it!

Cultural information

Thai is the official language of Thailand and is spoken by over 60 million people worldwide. The language is a tonal language, which means that the pitch of a syllable can change its meaning. For instance, the word สาม (saam) mentioned previously, can also represent the word "orange" if pronounced with a different tone.

In Thailand, people greet each other with the word "Sawasdee" (สวัสดี), which means "hello" or "goodbye". Thai people also use a gesture known as the "wai" which involves placing your palms together at chest-level, bowing your head and saying "Sawasdee" as a gesture of respect.

Another interesting aspect of Thai language is the use of polite particles to show respect to people of higher status, such as ครับ (khrap) for men and ค่ะ (kha) for women. These particles are added to the end of a sentence to indicate politeness such as "ขอบคุณครับ" (khob-khun-khrap) which means "Thank you, sir."

Dialogue

Here is an example dialogue between two people counting objects:

• Person 1: สอง (song) กล้วย (kluai) (Two bananas)
• Person 2: สี่ (see) ทุเรียน (thoo-rian) (Four durians)
• Person 1: แปด (bpaaet) มะม่วง (ma-muang) (Eight mangoes)
• Person 2: ห้า (haa) นก (nok) (Five birds)

Conclusion

Counting to 10 is the first step to mastering the Thai language. By practicing counting and listening to native speakers, you will become more familiar with the unique pronunciation and tones of Thai. Don't forget that learning a language is not only about memorizing words but also about understanding the culture and customs of the people who speak it. To improve your listening and speaking skills, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Thai Numbers: How to Count in Thai
• Learn Thai - Lesson 3: Numbers (1-10) | L-Lingo

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Congratulations on finishing this lesson! Explore these related pages to keep learning: Fruits, Colors (สี sĕe), List of nouns & Animals.

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