When it comes to learning a foreign language, learning the basic beach vocabulary is the most important, obviously.
Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but it’s fun and useful to know some of the many Thai words and phrases related to beach life. Perhaps you wondered what Koh, Ao, and Haad means, or maybe how to actually pronounce them. Anyone who has been to Thailand knows that learning Thai words is next to worthless if you do not have the slightest idea of how to pronounce them. The problem is that there is no single agreed upon method of transcribing Thai words into the Roman alphabet (Romanization), and did we mention the 5 Thai tones? So in case you are not up for learning the Thai alphabet and the corresponding tone rules, we have transcribed the words and added a sound link for you to practice the pronunciation. Below we have put together a survival Thai beach vocabulary guide.
| Beach Word |
Common Transliteration(s) |
Pronounciation and Tone |
Thai Spelling |
Sound |
| island |
koh or ko |
gàw or gòr (low) |
เกาะ |
|
| bay |
ao |
àao (low) |
อ่าว |
|
| beach |
haad, haat, or hat |
hàat (low) |
หาด |
|
| sand |
sai or saai |
saai (mid) |
ทราย |
|
| sea |
talay, thaleh, thalae |
thá-laeh (high-mid) |
ทะเล |
|
| pier/harbour |
taa/thaa-reua/reuua |
thâa-reua
(falling-mid) |
ท่าเรือ |
|
| stone/rock |
hin |
hĭn (rising) |
หิน |
|
| wave |
khluen or kleun |
khlêuun (falling) |
คลื่น |
|
| cape |
laem |
lăaem (rising) |
แหลม |
|
| coral |
pakarang |
bpà-gaa-rang
(low-mid-mid) |
ปะการัง |
|
| low tide |
nam/nahm- long/lohng |
náam-lohng (high-mid) |
น้ำลง |
|
| high tide |
nam/nahm-keun/kheun |
náam-khêun
(high-falling) |
น้ำขึ้น |
|
| moon |
phra/pra-jan/chan |
phrá-jan (high-mid) |
พระจันทร์ |
|
| sun |
phra/pra-aathit/aatit |
phrá-aa-thít (high-mid-high) |
พระอาทิตย์ |
|
| wind |
lohm/lum/lom |
lohm (mid) |
ลม |
|
| rain |
fon/fohn |
fŏn (rising) |
ฝน |
|
| shade (and umbrella) |
rom/rohm |
rôm (falling) |
ร่ม |
|
Download the Thai Beach Vocabulary Part I here: / Image.
Please not that Thais often exchange “R” with “L” in the beginning of syllables. This means that a word like shade or umbrella will actually come out as lôm and not rôm.
For our Thai beach vocabulary we have consulted the website thai-language.com, the best online Thai language resource in our opinion. Especially if you want loads of context and valuable information, this site is helpful. The website also has a free iPhone and iPad app which is handy.
We will be back with more Thai beach vocabulary in our upcoming Part II.
