Isan Language (Isaan): How It Differs from Thai

Isan, ภาษาอีสานpaa-sǎa ii-sǎan in Thai, is the language of northeast Thailand, and linguistically it is Lao: the same language that is spoken across the Mekong in Laos, written in Thai script. The Thai government's 2011 report to the UN counted about 15 million Lao speakers in Thailand, and other estimates go above 20 million: either way, more than the whole population of Laos. Officially it's a Thai dialect, ภาษาไทยถิ่นอีสานpaa-sǎa tai tìn ii-sǎan; at home many speakers simply call it Lao, ภาษาลาวpaa-sǎa laao. Nearly all of them also speak standard Thai.

Where Isan is spoken

Isan, from the Pali and Sanskrit word for "northeast", is Thailand's largest region: 20 provinces on the Khorat Plateau, from Nakhon Ratchasima and Khon Kaen to Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani and Nong Khai on the Mekong. Millions of people from Isan live and work in Bangkok and all over the country, so you'll hear it everywhere, from market stalls and taxis to offices and building sites. In the south of the region, some families speak Northern Khmer or Kuy at home instead.

Why Lao is written in Thai script here

Much of the region came under the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang from the 14th to the early 18th century. Siam later took control and moved large numbers of Lao people across the Mekong into what is now Isan. After the Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893 the river became the border with French-ruled Laos, and the Lao on the right bank stayed in Siam. In the 20th century the state dropped the name "Lao" from official use, schools taught only standard Thai, and the old Tai Noi script, the ancestor of today's Lao alphabet, was banned. That's why Isan is written in Thai letters, with the spelling of the related Thai words.

What changes from Central Thai

Isan shares most of its grammar with Thai, so a sentence often swaps only a few words, and the tones. The romanization here shows how a Bangkok speaker reads the spelling; real Isan tones are different, so let your ears be the guide. Two sound changes run through the language: r becomes h, so รักrák (love) is ฮักhák, เราrao (we) is เฮาhao and ร้อนráwn (hot) is ฮ้อนháwn; and ch becomes s, so ช้างcháang (elephant) is ซ้างsáang.

Everyday words, Isan first, then Central Thai:

• บ่bàw / ไม่mâi: not
• แม่นmâen / ใช่châi: yes, that's right
• หลายlǎai / มากmâak: very, a lot
• ข้อยkâwy / ผมpǒm or ฉันchǎn: I
• เจ้าjâo / คุณkun: you
• เว้าwáo / พูดpûut: to speak
• เฮ็ดhét / ทำtam: to do, to make
• หยังyǎng / อะไรà-rai: what
• ไสsǎi / ไหนnǎi: where
• ไผpǎi / ใครkrai: who
• แซ่บsâep / อร่อยà-ràwy: delicious
• ม่วนmûan / สนุกsà-nùk: fun
• มื้อนี้múue-níi / วันนี้wan-níi: today
• คิดฮอดkít-hâwt / คิดถึงkít-tǔeng: to miss someone
• บักหุ่งbàk-hùng / มะละกอmá-lá-gaw: papaya, which is why som tam is ตำบักหุ่งdtam bàk-hùng

Put them together and เฮ็ดหยังhét yǎng is ทำอะไรtam à-rai, "what are you doing?", ไปไสbpai sǎi is "where are you going?" and บ่เป็นหยังbàw bpen yǎng is ไม่เป็นไรmâi bpen rai, "never mind". Two particles do a lot of work: เด้อdôe softens a sentence like นะná, and บ่bàw at the end turns it into a yes/no question, like ไหมmǎi: สบายดีบ่sà-baai dii bàw, "how are you?"

False friends

• ย่างyâang means to walk in Isan, and to grill in Bangkok.
• บ่าวbàao is a young man in Isan, and a servant in old Central Thai, which still keeps the "young man" sense in เจ้าบ่าวjâo-bàao, "groom".
• แพงpaeng means expensive in Bangkok, but in Isan ฮักแพงhák paeng is to love and cherish someone.
• เสี่ยวsìaw is a sworn best friend in Isan, bound for life in a traditional ceremony. In Bangkok slang it came to mean tacky or uncool, often as a put-down of people from the countryside.

Mor lam and luk thung

หมอลำmǎw-lam, "expert in lam", is the sung poetry of Isan and Laos, traditionally performed to the แคนkaen, a bamboo mouth organ. UNESCO added khaen music, nominated by Laos, to its intangible heritage list in 2017. Today's mor lam is electric, fast and made for dancing at temple fairs, where troupes play through the night. ลูกทุ่งlûuk-tûng, "child of the fields", is Thai country music: it grew up in the central plains and got its name from a 1964 TV show. It has long borrowed from mor lam, and many of its biggest stars come from Isan. Our songs section explains the key lines of two Isan hits, with the Central Thai for each Isan word: Jintara Poonlarp's เต่างอยdtào-ngawy and Kong Huayrai's love song คู่คองkûu-kawng.

How Thais see Isan

For a long time Isan speech was looked down on in Bangkok as the language of poor farmers and migrant workers, and many Isan people learned to switch to standard Thai in public. That has been changing. Isan food is loved all over the country, Isan singers and comedians are national stars, and Isan words have gone mainstream: แซ่บsâep for anything spicy and delicious, and อิหยังวะì-yǎng wá, "what the…?", as a viral meme.

Should you learn Isan?

Learn standard Thai first: everyone in Isan understands it, it's on every sign, and it's what our course teaches. Then pick up the Isan you hear around you, especially if your partner's family is from the northeast. Lung Chai, the condo guard in Unit 6 of the free course, is from Khon Kaen and drops in the odd เด้อdôe. For Northern and Southern Thai, see our page on regional Thai.