Regional Thai: Northern, Isan and Southern Thai Explained

Standard Thai, the Central Thai of Bangkok, is understood everywhere, but at home many Thais speak a regional language: Kham Mueang in the north, Isan in the northeast and Southern Thai in the south. They share a lot with Central Thai but have their own words, tones and particles. Learn standard Thai first; a few regional words will win you instant smiles.

Northern Thai (Kham Mueang)

คำเมืองkam-mueang, "the language of the towns", is spoken across the old Lanna kingdom: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Nan and beyond. In Chiang Mai people switch to Central Thai with visitors, but you'll hear Kham Mueang at the market, in songthaews and between friends. Listen for:

• เจ้าjâo: the polite particle, used mostly by women, like ค่ะkâ. สวัสดีเจ้าsà-wàt-dii jâo is a northern hello.
• บ่bàw: "not", instead of ไม่mâi.
• ก่อgàw: a question word at the end, like ไหมmǎi.
• ลำlam: delicious, and ลำขนาดlam kà-nàat is "really delicious".
• กาดgàat: market, which is why Chiang Mai's markets have names like Kad Luang and Kad Suan Kaew.
• อู้ûu: to speak, as in อู้คำเมืองได้ก่อûu kam-mueang dâi gàw, "can you speak Northern Thai?".

You'll also notice northern sounds: many words that start with r in Bangkok start with h in the north. And Kham Mueang has its own old script, ตั๋วเมืองdtǔa-mueang, which you'll spot on temple signs and some street signs in Chiang Mai's Old City.

Isan

The language of the northeast, อีสานii-sǎan, is very close to Lao, and the region is home to about a third of Thailand's people. Many Isan people work in Bangkok, so you'll hear it everywhere, from taxi drivers to the hugely popular luk thung and mor lam music. Isan food has even made some words national:

• แซ่บsâep: delicious, tasty-spicy, and แซ่บหลายsâep lǎai, "really tasty"
• บ่bàw: not, as in the north
• เด้อdôe: a friendly particle, like นะná
• ข้อยkâwy: I, me
• บ่เป็นหยังbàw bpen yǎng: never mind, the Isan ไม่เป็นไรmâi bpen rai

Lung Chai, the condo guard in our course, is from Khon Kaen and drops in the odd เด้อdôe.

Southern Thai

ภาษาใต้paa-sǎa dtâai, "the southern language", is spoken from Chumphon down towards the Malaysian border, and it's famously fast. Words get clipped: อร่อยà-ràwy (delicious) becomes หรอยrǎwy, and หรอยแรงrǎwy raeng means "really tasty". In the far south, many families speak Patani Malay at home.

Which Thai should you learn?

Standard Central Thai. It's what everyone understands, what's on TV and taught in schools, and what our course teaches. Regional words are a bonus, and using one, even badly, gets a big laugh and a warm welcome. In Unit 11 of the free course you take the night train to Chiang Mai, where the north starts to sound different.