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Work and study

Accent in Thai

“Accent” in Thai is สำเนียงsǎm-niang.

สำเนียง sǎm-niang

accent noun

  • sǎm rising
  • niang mid
  • Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”

How to use it

สำเนียงsǎm-niang is the way someone sounds. Thais pick out a Northern, Isan or Southern accent straight away, and a Western accent is สำเนียงฝรั่งsǎm-niang fà-ràng. Regional speech goes further than accent, with words of its own: see our guide to regional Thai. Getting the sounds right is ออกเสียงàwk-sǐang, to pronounce, and our guides to Thai pronunciation and the tones explain them.

Other spellings you'll see

There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:

  • sum neang

Read more

More work and study in Thai

All work and study
  • ทำงาน tam-ngaan Work

    to work

  • เลิกงาน lôek-ngaan Finish work

    to finish work (for the day)

  • ประชุม bprà-chum Meeting
  • หัวหน้า hǔa-nâa Boss

    boss, manager, head (of a team)

  • เงินเดือน ngoen-duean Salary

    salary (monthly pay)

  • สัมภาษณ์ sǎm-pâat Interview

    to interview

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones