Places อีสาน ii-sǎan
Isan (northeastern Thailand) name
- ii mid
- sǎan rising
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
How to use it
Thais call the Northeast อีสานii-sǎan; the formal name is ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือpâak dtà-wan-àwk chǐang nǔea, "the region east, slanting north". It's the biggest region, home to about a third of all Thais and to som tam, larb and sticky rice, and many people there speak Isan, which is close to Lao. Our page on the Isan language has the words you'll hear.
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:
- isan
- isaan
- esan
- issan
- e san
More places in Thai
All places
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones