The best apps to learn Thai

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The best app to learn Thai will be different for everyone, depending on what you want to do with the Thai language in your life, as well as how much of the Thai language you already know.

With this in mind, in this post I'll give you some clear guidance on the best app for each situation.

The best app to learn Thai for traveling in Thailand

If you want to learn Thai to travel in Thailand, the best app by far from my experience is Pimsleur.

I’ve personally completed more than 20 Pimsleur Thai lessons and used what I've learned to speak Thai while living here in Bangkok.

I recommend Pimsleur primarily for two reasons:

1. You actually practice speaking Thai and the repetition of speaking the phrases over and over helps you memorize them and makes it easier to speak the phrases in real life when you need them.

2. You learn phrases and words before Thai grammar and other difficult concepts. These phrases are carefully chosen by Pimsleur based on their unique “Pimsleur Method” which focuses on learning the most common words in a language via their appropriate context in phrases.

Advantages of using the Pimsleur app for learning Thai

The content is relevant to your real life

How does this app help you learn Thai? Well for starters, the content you learn in Pimsleur lessons can be immediately applied to your real life when you travel in Thailand. All of the Thai words and phrases you learn will be relevant to you because you’ll need them in your daily life. 

Repetition may be the father of learning, but the most valuable key to keeping your consistency and motivation when learning a new language is relevance. 

If you start learning a language by learning topics that have nothing to do with your real life, it will be even more challenging to stick with the lessons and continue pushing yourself.

This is one of the beautiful things about using the Pimsleur app to learn Thai. Unlike other language learning apps, all of the lessons you take will be relevant to you, never making you feel like you’re wasting your time or energy.

It’s also why the first online Thai course we created at the Weaver School is called “All the Thai you need to know to travel in Thailand.” We wanted to start with something super relevant and focused that will impact your experience in real life, rather than grammar and the alphabet.

What are the drawbacks of Pimsleur Thai?

Not always the most typical ways of saying things in Thai

The main downside I’ve found is that some of the Thai vocabulary you learn in Pimsleur courses, and other languages actually, isn’t always what native speakers say in real life.

Often you’ll learn phrases that are very formal, or not commonly used by local Thai people. When you ask Thai native speakers about these phrases they’ll say “You can say that, and we’ll understand you, but a native speaker would never really say that.”

Sadly with Pimsleur Thai courses, you won’t have any way of knowing which words or phrases those are until you get here and start speaking Thai to native speakers though.

Very little grammar

Another drawback that sometimes gives me trouble is that there’s very little grammar explanation in the early parts of Pimsleur courses. This is perfect for some people and exactly what they’re looking for, especially if you just want to learn basic Thai. 

But if you’re trying to learn a language more in-depth or faster, unless you’re using Pimsleur as a base to try and build on with other techniques or apps on the side, sometimes it can be a bit frustrating when you don’t understand why you say some things one way and some things another.

Few chances for correction or feedback

When you’re using the Pimsleur app for learning Thai, you’re just speaking to your headphones or Bluetooth speaker. There’s no one there to listen to you or tell you when you’ve made a mistake.

You can use their speaking coach functionality, which sometimes works quite well, but this is outside of the main lessons. So while it is helpful, it’s not the same as having a live teacher correcting your mistakes when you make them. 

My overall recommendation for using the Pimsleur app to learn Thai

Overall, I love the Pimsleur app. I’ve used it to learn Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Thai, Japanese, and a tiny bit of Vietnamese. 

I’m a bit more passionate and enthusiastic about learning languages than most learners will be, but I’ve found it the most consistent and fun way to learn a language when you don’t have time to commit to a language course.

It can be hard to stay consistent and keep doing the lessons on your own. This is one of the drawbacks of not having a teacher. But Pimsleur is still a great and effective way to learn languages.

You can use it to learn Thai vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and even learn some basic grammar that will help you get to an early conversational Thai level.

The learning process with Pimsleur courses also works well for complete beginners, since it builds your skills from the ground up in an easy "listen and repeat" format.

It's one of the best apps out there for language learning in general, and as I said before, I recommend it to other language learners all the time based on my personal experience and success using it.

The most fun app to learn Thai

Ling - Thai language gamification app

Ling is one of the most popular apps for learning Thai. It’s actually a Thai app that was started in Thailand, and its name means “monkey” in Thai. 

The Ling app not only covers vocabulary but also grammar, the Thai alphabet, writing, and speaking as well, with a gamification aspect that can make the learning process feel more fun than other language learning methods.

Since there’s no Duolingo available for Thai (Still? WTF owl people?), Ling can be used as an effective replacement to learn new vocabulary and get used to Thai sentence structure a bit.

Their content also takes you through realistic conversations in Thai that you might have in your daily life, covering some grammar bits such as word order and others that would typically not be seen in basic vocabulary lists. 

My experience using Ling

If you’re just getting started learning Thai and you want a fun way to get going, I would recommend trying Ling. I started using it last year after my first month-long trip to Thailand when I got back home. 

I wanted to try and keep some of what I learned there and even learn some more new words in case I went back. That was over a year ago, and while it was fun and a nice thing to do when I was bored, I didn’t ultimately feel like I was learning enough to stick with it.

However they’ve made quite a few improvements over the past year, so it’s definitely worth giving it a try.

Compared to some of the other language learning apps on the market, Ling has certainly invested a lot into the user experience and making an app that you can actually enjoy using.

It is a paid app, but it will help you to develop your Thai skills in more of a fun way that might suit your learning style more than other methods.

What stands out about Ling

One thing I want to stress about Ling is that it's not just another lightweight app for learning basic phrases and Thai vocabulary.

Many apps use a "cookie-cutter" approach to foreign language learning with the only purpose of making money. But when it comes to their Thai app, Ling has definitely put in more effort than that.

If you're a Thai learner and you're determined to use an app rather than a tutor or a course, you should certainly at least take a look at Ling.

(I haven’t used any of the apps below and haven’t had time to try them yet, as I’ve been quite busy lately creating our new Thai course for travel. But I tried to read through the best information I could find online to put together the summary below)

Introducing Learning Paths: Customized language learning powered by AI

Learn the words and phrases you need for any language topic you choose. Get vocabulary words, key phrases, grammar explanations, and flashcards created for you in minutes.

Mastering Street Food Ordering in Thai

อาหาร (aa-hăan)

เมนู (Menu)

ราคา (raa-khaa)

น้ำ (náam)

ข้าว (Khâaw)

Join Waiting List

Apps for speaking Thai

ThaiTongue - Your Personal Thai Tutor

Key Features

Interactive Lessons: ThaiTongue offers engaging and interactive lessons that focus on pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and conversation skills. The app employs speech recognition technology to ensure accurate pronunciation practice.

Personalized Learning

Tailored to suit your individual needs, ThaiTongue creates customized learning paths based on your proficiency level and learning pace. Progress tracking keeps you motivated and on track to mastery.

Cultural Insights 

Immerse yourself in Thai culture through integrated cultural insights. Understanding the context and customs of a language enhances your communication skills and fosters cultural appreciation.

SpeakThai - Your Speaking Companion

Key Features

Real-Life Conversations: SpeakThai focuses on practical conversational skills, ensuring that you can confidently communicate with native Thai speakers in real-life situations.

Voice Recognition: The app's advanced voice recognition system evaluates your pronunciation and provides instant feedback to help you improve your spoken Thai.

Offline Mode: Never let connectivity issues hinder your learning. SpeakThai's offline mode enables you to access lessons and practice materials without an internet connection.

Best app for learning to write Thai

ThaiScript - Mastering Thai Script

One of the most challenging parts of learning Thai is learning the alphabet, and you won’t get very far without it. The alphabet teaches you how to pronounce the words in Thai with their unique sounds, so the faster you start learning the Thai alphabet and stop relying on the Romanized better the better.

Key Features

Thai Writing Practice: ThaiScript is dedicated to teaching learners the art of Thai script writing. The app offers step-by-step guidance and ample opportunities to practice writing each character.

Stroke Order Animation: Mastering the correct stroke order is essential when learning Thai script. ThaiScript provides animated stroke order guides for each character to ensure accuracy.

Character Recognition: The app includes exercises for character recognition to reinforce your ability to read Thai script fluently.

Good app for overall learning

FluentThai - Mastering Thai Made Easy

FluentThai has an interesting user experience for their Thai courses that is focused on all-around learning. It provides a good way for learners to get introduced to many parts of the language.

Key Features

Comprehensive Curriculum: FluentThai boasts a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from basic expressions to advanced conversation. Each lesson is thoughtfully structured to build upon previous knowledge.

Audio and Visual Learning: With a blend of audio and visual content, FluentThai caters to various learning styles. Audio exercises, flashcards, and multimedia lessons enhance your learning experience.

Gamified Learning: Learning Thai becomes fun and addictive with gamification elements integrated into the app. Earn rewards, complete challenges, and compete with friends to stay motivated.

Choosing the best app to learn Thai for you

If you’re looking for the best app to learn Thai, you’ll need to be clear about what your goals are for speaking Thai. Once that becomes clear, it should be easy for you to choose the best app for you from the list above. 

However, most of the apps above aren’t very expensive, so you can always just give them a shot and see which one works best for you.