Thai

How to spell thai

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce thai

What does thai mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to Thailand, its people, language, or culture.
2. nounThe official language of Thailand, or a person from Thailand.

Thai in a sentence

• adjective

  The new thai restaurant on the high street serves an excellent green curry.

• noun

  The menu was printed in both English and thai.

• adjective

  She spent a month learning to cook authentic thai dishes.

• noun

  He studied thai for two years before moving to Bangkok.

Where does thai come from?

Language of origin: Other

This word comes from the name that the people of Thailand use for themselves, and in their own language it carries the meaning 'free' or 'free people'. The country itself was long known to outsiders as Siam, but in 1939 it was renamed Thailand, literally 'land of the free', and the adjective 'Thai' spread into English alongside that change. English speakers had already encountered the term in the nineteenth century through trade and travel writing, and it settled into common use as both an adjective and a noun for the nation's people, language, and culture. The spelling preserves the original 'th' even though English pronounces the word exactly like 'tie', which is the main trap: the silent 'h' and the unexpected 'ai' vowel cluster trip up writers who spell by ear. The huge popularity of Thai cuisine in Britain, North America, and beyond has kept the word in everyday written use.

How the word is built

• Thai (from the endonym of the people of Thailand, meaning 'free')

Words that sound like thai

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• tie: To fasten or secure something using a cord, string, or knot.