It’s pretty easy to guess that the most common language spoken in Thailand is Thai, with around 37 million Thai speakers living in the country. That’s around 52% of the country’s population—meaning that nearly half of Thailand’s residents speak a language other than Thai.
Besides Thai, what language do they speak in Thailand? Learn all about the linguistic diversity of Thailand, which includes dozens of Indigenous and non-Indigenous languages, second-language speakers, and lingua francas with other countries. You’ll also discover whether you need to learn Thai to travel to this beautiful country, or if your knowledge of English will be enough on an upcoming visit.
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What is the official language of Thailand?
The official language of Thailand is Thai, known as Standard Thai in school and government communications. Of the country’s population of 71.6 million people, slightly more than half speak Thai or one of its many dialects.
Standard Thai is based on the dialect of Thai spoken in Bangkok, the capital and most populous city of Thailand. Before 1939, Thai was known as Siamese, the language spoken in the country of Siam (now Thailand). It’s written with the Thai alphabet, as are the other dialects of Thai and related languages.
How many languages are spoken in Thailand?
So what languages are spoken in Thailand? There are 79 living languages spoken in Thailand, including Thai. Of these languages, 27 are non-Indigenous languages spoken by immigrant communities, those in economic or technological professions with international relations, and populations living near the borders of other countries (including Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, and Cambodia).
Non-Indigenous languages spoken in Thailand include:
- Burmese
- Cantonese
- English
- French
- German
- Hindi
- Japanese
- Khmer
- Korean
- Lao
- Malay
- Mandarin Chinese
- Vietnamese
Most spoken languages in Thailand
Nearly 90% of people living in Thailand speak one of the three most spoken languages in the country. These languages include both Indigenous and non-Indigenous languages, and depending on where you are in Thailand, may be the most common language that you hear.
Thai
Standard or Central Thai and its dialects are spoken by 37.6 million people in Thailand (Worlddata, 2026), which is around 52.6% of the total population. These speakers mainly live in Central Thailand, Northern Thailand (where they speak the Northern Thai dialect), and Southern Thailand (where they speak the Southern Thai dialect). All dialects of Thai are indigenous to Thailand.
Thai is a tonal language, meaning that speakers convey meaning by changing the pitch of each syllable. The five tones in Thai include mid, low, falling, high, and rising tones, each of which can alter the meaning of a word or sentence. Thai also includes many loanwords from neighboring languages, including Chinese languages and Khmer.
Lao (Isan)
The Isan dialect of Lao is spoken by 16.7 million speakers in Thailand
(23.4% of the total population). Compared to 4.4 million Lao speakers in Laos, that makes Thailand home to the most Lao speakers in the world. Isan is mainly spoken in Northeastern Thailand and is often referred to as Northeastern Thai, even though it’s more similar to its ancestor language, Lao.
Isan uses the Thai alphabet and is partially mutually intelligible with Thai, mainly because most Isan speakers also have an understanding and some fluency with Thai. Like Standard Thai, Isan is an Indigenous language to Thailand, and was spoken in the northeastern region long before Thailand became its own country.
Chinese languages
Over 8.8 million people in Thailand speak a Chinese language, including Mandarin, Teochow, and Hakka. That’s around 12% of the total Thai population. These Thai-Chinese communities primarily consist of immigrants from China in large urban areas or in rural southern provinces like Phuket and Chiang Mai. Today, most Thai residents who speak Chinese also speak (or can understand) Central Thai.
Although Mandarin Chinese is one of the most spoken languages in the world, it’s less commonly spoken in Thailand than Teochow or Hakka. However, it is the main Chinese language taught in Thai schools, and is becoming more popular with younger generations.
Indigenous languages spoken in Thailand
Thailand’s linguistic diversity thrives in its many living Indigenous languages across the country. There are 52Iindigenous languages spoken in Thailand, including Thai, Isan, and three sign languages used throughout the country (Ban Khor Sign Language, Chiangmai Sign Language, and Thai Sign Language).
Thailand’s Indigenous languages fall into five main language families: Kra-Dai, Austro-Asiatic, Sino-Tibetan, Hmong-Mien, and Austronesian languages.
Kra-Dai languages
The Kra-Dai language family consists of both the Kra and the Dai languages. Nearly 100 million people speak Kra-Dai languages in Thailand and around the world. These popular languages are spoken throughout Thailand’s population (especially Standard Thai), with high concentrations of speakers in Northern, Northeastern, and Central Thailand.
- Northern Thai (Kam Mueang)
- Northeastern Thai (Isan)
- Nyaw
- Phu Thai
- Phuan
- Saek
- Shan
- Southern Thai (Pak Tai)
- Standard Thai
- Thai Song
- Yong
- Yoy
Austro-Asiatic languages
This group of Indigenous languages, known as Austro-Asiatic languages, includes those spoken in countries spanning the distance between Southeast Asia and eastern India. It includes major languages such as Vietnamese and Khmer, both influential languages to Thai, as well as these Indigenous languages spoken by populations living near Thailand’s eastern and northern borders.
- Aheu
- Blang
- Chong
- Eastern Lawa
- Kensiu
- Khmu
- Kuay
- Mal
- Mlabri
- Mok
- Mon
- Northern Khmer
- Nyahkur
- Nyeu
- Prai
- Samre
- So
- Ten’edn
- Western Bru
- Western Lawa
Sino-Tibetan languages
Nearly 1.2 billion people in the world speak a Sino-Tibetan language, which includes all Chinese languages as well as many Thai Indigenous languages. These languages are mainly spoken in provinces near Thailand’s northern and western borders, including Mae Hong Son and Tak, and in Thai-Chinese communities in urban Thai cities.
- Akha
- Bisu
- Eastern Kayah
- Mpi
- Pa’o
- Phrae Pwo Karen
- Pwo Eastern Karen
- Pwo Northern Karen
- S’gaw Karen
- Ugong
Austronesian
Around one-fifth of the world’s languages are classified as Austronesian languages. Spanning the distance between Taiwan, Madagascar, New Zealand, and the Hawaiian islands, these languages include the majority of languages spoken in the Oceanic region of the world. In Southern Thailand, many people speak an Austronesian language that was heavily influenced by languages spoken in nearby Malay and southern Myanmar. These Indigenous languages include:
- Moken
- Moklen
- Kedah Malay
- Pattani Malay
- Urak Lawoi’
Hmong-Mien languages
The Hmong-Mien languages are mainly spoken in rural mountain communities near Thailand’s northern border. While they’re similar to Kra-Dai and Sino-Tibetan languages, they are distinct enough to be grouped into their own language family. Most Hmong-Mien language speakers live in China, though a small population in Thailand also speaks them in addition to Standard Thai.
- Hmong Njua
- Iu Mien
Frequently asked questions about the languages of Thailand
Now that you know what languages they speak in Thailand, you can prepare for an upcoming trip to the area, especially if you know which region you’re traveling to!
Is English spoken in Thailand?
In Thailand, English is mainly spoken in the contexts of business, technology, and education, and is a lingua franca with other countries. Most Thai children learn English in school, giving them some fluency by the time they reach adulthood. However, Thailand has the lowest English proficiency in Asia, and one of the lowest English proficiency scores in the world. If you’re traveling to more rural areas, it’s unlikely that you will find many English speakers, but you’ll find higher English proficiency in larger cities like Bangkok.
Is Thai one of the most common languages in the world?
Unlike Mandarin Chinese, the most spoken language in Asia, Thai is not one of the most common languages in the world. The majority of the world’s Thai speakers live in Thailand itself, with another 2 million Thai speakers living in Vietnam and Laos. Small Thai communities live around the world as well, including in Europe and the United States (especially in the Thai Town community of Los Angeles).
Is Thai hard to learn?
Thai is moderately difficult for English speakers to learn. Along with having a different alphabet from English and very few English loanwords, Thai is listed as a Category III language on the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) language difficulty ranking, meaning that it would take English speakers around 44 weeks or 1,012 hours of study to become fluent. Other languages in the same difficulty ranking include Russian, Turkish, Greek, and Hebrew. If you already speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Lao, or Burmese, it may take you much less time to master the Thai language!
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