Thai Language Thai Culture: Tone Twisters
Thai Tone Twisters…
A lot of Thai learners are familiar with a number of tongue twisters that illustrate how different tones and consonants can make for different meanings of Thai words. One of the most familiar is ใครขายไข่ไก่ /krai kǎai kài gài/ which means, “Who sells the chicken eggs?”
Just the other day I was talking with the gardener to see what we could do about the grass growing out of our walkway. He recommended we use a weed killer. So I thought, “How would I say “weed killer” in Thai. I came up with ยาฆ่าหญ้า /yaa kâa yâa/ or “The chemical that kills the grass. Hey, that’s the beginning of a cool tongue twister, I thought. That led me to start playing with words.
I created the following original “Tone Twisters”. They are fun to create, and fun to say. They’ll give you practice with your tones as well as adding to your vocabulary.
After playing around a bit with these tone twisters try making some on your own. They are easier to create than you would think. If you come up with any good ones please send them on to us in a comment so we can play too.
อย่า ใส่ ยา ฆ่า หญ้า
yàa sài yaa kâa yâa
Don’t put the poison on the grass.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
อย่า /yàa/ = don’t
ยา /yaa/ = drug, chemical
หญ้า /yâa/ = grass
ผู้หญิง หยิ่ง ยิง สามี
pôo-yǐng yìng ying sǎa-mee
The arrogant woman shot her husband.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
หญิง /yǐng/ = woman
หยิ่ง /yìng/ = arrogant
ยิง /ying/ = to shoot
คน ใบ้ ไป อ่าน ป้าย
kon bâi bpai àan bpâai
The hearing impaired person went to read the sign.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
ใบ้ /bâi/ = unable to speak
ไป /bpai/ = to go
ป้าย /bpâai/ = sign
ม้า กับ หมา มา ที่ นี่
máa gàp mǎa maa têe nêe
The horse and dog came here.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
ม้า /máa/ = horse
หมา /mǎa/ = dog
มา /maa/ = to come
ผู้ว่า ถาม ว่า ยาว กี่ วา
pôo-wâa tǎam wâa yaao gèe waa
The governor asked how many waa long it was.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
ผู้ว่า /pôo-wâa/ = governor
ถามว่า /tǎam wâa/ = to ask
วา /waa/ = 2 meters in length
เลี้ยง กระต่าย ใต้ บ้าน ก็ได้
líang grà~dtàai dtâai bâan gôr-dâai
Okay, I’ll raise the rabbits under the house.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
กระต่าย /grà~dtàai/ = rabbit
ใต้ /dtâai/ = under
ก็ได้ /gôr-dâai/ = it’s all right!
ดอกไม้ บาน ที่ บันได บ้าน
dòk-máai baan têe ban-dai bâan
The flowers bloom on the staircase of the house.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
บาน /baan/ = to bloom
บันได /ban-dai/ = staircase
บ้าน /bâan/ = house
อย่า ทำ ให้ ไห หาย
yàa tam-hâi hǎi hǎai
Don’t lose the earthen jar.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
ทำให้ /tam-hâi/ = make (cause to be)
ไห /hǎi/ = earthen jar
หาย /hǎai/ = to be lost or missing
ควาญช้าง ง่วงนอน นอน บน งวงช้าง
kwaan-cháang ngûang-non non bon nguang-cháang
The sleepy mahout slept on the elephant’s trunk.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
ง่วงนอน /ngûang-non/ = sleepy
งวงช้าง /nguang-cháang/ = trunk (of an elephant)
Thanks to Catherine and Ajarn Phairoh for adding the sound recording of our tone twisters, making them doubly fun to play with.
Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand
Retire 2 Thailand: Blog
Unfortunately everything in Thai is still a tone twister for me :) but I am hoping soon to rectify that.
.-= Talen´s last blog ..Sex in Thailand’s Universities =-.
Talen, I do know what you mean. But just being able to see the words side by side in Hugh’s post makes me pay special attention to the different tones.
Btw – I read an interesting post today: How to overcome your shyness when speaking a foreign language.
The advice he gives would work well with Hugh’s tone twisters:
Start with some recordings of yourself speaking. Take these recordings and get them corrected by native speakers.
So go ahead. Start twisting away.
Catherine and Hugh – I dropped this comment in a couple of nights back but it hasn’t shown.
This is theind of post I like, a play on words. Excellent.
I’m reminded of ‘a new wood doesn’t burn, right’ or mai mai mai mai mai.
.-= Martyn´s last blog ..Thailand Blogs – April 2010 Review =-.