Thai tongue twister to practise your sounds and tones in Thai
A Thai tongue twister is a phrase, sentence or rhyme that presents difficulties when you speak Thai because it contains similar sounds. To get the full effect of a tongue twister you should try to repeat it several times, as quickly as possible without stumbling or mispronouncing.
Here are some tongue twister in the Thai language, let’s have fun!
1.หมู หมึก กุ้ง /mǔu mùk gûng/
Pork, squid, shrimp
2. ใครขายไข่ไก่ /krai kǎai kài gài/
Who’s selling chicken’s eggs?
3. หุง อุ่น ตุ๋น ต้ม นึ่ง /hǔng ùn dtǔn dtôm nʉ̂ng/
= To cook rice, heat some food, stewed, boil, and steam.
4. ยักษ์ใหญ่ไล่ยักษ์เล็ก /yák yài lâi yák lék/
A big giant chases a little giant.
5. งูกินหนูจนงูงงงวย /nguu gin nǔu jon nguu ngong-nguai/
The snake ate the mouse until the snake was confused.
6. มีแพทย์แปดสิบแปดคน /mii pԑ̂ԑt bpԑ̀ԑt-sìp-bpԑ̀ԑt kon/
There are 88 doctors
7. ยายกินลำไย น้ำลายยายไหลย้อย /yaai gin lam-yai nám-laai yaai lǎi yͻ́ͻi/
Grandmother eats Longan and she is dribbling.
8. ตาตี๋ตกต้นตาลตอตาลตำตูดตาย /dtaa-dtǐi dtòk dtôn-dtaan dtͻͻ-dtaan dtam dtùut dtaai/
Granpa Ti fell off the palm tree. The palm trunk hit his bottom and he died.
9. ทหารแบกปืนเบิกปูนไปโบกตึก /ta-hǎan bԑ̀ԑk bpʉʉn bə̀ək bpuun bpai bòok dtʉ̀k/
The soldier carried a gun, received some cement and went to plaster the building.
10. ชามเขียวคว่ำเช้า ชามขาวคว่ำค่ำ /chaam kǐao kwâm-cháao chaam kǎao kwâm kâm/
The green bowl is turned upside down in the morning, the white bowl is turned upside down at night.
Can you do it?
Vocabulary
ยาย /yaai/ grandmother (mother of mother)
ลำไย /lam-yai/ Longan
น้ำลาย /nám-laai/ saliva
ยักษ์ /yák/ giant
หมู /mǔu/ pig, pork
กุ้ง /gûng/ shrimp
Hope you have fun and speak Thai well!
Jang
Thai Language Teacher
