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The rapid growth of Southeast Asian economies means Thai speakers are well placed to pursue opportunities in trade, diplomacy, research and cross-cultural collaboration.

Thai is a tonal language from the Tai–Kadai language family and the national language of Thailand, a country known for its ancient traditions, tropical landscapes and celebrated cuisine. It is spoken by most of Thailand’s 70 million people, nearly three times the population of Australia.

With its distinctive script and writing system, Thai reflects the linguistic diversity and rich history of South and Southeast Asia. Its vocabulary and many traditional cultural concepts have been influenced by Pali, Sanskrit, Mon and Khmer.

As the only country in Southeast Asia that was not directly colonised, Thailand has a unique history and complex political landscape that continue to attract academic and international interest. Learning Thai opens the door to both traditional and contemporary perspectives, including Buddhism, art, literature, politics, popular culture and emerging youth movements.

Overview

Thai at ANU develops students’ listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in a supportive environment, while building their knowledge of Thai culture.

In the first year, students learn tones, consonants, vowels, essential grammar, polite particles, the writing system and common sentence patterns for everyday communication. They build confidence through translation activities, audiovisual materials and class conversations on selected topics.

At the advanced level, students learn to discuss and analyse current affairs and complex social, cultural, economic and political issues in Thailand, with opportunities to explore specialised areas of interest. Students completing a Thai major can also deepen their knowledge and language skills through in-country study in Thailand.

Study options

Thai at ANU is delivered fully online, offering a supportive and interactive learning environment with access to recorded classes. Students can communicate and practise with their teachers and classmates, supported by a wide range of written and multimedia resources.

Students can take Thai as a major or minor within a range of degrees, as the language component of a Diploma of Languages, as electives within another degree or as individual courses.

Our Thai offering is open to ANU students, cross-institutional students from other universities and interested members of the public through Open Universities Australia.

Undergraduate courses include Thai 1, Thai 2, Thai 3, Thai 4, Thai 5 and Thai 6.

Visit ANU Programs and Courses for study options, or Open Universities Australia for studying Thai 1-6 as subject.

The School of Culture, History and Language places a unique emphasis on in-country experience. For more information on exchange programs and in-country language opportunities, visit the ANU global programs or enquire cap.student@anu.edu.au.

ANU Students:

Non-ANU Students: