1000 Words

Learn Thai – start with the 1000 most important words

Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Thai vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.

Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.

You will start with everyday Thai words like the food (อาหาร), the drink (เครื่องดื่ม), the cup (ถ้วย) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.

A taste: Thai vocabulary with example sentences

EnglishThaiExample sentence
the foodอาหารThe food is delicious.
อาหารอร่อย
the drinkเครื่องดื่มI want a drink.
ฉันต้องการเครื่องดื่ม
the cupถ้วยThe cup is full.
ถ้วยเต็ม
the bottleขวดThe bottle is empty.
ขวดว่างเปล่า
the plateจานThe plate is clean.
จานสะอาด
the spoonช้อนI use a spoon.
ฉันใช้ช้อน
the forkส้อมI eat with a fork.
ฉันกินด้วยส้อม
the knifeมีดThe knife is sharp.
มีดคม
the breakfastอาหารเช้าI eat breakfast.
ฉันทานอาหารเช้า
the lunchอาหารกลางวันWe have lunch at noon.
พวกเราทานอาหารกลางวันตอนเที่ยง
the dinnerอาหารเย็นThey eat dinner together.
พวกเขาทานอาหารเย็นด้วยกัน
the breadขนมปังI buy bread.
ฉันซื้อขนมปัง
the butterเนยI put butter on the bread.
ฉันทาเนยบนขนมปัง
the cheeseชีสI eat cheese.
ฉันกินชีส
the milkนมI drink milk.
ฉันดื่มนม
the coffeeกาแฟI drink coffee in the morning.
ฉันดื่มกาแฟในตอนเช้า
the teaชาI like tea.
ฉันชอบชา
the juiceน้ำผลไม้I drink juice.
ฉันดื่มน้ำผลไม้
the sodaน้ำอัดลมI drink soda.
ฉันดื่มน้ำอัดลม
the riceข้าวI eat rice.
ฉันกินข้าว

The 100 most important Thai words →

The 100 most important Thai verbs →

The 100 most important Thai adjectives →

The 100 most important Thai phrases →

Essential Thai verbs & adjectives

to borrowยืม
to buyซื้อ
to cleanทำความสะอาด
to closeปิด
to cookทำอาหาร
to doทำ
to drinkดื่ม
to eatกิน
to findหา
to getได้รับ

Thai sentences for beginners

She is my friendเธอเป็นเพื่อนของฉัน
They have fun togetherพวกเขาสนุกด้วยกัน
We eat lunch togetherพวกเรากินอาหารกลางวันด้วยกัน
She smiles a lotเธอยิ้มบ่อย
He tells funny jokesเขาเล่าเรื่องตลก
I visit my friendsฉันไปหาเพื่อน

How you learn Thai with 1000 Words

🎬 Learning videos

Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.

🎧 Audiobooks

All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.

📖 Ebooks & PDFs

All words and sentences to look up and read offline.

🧠 Vocabulary trainer

Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.

📝 My Words

Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.

✨ AI stories

Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.

📴 Offline mode

Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do I need to understand Thai?

With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.

Does learning Thai while sleeping really work?

Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.

Is 1000 Words free?

Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.

Who is 1000 Words for?

For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Thai vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.

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