When taking a Thai learning course, podcasts can be a great complement to an online course. Podcasts are easily accessible, you can listen to them anywhere (at the gym, in your car, while doing chores!) and there are a great variety of podcasts to choose from. If you’re learning to speak Thai specifically, then you’ll want to consider these eight Thai podcasts.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or a relatively accomplished Thai speaker, you’ll be able to find a podcast that fits your skill level and interests. Beginner podcasts teach you the basics — pronunciation, grammar, simple vocabulary words.
Intermediate podcasts take things a little bit further, strengthening your skills. Advanced podcasts can sometimes be entirely in Thai, so you can follow along and ensure you’re able to use the language in an everyday, real-world setting. Check out some of our favorite options across all three levels.
Podcasts for Beginners
Complete novices will feel at ease when they download one of these podcasts designed for beginners. Many of the podcasts come with extra resources, such as transcripts and worksheets, so you can move through the beginner concepts more quickly.
ThaiPod101
The ThaiPod101 podcast offers a range of language-learning resources, including quite a few episodes suited for beginners, with additional episodes for intermediate and advanced learners.
Learn basic grammar, vocabulary words or phrases you might need while traveling in Thailand. Episodes are uploaded on a regular basis and each episode includes linguistic, cultural and current information, so you’re not only learning words and phrases, but actual useful information about Thai culture and history. For more information about the podcast, you can read our full review of ThaiPod101.
Learn Thai Language
Learn to speak the Thai language with not only audible podcast content, but also interactive video lessons and downloadable materials. The Learn Thai Language podcast and other resources focus on learning simple and useful phrases before visiting Thailand. Each podcast episode is only a few minutes long and there are only a few episodes in total, giving you a crash course in vital words and phrases, equipping you with knowledge such as what to say during an emergency, how to talk to your taxi driver or how to tell a restaurant you’re allergic to a certain ingredient.
LTP: Learn-Thai-Podcast
This podcast teaches you the top 300 most common Thai words, along with the sentence structure concepts you need to string those words together for effective sentence building and communication. While the podcast is no longer active, you can still enjoy quite a few short episodes (all under 10 minutes in length), along with additional lessons on the LTP website.
The Learn2Thai Podcast
This podcast, which is still being updated regularly, is geared toward non-Thai speakers who are traveling to Thailand. The quick episodes teach you useful phrases that can help you get around Thailand with ease and include topics such as shopping, dining and basic greetings. While there are only a few episodes thus far, this is a new podcast, so expect to see additional episodes added in the future.
Intermediate
If you’re ready to move beyond basic phrases, words and grammar concepts, you can begin using your previously established Thai skills when you listen to intermediate podcasts for Thai language learners.
You Too Can Learn Thai
You Too Can Learn Thai was created for students with some sort of beginner knowledge of the Thai language. The podcast takes things a bit further, still using English as the instruction language, but advancing users’ skills in comprehension and listening.
The podcast was created by a Thai native speaker and PhD graduate with a background in linguistics and teaching at a university level, so you can be assured that you’ll be in good hands. The podcast is still being updated regularly and there are more than 30 episodes to enjoy.
Thai Girl Talk
Perhaps you want to learn more about the Thai language from a scholarly perspective. If that’s the case, tune in to this older podcast that’s spoken entirely in English, but that offers a Thai perspective on the national linguistics, as well as cultural topics. You’ll learn how to say common phrases as you go, as language learning is scattered throughout the podcast, but the focus is more on culture and how language then intersects with Thai culture.
Advanced
If you’re already pretty familiar with how to go about stringing together sentences in Thai and you think you can easily get by speaking to someone in Thai only, then push yourself to the next level and see how good your skills really are. Advanced podcasts put English on the back burner and allow you to listen to Thai-spoken programs that put your comprehension skills to the test.
SBS Thai
The SBS Thai podcast is produced by the Special Broadcasting Service. It offers listeners a wide variety of content, including interviews, news stories and international features. The Thai broadcast gives you the opportunity to listen to stories that you may already know from English-language news, just in Thai, making it easier for you to follow along since you’re possibly already familiar with the subject matter. Episodes are uploaded nearly daily — sometimes multiple times a day — and episodes are relatively short, under 15 minutes in most instances.
ThaiPBS Radio
Similarly, the ThaiPBS Radio podcast offers international news from a Thai-based news team, spoken in Thai. Episodes are uploaded on a regular basis and each episode is approximately 25 minutes in length, making it a perfect companion if you’re looking for something to listen to on your commute.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a longtime student of the Thai language just looking to brush up on your Thai speaking and comprehension skills or you’re a complete beginner wanting to learn a new language, there’s a podcast out there that can fit your needs.
Do you have a favorite Thai podcast that wasn’t listed above? Let us know in the comments!