A foreigner who lived in Thailand for 15 years and learned Thai recently took to Reddit to share their experience speaking the language in the country.
Although they said that some natives light up upon seeing a foreigner speaking Thai, they confess that it has not always been positive. Some Thais allegedly clam up in discomfort and even pretend not to understand sometimes.
Some TikTok users have since chimed in with possible reasons explaining the Redditor’s experiences.
In the post, the Reddit user claimed to have lived in Thailand for 15 years, with four of those being in the northeast region of Isaan.
“Some people, especially in Isaan, light up and love it when you speak Thai,” they wrote.
However, the user noted that reactions are different in areas with more tourists, such as Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya.
“Other times, though, especially in Bangkok/Phuket/Pattaya, it feels like speaking Thai almost creates discomfort,” they continued. “I’ve had people pretend not to understand, switch to broken English, or look at me like I’m being odd for even trying.”
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They ended their post asking if others have had similar experiences.
One user who had similar experiences offered advice on how to handle such situations.
“This resonates with me. Lived here for more than two decades,” they wrote. “The way I handle it is politely thank those who compliment me, and ignore the negative reactions.”
Another Redditor said it might be due to how Thai language learners struggle with tones, especially if their mother tongues do not have similar tonal features.
One user even said it is just a matter of Thais not expecting it. “But I think people find it jarring, and it impedes comprehension, because they had their ears set to the wrong language before you start talking,” they wrote.
A few others also noted that in tourist areas, many people in service are not Thai in the first place.
“Is it possible that many of the people in these touristy areas are actually from neighbouring countries and don’t speak Thai as their native tongue?” one commenter asked.
In response, another user chimed in about their own discovery while they were trying to speak Thai. “Took me a while to realise, but there are a ton of people from Myanmar out there, especially in the service industry,” they said.
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