Customer Reviews

The Bua Luang Compact What-You-See-Is-What-You-Say English-Thai Dictionary (Thai and English Edition)

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I am married to a Thai woman and have spent many months in Thailand. In my quest to learn to speak, understand, read, and write Thai, I have scoured bookstores in both Thailand and the US, and this dictionary is without a doubt the best English-Thai dictionary out there.

The entries are well-chosen and eminently useful in day-to-day dealings with Thais. A lot of vocabulary relating to Thai culture and Buddhism is included, along with short explanations of some of the concepts behind the words.

Without wasting your time, the authors assume you don't know everything about Thai yet, and offer ample explanations and grammatical information (classifiers are listed for all nouns).
And it all comes in a pocket-sized package. They include both Thai script and romanization for all Thai words - absolutely essential for foreigners learning to speak Thai.

The handful of phrasebooks-masquerading-as-dictionaries that are on the market don't even come close - this is the only English-Thai dictionary worth having.

A visit to Thailand is a wonderful experience for almost all travellers, but to really experience the Thais you need to unlock at least a little bit of their language. Eric Allyn's prase book and dictionary (using the "what-you-see-is- what-you-say" transliteration system) is the easiest and most effective of the dozens which I have used and reviewed. Both should be bought and studied before any trip there, and are very helpful while in-country. The handbook is especially helpful in showing the interconnection of language and culture. It is obvious that Allyn has great love for Thais and Thailand, and this makes reading and using his books even more enjoyable.