Northeastern Thai · Lao-Isan
The Tai language of Thailand's Northeast region. Closer to Lao than to Central Thai; spoken by the largest non-Central-Thai population in the country.
Central Thai
Also known as: Standard Thai, Bangkok Thai
The Bangkok-area variety that forms the basis of the modern Thai standard. The reference variety in education, broadcasting, and most Thai instruction abroad.
Shareable facts
Want a Central Thai app?
Vote and we'll prioritise it. Top-voted dialects move up the roadmap. One vote per email.
Frequently asked questions
What language is Central Thai?
Central Thai is a dialect of the Thai language.
Where is Central Thai spoken?
Central Thai is primarily spoken in Thailand.
Which region is Central Thai associated with?
Central Thai is part of the Southeast Asia region on DialectAtlas.
Is Central Thai known by other names?
Yes — Central Thai is also referred to as Standard Thai, Bangkok Thai.
What are the other dialects of Thai?
Thai also includes Isan, Lanna. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Thai dialects
See on the atlas →Northern Thai · Kham Mueang
The Tai language of Thailand's Northern region around Chiang Mai. Carries its own historical script and a literary tradition tied to the former Lanna kingdom.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →390 km away
The Tai language of Thailand's Northeast region. Closer to Lao than to Central Thai; spoken by the largest non-Central-Thai population in the country.
433 km away
An Austroasiatic language of Lower Burma and adjacent Thailand. Once the dominant cultural language of mainland Southeast Asia, displaced over centuries by Burmese and Thai expansion.
520 km away
A Tai-Kadai language and the official language of Laos. Closely related to Thai Isan; written in a script derived from the same source as Thai but distinct in several letters and vowel signs.
528 km away
A Khmuic (Austroasiatic) language of formerly nomadic hunter-gatherers in the highlands of Nan and Phrae provinces, northern Thailand, and adjacent Laos. Roughly 100–300 speakers; its numeral system allows only one and two to modify nouns, and it lacks the register contrasts typical of related languages.
538 km away
An Austroasiatic language and the official language of Cambodia. The largest non-Tai-Kadai language of mainland Southeast Asia, with a literary tradition dating back to the 7th century.
578 km away
The Yangon-area variety that forms the basis of standard Burmese. The national lingua franca and the medium of education and broadcasting in Myanmar.