Thai

American  

[tahy] / taɪ /

adjective

1. Formerly Siamese.  of or relating to Thailand, its people, or their language.

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noun

Thais, plural Thai plural

1. Also called Thailander.  a native or or inhabitant of Thailand, or a person of Thai descent.

2. the language of Thailand, a member of the Tai group of languages.

Thai British  

/ taɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Thailand, its people, or their language

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Thailand

2. the language of Thailand, sometimes classified as belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Thai
  plural
• Thais
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Thai

First recorded in 1800–10; from Thai; literally, “free,” a self-designation

Example Sentences

On weekends, my wife and I like to order from a specific Thai place that’s won many awards.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026

Its Thai central kitchen slated to start operations in October will centralize frozen-meal production and improve utilization across the group’s regional kitchen network.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Last week, Juraluk Kunaruk lodged a complaint before the Thai parliament on behalf of 125 victims, each of whom transferred hundreds of dollars to the same X user days before tickets went on sale.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026

At an auction near Tokyo, Thai trader Kangyapat Yoosanong bids for a wagonful of plushies -- crucial items in her lucrative business selling Japanese used goods in her home country.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

The ancestors of modern speakers of Thai, Lao, and Burmese all moved south from South China and adjacent areas to their present locations within historical times, successively inundating the settled descendants of previous migrations.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond