🇹🇭 Thai
Thai graded readers: what to read at each level
Thai graded readers for English speakers are rare, and most beginner material is in romanisation, which does not prepare you for real Thai text. Since Thai is written without spaces between words, reading practice in the script is essential.
ReadNative's Thai book is Sang Thong, the Golden Prince, after King Rama II, retold from absolute beginner to B1 over 36 chapters, with romanization and word boundaries on tap. It is free, and you can read the first chapters free in your browser, tapping any word for its English meaning or any sentence for a translation.
Thai graded readers on ReadNative
What to read at each level
A1
The conch shell, the lie and the exile, in short sentences with the most common words.
A2
The golden boy, his new mother and the silver and golden wells bring longer sentences and more classifiers.
B1
The later chapters reach B1 with more complex narrative.
B2
Thai children's books, news and short fiction, along with your own imported EPUBs.
Questions
What is a graded reader?
A book written or retold with controlled vocabulary and grammar for a specific level, so a learner can read a whole story in Thai with little dictionary use. The aim is lots of comfortable reading, not decoding.
Should I learn Thai through romanisation?
Only briefly. Thai has several romanisation systems and none shows tones perfectly; reading the script is the long-term solution.
How do I know if a book is the right level?
If you understand the story and need to look up only a few words per page, it is right. If every sentence needs help, drop down a level; if you never tap anything, move up. In Thai the step from graded books to native texts is steep, so do not rush it.