Thai words that do not translate
Coffeehouse — words a dictionary can only give as a description in brackets, because the thing is not part of everyday life here. All such Thai words are collected here: 1 word with an explanation of what it is and what it is for.
Words and what stands behind them
A Thai coffeehouse is not only about coffee: in the morning people eat here, all day they sit with a laptop and a child, and by evening the same stall is selling iced tea. Cheap street raan khaafae with plastic stools live for decades on one corner, and regulars are seated without waiting in line. The course keeps this word for the construction itself: "shop + what it sells" — this is how almost any shop is named in Thai
Why such words are in the course
These are a language's ID marks: they cannot be translated because the thing they name is not part of everyday life here, and they are exactly what you hear on day one. There are few of them on purpose — 1 word out of 4011 words in the course. A course where every seventh word is a local curiosity would teach local studies, not a language.
Every word here has its own page, with pronunciation, a look at the spelling and an example of use.
Frequently asked
Why can't these words simply be translated?
A translation assumes the thing exists here too and is just called differently. Not in this case: the nearest English word names only the kind of thing — “a dish”, “a holiday”, “a dance” — and you would not recognize it from that. An explanation answers the question about the thing, not the word.
Do you have to learn them?
Not before everything else. But you will meet them early: local food is offered on the first day, and a festival is named without explanation. Knowing what stands behind a word is more useful than being able to translate it.