Bangkok Library Digital library and information center for Bangkok, Thailand

Chatting on the Internet is a great way to practice and improve your Thai for free. It can also be a fun way to make new Thai friends and may be one of the few ways to meet Thai people if you are living outside of Thailand.

By searching on Google, you can find many Thai websites that allow people of all ages to exchange email addresses, mostly for chat on MSN Messenger (Thai: เล่นเ็็อ็ม) or Windows Live Messenger, but also Yahoo Instant Messenger, Skype, and ICQ. There seem to be few concerns about privacy and data protection, so beware if you decide to post your own details. Most websites allow the user to post his/her age, and if you want to improve your Thai language skills you are best advised to choose someone of at least 25 years old to chat with. Many younger Thai people, especially teenagers, prefer to use teenage slang (Thai: ภาษาวัยรุ่น) with its heavily corrupted spellings and poor grammar, and for obvious reasons it's definitely not a good idea to chat with adolescent boys or girls unless you are one yourself.

Websites for Thai chat

Here are some popular websites to get you started:

• http://msn.postjung.com/
• http://www.thaicool.com/msn/
• http://chathall.siamza.com/
• http://msn.zubzip.com/
• http://www.bangkokmsn.com/
• http://www.msn.in.th

Be warned: most Thai websites use a lot of flashy graphics and banner advertisements and look something like the screenshot shown below.

Thai or English?

If you do decide to post your own details online, you are not limited to posting a message in Thai, although that sometimes works best. It’s a good idea to identify yourself as a foreigner who wants to practice using Thai, and you should be prepared to chat with Thai people who want to practice some English, too. Some people may be interested to chat using a webcam or audio headset, meaning you are not limited to just practicing your typing skills which you can also do using the free Thai Typing Tutor.

Be careful!

Be aware that many email exchange websites are popular places with gay and transgender men posing as women, and they are also routinely used by prostitutes and scammers offering sexual services. These can be annoying, but with a little bit of experience are usually easy to identify.

Other ways to find Thai friends online

Finally, email exchange websites are not the only place to find Thai friends online. Other popular ways to find Thai friends for online chat include Hi5, Facebook, Tagged, and any one of numerous Thai dating websites. Many dating websites claim to be free, but most involve some fee to send or read messages. Date in Asia is a good exception as it offers a totally free service.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE NO CONNECTION WITH OR CONTROL OVER THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES MENTIONED ON THIS WEB PAGE. ALL USE IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.