· 7 min read
Italian vs Thai: Which Should You Learn?
By Language Lab editorial team
Italian vs Thai compared with official figures: 24 weeks of classes against about 44 for English speakers. See tones, scripts, grammar, exams and free courses.
Italian is far quicker than Thai for an English speaker. The US State Department lists Italian in Category I, languages close to English, at 24 weeks of classes, and Thai in Category III, hard languages, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours. The difficulty sits in different places. Italian uses an alphabet you know and is read as it is written, but asks you to learn noun gender and six endings for each verb tense. Thai has a simple grammar with no verb or noun endings, but adds five tones and a script of its own. Both have official certificates and free beginner courses from universities. Choose Italian for a fast result and for Italy; choose Thai if Thailand is where you will live, work or travel.
Side by side
| Italian | Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| State Department category | Category I, languages close to English | Category III, hard languages |
| Class time | 24 weeks | About 44 weeks (1,012 class hours) |
| At 10 hours a week | About 55 weeks | About 101 weeks |
| Writing | Standard alphabet of 21 letters; read as it is written | Its own script, used only for Thai |
| Tones | None described; a sing-song intonation | Five tones that change the meaning of a word |
| Grammar | Masculine and feminine nouns; six endings for each verb tense | No verb or noun endings; word order similar to English |
| Where it is spoken | Italy; one of four official languages of Switzerland | Thailand, by approximately 60 million people |
| Official certificate | CILS, CELI, CERT.IT and PLIDA | CU-TFL, from Chulalongkorn University |
Which is harder?
Thai, on the official figures. The State Department describes Category I as languages close to English and Category III as hard languages with significant linguistic or cultural differences from English. Italian is listed at 24 weeks, the short end of a Category I range of 552 to 690 class hours; Thai at about 44 weeks, or 1,012 class hours. At 10 hours a week that is about 55 weeks for Italian and about 101 for Thai.
Sound
Italian is forgiving. The BBC's guide says pronunciation is clear, with every vowel distinctly enunciated, and that the sing-song intonation makes sounds easier to identify. Thai asks for something English speakers have not done before: recognising the pitch of a word. It has five tones, mid, low, high, falling and rising, and the same syllable means mile, new, wood, not or silk according to the tone.
Writing
Italian's standard alphabet has only 21 letters and the language is read as it is written. Thai uses a script found in no other language. The BBC's guide calls it a challenge, though one most learners find easier than they expect, and warns that there is no universally agreed way to write Thai in Roman letters. A beginner can get started without it: Chulalongkorn University's free beginners' course teaches spoken Thai through a phonetic spelling.
Grammar
Here Thai is the easier of the two. The BBC's guide says basic Thai grammar poses fewer problems than more familiar European languages because there are no verb or noun endings, and that word order is similar to English. Italian nouns are masculine or feminine, adjectives must agree with them, and there are six endings for each verb tense. Both languages mark politeness: Italian separates tu from Lei, and Thai adds a polite word, krúp for men and kâh for women, at the end of the sentence.
The same phrases in both
| English | Italian | Thai |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Buongiorno | sa-wùt dee krúp/kà |
| Thank you | Grazie | kòrp-kOOn |
| Please | Per favore | ga-rOO-nah |
| Yes | Sì | châi |
| No | No | mâi |
| You're welcome | Prego | mâi bpen rai |
| Great! | Fantastico! | yôrt |
The Thai column uses the BBC's pronunciation spelling, in which the marks over the vowels show the tone.
Will one help with other languages?
- Italian is a Romance language. The BBC's guide says learning it helps with the grammar of other Romance languages such as French, and that many words are very similar to Portuguese and Spanish.
- Thai is closely related to Lao, the national language of neighbouring Laos, and knowing the Thai script gives a major advantage when learning to read Lao and Cambodian.
Exams and free courses
| Italian | Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Four official certifications in the CLIQ association; CILS has six levels, A1 to C2 | CU-TFL, run by the Sirindhorn Thai Language Institute at Chulalongkorn University since 2010 |
| Results | CILS: the pass threshold must be reached in every skill | Reported on five levels, from Novice to Distinguished |
| Validity | CILS currently has no expiry date | Test report valid for 2 years |
| Next dates | CILS, all levels: 3 December 2026, with registration by 24 October | Listening, reading and writing: 20 November 2026; speaking: 19 November 2026 |
| Free course | The Open University's three free beginner courses; BBC archive | Communicative Thai for Foreigners, by Chulalongkorn University with the Thailand Foundation |
How to choose
- You want results sooner: Italian, at 24 weeks of classes against about 44.
- Your plans are in Thailand: Thai.
- Your plans are in Italy, or you are applying for Italian citizenship: Italian.
- You dislike verb tables: Thai, which has no verb endings.
- You are wary of tones and a new script: Italian.
- You want both: treat them as separate projects, with different scripts and sound systems.
Language Lab offers both. Its Italian and Thai courses are built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor.
Frequently asked
Is Thai harder than Italian?
For English speakers, yes. The US State Department lists Italian at 24 weeks of classes in Category I and Thai at about 44 weeks, or 1,012 class hours, in Category III.
What makes Thai hard?
The BBC's guide names two things: Thai is a tonal language with five tones, and it has its own script.
Is Thai grammar easier than Italian grammar?
In the basics, yes. Thai has no verb or noun endings and a word order similar to English. Italian has noun gender and six endings for each verb tense.
How long does each take to learn?
By State Department class time, 24 weeks for Italian and about 44 for Thai. At 10 hours a week that is about 55 weeks and about 101 weeks.
Are there official exams for both?
Yes. Italian has four official certifications, among them CILS from A1 to C2. Thai has the CU-TFL from Chulalongkorn University, reported on five levels.
Can I learn either for free?
Yes, at beginner level. The Open University has free beginner courses in Italian, and Chulalongkorn University produced a free beginners' Thai course with the Thailand Foundation.
Sources: US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; BBC Languages, A Guide to Italian and A Guide to Thai: 10 facts, Key phrases and The Italian alphabet (archived pages); Sirindhorn Thai Language Institute, Chulalongkorn University, CU-TFL and TH-TFL pages (read on 13 October 2026); University of Hong Kong, Thai Language Proficiency Test 2026; Chulalongkorn University, Enhancing Soft Power Through Thai Language for Foreigners; Thailand Foundation, Thai Language Courses; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Certification; University for Foreigners of Siena, CILS Centre; The Open University, OpenLearn, Getting started with Italian. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: The twin royal pagodas on Doi Inthanon, Chaiyuth boy / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
