About Kru May
Last updated
Kru May is a mobile app for learning Thai through illustrated stories, available on iPhone, iPad and Android and published by Anzar Technologies LLC. It currently offers 90 stories in 30 levels, from complete beginner to Expert level (B2+).
Kru May at a glance
- What
- Thai-learning app built on illustrated stories
- Platforms
- iPhone and iPad (App Store), Android (Google Play)
- Content
- 90 stories, 30 levels, 1034 illustrated pages, 658 words
- Levels
- Complete beginner to Expert level (CEFR B2+)
- Interface languages
- English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Finnish, Polish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Hindi
- Price
- Free to download; monthly or annual subscription to unlock every story
- Account
- None needed
- Publisher
- Anzar Technologies LLC
What is Kru May?
Kru May is a Thai-learning app built around reading. Instead of word lists and drills, learners read short stories in Thai script: 90 stories and 1034 illustrated pages that follow Hugo, a Frenchman who has just moved to Bangkok, and the people of his soi.
Every sentence has audio, every word can be tapped for its transliteration, tone and meaning, and the app also includes the full Thai alphabet, flashcards with spaced repetition and a short quiz after each story.
Who is Kru May for?
Kru May is for people who want to read and understand Thai: complete beginners, travellers preparing a trip, people living in Thailand and anyone with Thai friends, family or a Thai partner. No prior knowledge of Thai or of the Thai script is needed.
How is the content made?
Graded stories. The stories are written for learners and graded in 30 levels: sentences get longer and vocabulary grows from one level to the next, so that each story introduces only a few new words. Across all stories, learners meet 658 words, always in context.
Hand-split sentences. Written Thai has no spaces between words. Every sentence in Kru May is split into words by hand, so that tapping a word selects exactly that word.
Audio at two speeds. Every sentence and every word has audio at natural speed and a slowed-down version, to help learners catch the tones.
Illustrations. Every page of every story has its own illustration, so the picture helps you understand the sentence.
Grammar where it appears. When a grammar pattern appears for the first time, a short note under the sentence explains it, once.
Translations. Every sentence and word is translated into the app's interface languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Finnish, Polish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Hindi.
Why is it called Kru May?
ครู (kruu) means "teacher" in Thai, and Thai students address their teachers as kruu followed by their first name. Kru May is the teacher of the stories and the app's mascot.
Privacy
Kru May does not ask you to create an account. Your progress stays on your device. See the privacy policy for details.
Contact
The easiest way to reach the Kru May team is on Instagram: @krumay.app.
