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This page outlines the recommended practices for naming and addressing conventions in Thailand as used in OpenStreetMap (OSM). Because Thai is the official and most widely spoken language in the country, it plays a central role in tagging names and addresses. However, due to the country's linguistic diversity, presence of international signage, and common use of English in public infrastructure, multiple name tags and transliterations are often necessary. This guide provides detailed instructions on how to tag place names, street names, and addresses in both Thai script and Romanized forms, and offers guidance on transcription standards and numeral usage specific to the Thai context.
Naming
- Main article: Multilingual names
Thai language is the primary and sole official language in Thailand, is undoubtedly the local language and should be used in name=*. However, there are some exceptions to this rule.[1]
In this section, we primarily refer to the following name tags: name=*, name:th=*, name:th-Latn=*, and name:en=*, as Thai and English are the most commonly used languages in Thailand, and are frequently seen on road signs. However, this does not mean that there are limited to using only these tags—you are encouraged to add other language tags (e.g. name:zh, name:ja, name:fr) as appropriate.
The maps Mapnik and Osmarender at OpenStreetMap.org use name=* e.g. the local names for rendering. There are maps available where the language can be chosen:
- Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam: Billingual, local (e.g. Thai) and English
tagged with Thai script as they are written on official sign, or by other reliable sources.
Example for Phuket Phuket:
Road/Street/Soi names
- Should be tagged with Thai script, as they appear on signs. Unless a sign explicitly displays another language.[1] (Such as Park Lane
 Park Lane in One Bangkok.)
- Many rural roads lack official names or are simply referred to generically by the authority. While some major rural roads have official names, they should not be confused with route names.
- In urban areas, some named roads may not have any signs displaying their names. In such cases, the name can only be discovered by inquiring with locals, checking posted business addresses or traffic advisories, or consulting local government records.
- For prefixes such as Thanon (ถนน, meaning "road") or highways, expressways, use the direct translation of the Thai prefix.[2]
- For Soi (ซอย) and Trok (ตรอก)- Use the latin transcribe version of the Thai prefix[3].
Map Feature default names
In general, feature names in Thailand used in the name=* tag should be written in Thai script. However, there is an exception, as the rule of thumb. If the owner of the place (a business, for example) prefers another language than Thai (usually English), as indicated by signage, that language should be used instead.
In general, feature names in Thailand used in the name=* tag should be written in Thai script. However, there is an exception to this rule, If the owner of the place (for instance, a business, a branded name) prefers a language other than Thai (usually English), as indicated by signage, that language should be used instead.
Numeral system
Thai numerals (๐๑๒๓๔๕๖๗๘๙) are theoretically part of the Thai script writing system. Notably, they can be used interchangeably with Arabic numbers. Although Thai numbers are preferred in government documents, Arabic numbers are more commonly used in general writing.
In general, name=* and name:th=* should use Arabic numerals, while official_name=* should use Thai numerals. (With the exception of the very rare instances where either numeral system is used intentionally.)
Thai Transcription
In linguistics, romanization or latinization, also spelled as romanisation or latinisation (see spelling differences), refers to the representation of a written word or spoken speech using the Roman alphabet (Latin scripts) , or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system (or none). Methods of romanization include transliteration, which represents written text, and transcription, for representing the spoken word." [4] The Royal Thai General System of Transcription on Wikipedia (RTGS) is the official system for rendering Thai language words in the Latin alphabet, published by The Royal Society of Thailand on Wikipedia. It is used in road signs and government publications, and is the closest thing to a standard of transcription for Thai, though its use by even the government is inconsistent. [5][6]
Getting the transcription:
- Collect it from signs when collecting data. Map users will compare to signs.
- Wikipedia, other sources on the internet or for names of administrative organisations Office of the Royal Society: Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon, Khet and Khweng Name. The Department of Local Administration: Local Administrative Organization's English Name
- Use the program for Windows Chulalongkorn University: Thai Romanization Program.
- Transcribe yourself according to Royal Thai General System of Transcription on Wikipedia
Addressing
In Thailand addresses general consist of
| Term
|
Example
|
Tag
|
Photo
|
| English
|
Romanized Thai
|
Thai
|
English
|
Romanized Thai
|
Thai
|
addr=*
|
| housenumber
|
Lekthi Ban
|
เลขที่บ้าน
|
85/1
|
85/1
|
85/1
|
addr:housenumber=85/1
|
|
| street
|
Thanon / Soi / Trok
|
ถนน / ซอย / ตรอก
|
Tiwanon Road
|
Thanon Tiwanon
|
ถนนติวานนท์
|
addr:street=ถนนติวานนท์[7]
|
| village
|
Muban (Mu Thi)
|
หมู่บ้าน (หมู่ที่)
|
Mu 2
|
Mu Thi 2
|
หมู่ที่ 2
|
addr:place=หมู่ที่ 2[7]
|
| subdistrict
|
Tambon
|
ตำบล
|
Bang Talat Subdistrict
|
Tambon Bang Talat
|
ตำบลบางตลาด
|
addr:subdistrict=บางตลาด
|
| district
|
Amphoe
|
อำเภอ
|
Pak Kret District
|
Amphoe Pak Kret
|
อำเภอปากเกร็ด
|
addr:district=ปากเกร็ด
|
| province
|
Changwat
|
จังหวัด
|
Nonthaburi Province
|
Changwat Nonthaburi
|
จังหวัดนนทบุรี
|
addr:province=นนทบุรี
|
| postal code
|
Rahat Praisani
|
รหัสไปรษณีย์
|
11120
|
11120
|
11120
|
addr:postcode=11120
|
| Additional tags
|
| housename
|
|
ชื่อบ้าน
|
Baan Rom Yen
|
|
บ้านร่มเย็น
|
addr:housename=บ้านร่มเย็น
|
References
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