tai

Tai is a term with several distinct meanings. In ethnography and linguistics, it most commonly refers to the Tai peoples and their languages, a broad Southeast Asian and southern Chinese ethnolinguistic grouping. The Tai peoples speak languages belonging to the Tai-Kadai language family and include populations such as Thai, Lao, Shan, Zhuang, and various hill-tribe groups. They are primarily found in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, southern China, and scattered communities elsewhere. The languages are typically tonal and, in many varieties, follow a subject–verb–object word order.

As a language designation, Tai identifies a branch within the Tai-Kadai family, encompassing languages like Thai, Lao, and Shan, among others. These languages share historical roots and cultural connections across their speakers, though they display substantial regional variation.

As a personal name, Tai appears as a given name or surname in various cultures. In Vietnamese, for example, Tài is a common given name; in other contexts, Tai is used as a surname or given name in English-speaking countries and beyond. In some East Asian contexts, the spelling reflects different transliterations of local names or characters.

Other uses of the term arise in toponymy and organizational names, where it may be derived from the ethnolinguistic sense or used as a phonetic element in longer terms. The exact meaning of Tai is context-dependent, ranging from a linguistic and ethnic classification to an individual name or part of a place or institution.