adj.
Any member of the dominant group of mainland Southeast Asia.
They include the Thai, or Siamese (in Thailand), the Lao (in Laos and Thailand), the Shan (in Myanmar), the Lü (primarily in Yunnan province, China), the Yunnan Tai (in Yunnan), and the tribal Tai (in Vietnam). All speak Tai languages , and most are Buddhists of the Theravada school. The status of Tai women is high. The Tai number about 76 million.