{"id":217308,"date":"2025-06-09T12:51:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T22:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=217308"},"modified":"2025-06-16T14:19:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T00:19:26","slug":"uh-manoas-first-thai-language-lecturer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/09\/uh-manoas-first-thai-language-lecturer\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s newest Thai language lecturer"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Chinoko Shirakura, center, shares a proud moment with students before their traditional Thai dance performance. (Photo credit: Tia Flores)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Chinoko Shirakura walks into her classroom at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa, she carries more than just lesson plans and textbooks\u2014she brings with her a passion rooted in identity, heritage and connection. Shirakura is UH<\/abbr> Mānoa\u2019s newest Thai language<\/a> lecturer and is focused on helping students rediscover their roots and build cultural bridges.<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Thailand to a Thai mother and Japanese father, Shirakura grew up in a multicultural household where language was more than a means of communication.<\/p>\n

“I realized early on that language wasn\u2019t just words. It\u2019s a way of understanding daily life, of connecting to people,” she said. “Even casual conversations carry culture.”<\/p>\n

Discovering her passion<\/h2>\n

That understanding deepened after moving to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in August 2024. Shirakura is currently pursuing a master\u2019s in multicultural education<\/a> at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa, a two-year program that she said allows her to immediately apply what she learns to her own teaching.<\/p>\n

Upon moving to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, friends and colleagues encouraged her to share casual Thai phrases.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019d see how excited they got when they understood something, even just simple phrases,” she said. “That\u2019s when I knew I wanted to pursue this seriously.”<\/p>\n

Currently, Shirakura teaches Thai 101 and Thai 202 to students who tested into the higher level, with plans to expand to Thai 102 next semester.<\/p>\n

“For many students, learning Thai is a way to reconnect with their heritage. I\u2019ve seen students light up when they realize they can now communicate with their grandparents,” Shirakura said. “That\u2019s when I knew I wasn\u2019t just teaching vocabulary—I was helping them find part of themselves.”<\/p>\n

This fall, Shirakura\u2019s students are also launching a Thai language club, a student-led initiative that reflects the growing interest and enthusiasm for the program.<\/p>\n

The Thai language program is housed in the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa Indo Pacific Languages and Literatures department<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more go to the program\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chinoko Shirakura teaches Thai 101 and 202 at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":217327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[163,1351,9],"class_list":["post-217308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-college-of-languages-linguistics-and-literature","tag-indo-pacific-languages-and-literatures","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t