Dai language (Roman alphabet: Dai), also known as Thai (Thai:? , Roman alphabet: Thai), Shan nationality (Roman alphabet: Shan nationality), etc. The national language is Dai (Thai), which belongs to Zhuang-Dai branch of Zhuang-Dong language family of Sino-Tibetan language family.
Dai people regard peacocks and elephants as mascots, and folk stories are rich and colorful. Dai people like to live by the water, love cleanliness, often take a bath, and women like to wash their hair, so they have the reputation of "water nation". In the past, Dai people generally believed in Buddhism, and primitive religion spread to the south.
Dai is the main ethnic group in Thailand and Laos, accounting for 40% of the total population in Thailand. Dai is the second largest ethnic group in Myanmar and a minority in China, India, Viet Nam and Cambodia. According to the data of the sixth census in 20 10, there are more than 260,000 Dai people in China.