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March 24, 2020

List of Thai Adjectives You Must Know

Why should you learn Thai adjectives?

The adjective is a very important part of any language. It enables clear and detailed communication, and by using Thai adjectives, you can communicate in Thai like a native. Thus, learning Thai adjectives is a must for all Thai learners.

Both Thai adjectives and adverbs are used to add detail to a sentence, but in this article, we’ll only focus on Thai adjectives. Let’s start our lesson by answering the question, “How do you say adjective in Thai?”

คำคุณศัพท์ (kham khun-ná-sàp) is “adjective” in Thai, and like in every language, adjectives are descriptive words. This article will make learning descriptive Thai adjectives easy!

For your information, there are actually many types of Thai adjectives, but there’s no need to remember adjectives by type. Below is our list of adjectives in Thai, categorized into groups. But first, some information on how to use Thai language adjectives.

Table of Contents

How to Use Thai Adjectives
Describing Dimensions, Sizes, Distance & Frequency
Thai Adjectives for Describing Value
Thai Adjectives for Describing Feeling and Sense
Thai Adjectives for Describing Personality and Feelings
Thai Adjectives for Describing Speed, Difficulty & Importance
Thai Adjectives for Describing Color
Thai Adjectives for Describing Shape & Texture
Thai Food Adjectives: Describing Taste
Thai Adjectives for Describing Situations
Describing Physical Traits, Conditions & Appearance
Conclusion

1. How to Use Thai Adjectives

Let’s learn about Thai adjectives and how to use them. Fortunately, apart from remembering adjectives in Thai vocabulary, how to use Thai adjectives is very easy. When Thai people want to describe something, the pattern they use is “noun + adjective.” For example, ผู้หญิงสวย (phûu-yǐng sǔuai) is “beautiful woman.” Below is a more detailed explanation.

ผู้หญิง (phûu-yǐng) is “woman” in Thai.
สวย (sǔuai) is “beautiful” in Thai.
Combining both words, with the noun first and adjective second, we get ผู้หญิงสวย (phûu-yǐng sǔuai), which means “beautiful woman.”

Sometimes, Thai people put a ลักษณะนาม (lák-sà-nà-naam), or “classifier,” in between the noun and adjective. ลักษณะนาม (lák-sà-nà-naam) is a noun used to describe the feature or structure of the noun in front.

Now that you have the basics down, here’s our Thai adjectives list!

2. Describing Dimensions, Sizes, Distance & Frequency

The first group of Thai adjectives you should learn are those that describe the physical features of an object, distance, and frequency. These are some of the most common Thai adjectives, and you’ll do well to learn these.

1- Big

Thai adjective: ใหญ่ (yài)

Example:
บ้านหลังใหญ่มักราคาแพง
Bâan lǎng yài mák raa-khaa phaaeng
“Big houses are often expensive.”

Opposite word: เล็ก (lék), which means “small” in Thai.

2- Small

Thai adjective: เล็ก (lék)

Example:
ฉันชอบกระเป๋าเล็ก ๆ
Chǎn châawp grà-bpǎo bai lék lék
“I like small bags.”

Opposite word: ใหญ่ (yài), which means “big” in Thai.

3- Wide

Thai adjective: กว้าง (gwâang)

Example 1:
ห้องนอนกว้างมาก ฉันชอบ
Hâawng-naawn gwâang mâak chǎn châawp
“The bedroom is very wide. I like it.”

Example 2:
ถนนเส้นใหม่กว้างดี
Thà-nǒn sêen mài gwâang dii
“The new road is wide.”

Opposite word: แคบ (khâaep), which means “narrow” in Thai.

Additional note: Thai people also use the word “wide” to describe a big area instead of using the word “big.”

4- Narrow

Thai adjective: แคบ (khâaep)

Example 1:
ห้องครัวแคบมาก วางของพอได้ยังไง
Hâawng-khruua khâaep mâak waang khǎawng phaaw dâi yang-ngai
“The kitchen is so narrow. How can you put everything in it?”

Example 2:
ทางเข้าบ้านเธอแคบจัง
Thaang khâo bâan thooe khâaep jang
“The way to your house is so narrow.”

Opposite word: กว้าง (gwâang), which means “wide” in Thai.

Additional note: Similar to “wide,” Thai people also use the word “narrow” to describe a small area instead of using the word “small.”

5- Thick

Thai adjective: หนา (nǎa)

Example:
หนังสือเล่มนั้นหนาเกินจะอ่านไหว
Nǎng-sǔue lêem nán nǎa gooen jà àan wǎi
“That book is too thick to read.”

Opposite word: บาง (baang), which means “thin” in Thai.

6- Thin

Thai adjective: บาง (baang)

Example:
ใส่เสื้อบางมากจะทำให้เป็นหวัด
Sài sûuea baang mâak jà tham hâi bpen wàt
“Wearing clothes that are too thin will make you catch a cold.”

Opposite word: หนา (nǎa), which means “thick” in Thai.

7- Tall / High

Thai adjective: สูง (sǔung)

Example:
ฉันไม่ชอบขึ้นบนตึกสูง
Chǎn mâi châawp khûen dtùek sǔung
“I don’t like to go up on high buildings.”

Opposite word: เตี้ย (dtîia) and ต่ำ (dtàm), which mean “low” in Thai.

8- Short

Thai adjective: เตี้ย (dtîia)

Example:
น้องเตี้ยเพราะไม่ชอบดื่มนม
Náawng dtîia phráw mâi châawp dùuem nom
“My brother is short because he doesn’t like drinking milk.”

Opposite word: สูง (sǔung), which means “high” in Thai.

9- Low

Thai adjective: ต่ำ (dtàm)

Example:
คะแนนต่ำสุดคือสิบคะแนน
Khá-naaen dtàm sùt khuue sìp khá-naaen
“The lowest score is ten.”

Opposite word: สูง (sǔung), which means “high” in Thai.

10- Heavy

Thai adjective: หนัก (nàk)

Example:
กล่องหนักมาก ฉันแบกไม่ไหว
Glàawng nàk mâak chǎn bàaek mâi wǎi
“The box is very heavy. I can’t carry it.”

Opposite word: เบา (bao), which means “light” in Thai.

11- Light

Thai adjective: เบา (bao)

Example:
สมุดมักเบากว่าหนังสือ
Sà-mùt mák bao gwàa nǎng-sǔue
“Notebooks are usually lighter than books.”

Opposite word: หนัก (nàk), which means “heavy” in Thai.

12- Close

Thai adjective: ใกล้ (glâi)

Example:
บ้านของฉันอยู่ใกล้ห้างสรรพสินค้า
Bâan khǎawng chǎn yùu glâi hâang sàp-phá-sǐn-kháa
“My house is near (close to) a department store.”

Opposite word: ไกล (glai), which means “far” in Thai.

13- Far

Thai adjective: ไกล (glai)

Example:
บ้านของฉันอยู่ไกลโรงพยาบาล
Bâan khǎawng chǎn yùu glâi roong-phá-yaa-baan
“My house is far from the hospital.”

Opposite word: ใกล้ (glâi), which means “close” in Thai.

14- Often

Thai adjective: บ่อย (bàauy)

Example:
แม่มากินก๋วยเตี๋ยวร้านนี้บ่อย
Mâae maa gin gǔuai-dtǐiao ráan níi bàauy
“My mother often has noodles at this place.”

Opposite word: นาน ๆ ที (naan-naan-thii), which means “rarely” in Thai.

15- Rarely

Thai adjective: นาน ๆ ที (naan-naan-thii)

Example:
เพราะเป็นคนขี้เกียจ นาน ๆ ที แก้วจะทำความสะอาดห้องที
Phráw bpen khon khîi-gìiat naan-naan-thii gâaew jà tham-khwaam-sà-àat hâawng thii
“Because she is lazy, Gaaew rarely cleans her room.”

Opposite word: บ่อย (bàauy), which means “often” in Thai.

16- Many / Much

Thai adjective: มาก (mâak) / เยอะ (yóe)

Example 1:
กระเป๋าหนักมากเพราะมีของจำนวนมากในนั้น
Grà-bpǎo nàk mâak phráw mii khǎawng jam-nuuan mâak nai nán
“The bag is so heavy because there are many things in there.”

Example 2:
อาหารจานนี้มีสมุนไพรเยอะ
Aa-hǎan jaan níi mii sà-mǔn-phrai yóe
“There are many herbs in this dish.”

Opposite word: น้อย (náauy) and นิดเดียว (nít-diiao), which mean “few” or “little” in Thai.

Additional note: Whether you use มาก (mâak) or เยอะ (yóe) depends on the noun the adjective describes.

17- Few / Little

Thai adjective: น้อย (náauy) / นิดเดียว (nít-diiao)

Example 1:
บนชั้นมีของน้อย
Bon chán mii khǎawng náauy
“There are few things on the shelf.”

Example 2:
บนชั้นมีของนิดเดียว
Bon chán mii khǎawng nít-diiao
“There are few things on the shelf.”

Opposite word: มาก (mâak) and เยอะ (yóe), which mean “many” or “much” in Thai.

Additional note: These two words are pretty much the same. You can use น้อย (náauy) instead of นิดเดียว (nít-diiao) and vice versa.

3. Thai Adjectives for Describing Value

The second group of Thai adjectives you should learn are words used to describe value in Thai.

1- Good

Thai adjective: ดี (dii)

Example:
วันนี้อากาศดีมาก
Wan-níi aa-gàat dii mâak
“The weather is very good today.”

Opposite word: ไม่ดี (mâi dii), แย่ (yâae), and เลว (leeo), which mean “bad” in Thai.

Additional note: ดี (dii) can be used to describe both quality and behavior.

2- Great

Thai adjective: เยี่ยม (yîiam)

Example:
เธอลองรึยัง มันเยี่ยมมาก
Thooe laawng rúe yang man yîiam mâak
“Have you tried this yet? It is great.”

Opposite word: ไม่ดี (mâi dii), แย่ (yâae), and เลว (leeo), which mean “bad” in Thai.

Additional note: เยี่ยม (yîiam) is used to describe quality only.

3- Perfect

Thai adjective: เลิศ (lôoet)

Example:
มันเลิศมาก
Man lôoet mâak
“This is perfect.”

Opposite word: ไม่ดี (mâi dii), แย่ (yâae), and เลว (leeo), which mean “bad” in Thai.

Additional note: Thai people also use the English word “perfect” in conversation instead of using เลิศ (lôoet). And for your information, เลิศ (lôoet) is used to describe quality only.

4- Bad

Thai adjective: ไม่ดี (mâi dii) / แย่ (yâae) / เลว (leeo)

Example 1:
อย่าทำแบบนี้ ไม่ดีเลย
Yàa tham bàaep-níi mâi dii looei
“Don’t do this. It is bad.”

Example 2:
สินค้าร้านนี้แย่มาก จะไม่ซื้ออีกแล้ว
Sǐn-kháa ráan níi yâae mâak jà mâi súue ìik láaeo
“The product from this shop is very bad. I won’t buy it again.”

Example 3:
เขาเป็นคนเลว
Khǎo bpen khon leeo
“He is a bad person.”

Opposite word: ดี (dii), เยี่ยม (yîiam), and เลิศ (lôoet), which mean “good,” “great,” and “perfect” respectively in Thai.

Additional note: ไม่ดี (mâi dii) and แย่ (yâae) can be used to describe both quality and behavior. เลว (leeo) is used to describe quality only. Of these three words, ไม่ดี (mâi dii) can be used in both formal and informal situations. On the other hand, แย่ (yâae) and เลว (leeo) are used more in spoken language.

5- Sucks (Bad)

Thai adjective: ห่วย (hùuai)

Example:
อาหารรสชาติห่วยมาก
Aa-hǎan rót-châat hùuai mâak
The food tastes sucky (bad).

Opposite word: ดี (dii), เยี่ยม (yîiam), and เลิศ (lôoet) which mean “good,” “great,” and “perfect” respectively in Thai.

Additional note: ห่วย (hùuai) is used to describe quality only. And similar to its English meaning, it’s informal spoken language.

4. Thai Adjectives for Describing Feeling and Sense

The third group of Thai adjectives are words used to describe feeling and sense in Thai.

1- Cold

Thai adjective: หนาว (nǎao)

Example:
ฉันไม่ชอบอากาศหนาว
Chǎn mâi châawp aa-gàat nǎao
“I don’t like cold weather.”

Opposite word: ร้อน (ráawn), which means “hot” in Thai.

2- Hot

Thai adjective: ร้อน (ráawn)

Example:
กาแฟร้อนนะ ระวังด้วย
Gaa-faae ráawn ná rá-wang dûuai
“The coffee is hot so be careful.”

Opposite word: หนาว (nǎao), which means “cold” in Thai.

3- Chilly

Thai adjective: เย็น (yen)

Example:
เชียงใหม่ตอนนี้อากาศเย็นสบาย น่าไปเที่ยว
Chiiang-mài dtaawn-níi aa-gàat yen sà-baai nâa bpai thìiao
“The weather in Chiiangmai is chilly now. It is a good time to travel there.”

Opposite word: อุ่น (ùn), which means “warm” in Thai.

4- Warm

Thai adjective: อุ่น (ùn)

Example:
ฉันชอบดื่มชาอุ่น ๆ
Chǎn châawp dùuem chaa ùn-ùn
“I like to drink warm tea.”

Opposite word: เย็น (yen), which means “chilly” in Thai.

5- Hard

Thai adjective: แข็ง (khǎaeng)

Example:
ขนมปังนี้แข็งมาก กินไปได้ยังไง
Khà-nǒm bpang níi khǎaeng mâak gin bpai dâi yang-ngai
“This bread is so hard. How can you eat it?”

Opposite word: นิ่ม (nîm), which means “soft” in Thai.

6- Soft

Thai adjective: นิ่ม (nîm)

Example:
ฉันชอบหมอนที่นิ่มมาก ๆ
Chǎn châawp mǎawn thîi nîm mâak-mâak
“I like very soft pillows.”

Opposite word: แข็ง (khǎaeng), which means “hard” in Thai.

7- Comfortable

Thai adjective: สบาย (sà-baai)

Example:
เก้าอี้ตัวนี้นั่งสบายมาก
Gâo-îi dtuua níi nâng sà-baai mâak
“This chair is very comfortable.”

Opposite word: อึดอัด (ùet-àt), which means “uncomfortable” in Thai.

8- Painful

Thai adjective: เจ็บ (jèp)

Example:
ท่ายืดตัวนั้นดูเจ็บมาก
Thâa yûuet dtuua nán duu jèp mâak
“That stretch posture looks so painful.”

9- Uncomfortable

Thai adjective: อึดอัด (ùet-àt)

Example:
ห้องเล็กแค่นั้น ถ้าอยู่กันเกินสองคนต้องอึดอัดมากแน่ ๆ
Hâawng lék khâae nán thâa yùu gan gooen sǎawng khon dtâawng ùet-àt mâak nâae-nâae
“That room is so small. If more than two people live there, it will be very uncomfortable.”

Opposite word: สบาย (sà-baai), which means “comfortable” in Thai.

10- Fresh

Thai adjective: สดชื่น (sòt-chûuen)

Example:
อากาศร้อนแบบนี้ ถ้าดื่มน้ำผลไม้เย็น ๆ ต้องสดชื่นมากแน่ ๆ
Aa-gaat ráawn bàaep níi thâa dùuem nám phǒn-lá-mái yen-yen dtâawng sòt-chûuen mâak nâae-nâae
“Drinking cold juice in this hot weather will be very fresh (refreshing).”

Opposite word: เหนื่อย (nùueai), which means “tired” in Thai.

11- Energetic

Thai adjective: กระปรี้กระเปร่า (grà-bprîi-grà-bprào)

Example:
ออกกำลังกายแล้วทำให้รู้สึกกระปรี้กระเปร่า
Àawk-gam-lang-gaai láaeo tham hâi rúu-sùek grà-bprîi-grà-bprào
“Exercise makes you feel energetic.”

Opposite word: เหนื่อย (nùueai), which means “tired” in Thai.

12- Tired

Thai adjective: เหนื่อย (nùueai)

Example:
ฉันทำงานมาสิบชั่วโมงแล้ว ตอนนี้เหนื่อยมาก
Chǎn tham-ngaan maa sìp chûua-moong láaeo dtaawn-níi nùueai mâak
“I have worked for more than ten hours, I’m so tired now.”

Opposite word: สดชื่น (sòt-chûuen) and กระปรี้กระเปร่า (grà-bprîi-grà-bprào), which mean “fresh” and “energetic” respectively in Thai.

5. Thai Adjectives for Describing Personality and Feelings

The fourth group of Thai adjectives you should learn are words used to describe a person in Thai, or personality Thai adjectives.

1- Diligent

Thai adjective: ขยัน (khà-yǎn)

Example:
นักเรียนคนนี้ขยันมาก
Nák-riian khon níi khà-yǎn mâak
“This student is so diligent.”

Opposite word: ขี้เกียจ (khîi-gìiat), which means “lazy” in Thai.

2- Lazy

Thai adjective: ขี้เกียจ (khîi-gìiat)

Example:
พ่อไม่ชอบคนขี้เกียจ
Phâaw mâi châawp khon khîi-gìiat
“My father doesn’t like lazy people.”

Opposite word: ขยัน (khà-yǎn), which means “diligent” in Thai.

3- Kind

Thai adjective: ใจดี (jai-dii)

Example:
แม่เป็นคนใจดี
Mâae bpen khon jai-dii
“My mother is kind.”

Opposite word: ใจร้าย (jai-ráai), which means “mean” in Thai.

4- Mean

Thai adjective: ใจร้าย (jai-ráai)

Example:
เด็ก ๆ มักไม่ชอบแม่มดใจร้ายในการ์ตูน
Dèk-dèk mák mâi châawp mâae-mòt jai-ráai nai gaa-dtuun
“Children often dislike mean witches in cartoons.”

Opposite word: ใจดี (jai-dii), which means “kind” in Thai.

5- Composed

Thai adjective: ใจเย็น (jai-yen)

Example:
นอกจากใจดีแล้ว แม่เป็นคนใจเย็นมาก
Nâawk jàak jai-dii láaeo mâae bpen khon jai-yen mâak
“Apart from being kind, my mother is also very composed.”

Opposite word: ใจร้อน (jai-ráawn), which means “impetuous” in Thai.

6- Impetuous

Thai adjective: ใจร้อน (jai-ráawn)

Example:
น้ำเป็นคนใจร้อน
Nâm bpen khon jai-ráawn
“Nam is impetuous.”

Opposite word: ใจเย็น (jai-yen), which means “composed” in Thai.

7- Polite

Thai adjective: สุภาพ (sù-phâap)

Example:
เข้าวัดต้องแต่งตัวสุภาพ
Khâo wát dtâawng dtàaeng-dtuua sù-phâap
“You have to dress politely when going to the temple.”

Opposite word: หยาบคาย (yàap-khaai), which means “rude” in Thai.

8- Rude

Thai adjective: หยาบคาย (yàap-khaai)

Example:
อย่าทำตัวหยาบคาย
Yàa tham dtuua yàap-khaai
“Don’t be rude.”

Opposite word: สุภาพ (sù-phâap), which means “polite” in Thai.

9- Generous

Thai adjective: ใจกว้าง (jai-gwâang)

Example:
ทุกคนชอบแป้งเพราะเธอเป็นคนใจกว้าง
Thúuk-khon châawp bpâaeng phráw thooe bpen khon jai-gwâang
“Everyone likes Bpaaeng because she is generous.”

Opposite word: ขี้เหนียว (khîi-nǐiao), which means “stingy” in Thai.

10- Stingy

Thai adjective: ขี้เหนียว (khîi-nǐiao)

Example:
ต่ายรวยเพราะขี้เหนียว
Dtàai ruuai phráw khîi-nǐiao
“Dtaai is rich because she is stingy.”

Opposite word: ใจกว้าง (jai-gwâang), which means “generous” in Thai.

11- Funny

Thai adjective: ตลก (dtà-lòk)

Example:
แจนชอบเล่าเรื่องตลก
Jaaen châawp lâo rûueang dtà-lòk
“Jaaen likes to tell funny stories.”

12- Boring

Thai adjective: น่าเบื่อ (nâa-bùuea)

Example:
หนังสือเล่มนั้นน่าเบื่อมาก
Nǎang-sǔue lêm nán nâa-bùuea mâak
“That book is so boring.”

13- Optimistic

Thai adjective: มองโลกในแง่ดี (maawng lôok nai ngâae dii)

Example:
ตาลมองโลกในแง่ดีเสมอ
Dtaan maawng lôok nai ngâae dii sà-mǒoe
“Thaan is always optimistic.”

Opposite word: มองโลกในแง่ร้าย (maawng lôok nai ngâae ráai), which means “pessimistic” in Thai.

14- Pessimistic

Thai adjective: มองโลกในแง่ร้าย (maawng lôok nai ngâae ráai)

Example:
เราไม่ควรมองโลกในแง่ร้าย
Rao mâi khuuan maawng lôok nai ngâae ráai
“We shouldn’t be pessimistic.”

Opposite word: มองโลกในแง่ดี (maawng lôok nai ngâae dii), which means “optimistic” in Thai.

15- Friendly

Thai adjective: เป็นมิตร (bpen-mít)

Example:
เธอเป็นมิตรกับทุกคน
Thooe bpen-mít gàp thúk-khon
“She is friendly with everyone.”

Opposite word: หยิ่ง (yìng), which means “arrogant” in Thai.

Additional note: Thai people also use the English word “friendly” in conversations, instead of using เป็นมิตร (bpen-mít).

16- Arrogant

Thai adjective: หยิ่ง (yìng)

Example:
ไม่มีใครอยากเป็นเพื่อนกับคนหยิ่ง
Mâi mii khrai yàak bpen phûuean gàp khon yìng
“No one wants to be friends with arrogant people.”

Opposite word: เป็นมิตร (bpen-mít), which means “friendly” in Thai.

17- Loud

Thai adjective: เสียงดัง (sǐiang dang)

Example:
อย่าเสียงดัง เด็ก ๆ กำลังนอน
Yàa sǐiang dang dèk-dèk gam-lang naawn
“Don’t be so loud. The children are now sleeping.”

Opposite word: เงียบ (ngîiap), which means “quiet” in Thai.

18- Quiet

Thai adjective: เงียบ (ngîiap)

Example:
ยิ้มเป็นคนเงียบ ๆ
Yím bpen khon ngîiap-ngîiap
“Yim is a quiet person.”

Opposite word: เสียงดัง (sǐiang dang), which means “loud” in Thai.

19- Confident

Thai adjective: มั่นใจ (mân-jai)

Example:
พ่อเป็นคนมั่นใจในตนเอง
Phâaw bpen khon mân-jai nai dton-eeng
“My father is confident in himself.”

20- Shy

Thai adjective: ขี้อาย (khîi-aai)

Example:
ตอนเด็ก ๆ ฉันเป็นคนขี้อายมาก
Dtaawn dèk-dèk chǎn bpen khon khîi-aai mâak
“I was very shy when I was young.”

21- Happy

Thai adjective: มีความสุข (mii khwaam-sùk)

Example:
เธอมีความสุขอยู่เสมอ
Thooe mii khwaam-sùk yùu sà-mǒoe
“She is always happy.”

Opposite word: เศร้า (sâo), which means “sad” in Thai.

22- Sad

Thai adjective: เศร้า (sâo)

Example:
ดาเศร้าที่สัตว์เลี้ยงของเธอตาย
Daa sâo thîi sàt-líiang khǎawng thooe dtaai
“Daa is sad that her pet died.”

Opposite word: มีความสุข (mii khwaam-sùk), which means “happy” in Thai.

23- Moody

Thai adjective: หงุดหงิด (ngùt-ngìt)

Example:
วันนี้มินท์หงุดหงิดทั้งวันเลย
Wan-níi mín ngùt-ngìt tháng-wan looei
“Min has been moody all day.”

Opposite word: ร่าเริง (râa-rooeng), which means “cheerful” in Thai.

24- Lonely

Thai adjective: เหงา (ngǎo)

Example:
ฉันอยู่คนเดียวมาหลายวันแล้ว เหงามาก
Chǎn yùu khon-diiao maa lǎai wan láaeo ngǎo mâak
“I have been alone for many days. I’m so lonely.”

25- Cheerful

Thai adjective: ร่าเริง (râa-rooeng)

Example:
นัทเป็นคนร่าเริง
Nát bpen khon râa-rooeng
“Nat is a cheerful person.”

Opposite word: หงุดหงิด (ngùt-ngìt), which means “moody” in Thai.

26- Concerned

Thai adjective: กังวล (gang-won)

Example:
ช่วงนี้งานมีปัญหาทำให้ปลากังวล
Chûuang-níi ngaan mii bpan-hǎa tham hâi bplaa gang-won
“Recently there is a work problem making Plaa feel concerned.”

6. Thai Adjectives for Describing Speed, Difficulty & Importance

The fifth group of Thai adjectives are words used to describe speed, difficulty, and importance in Thai.

1- Fast

Thai adjective: เร็ว (reo)

Example:
รถคันนี้นเร็วมาก
Rót khan nán reo mâak
“That car is very fast.”

Opposite word: ช้า (cháa), which means “slow” in Thai.

2- Slow

Thai adjective: ช้า (cháa)

Example:
เต่าเป็นสัตว์ที่เชื่องช้า
Dtào bpen sàt thîi chûueang-cháa
“The turtle is a slow animal.”

Opposite word: เร็ว (reo), which means “fast” in Thai.

3- Difficult

Thai adjective: ยาก (yâak)

Example:
ทำไมฉันได้งานยากตลอด
Tham-mai chǎn dâi ngaan yâak dtà-làawt
“Why do I always get difficult tasks?”

Opposite word: ง่าย (ngáai), which means “easy” in Thai.

4- Easy

Thai adjective: ง่าย (ngáai)

Example:
นักเรียนชอบการบ้านง่าย ๆ
Nák-riian châawp gaan-bâan ngâai-ngâai
“Students like easy homework.”

Opposite word: ยาก (yâak), which means “difficult” in Thai.

5- Important

Thai adjective: สำคัญ (sǎm-khan)

Example:
เก็บเอกสารสำคัญดี ๆ
Gèp èek-gà-sǎan sǎm-khan dii-dii
“Keep important documents well.”

Opposite word: ไม่สำคัญ (mâi sǎm-khan), which means “unimportant” in Thai.

6- Unimportant

Thai adjective: ไม่สำคัญ (mâi sǎm-khan)

Example:
อย่ามองว่าสุขภาพเป็นเรื่องไม่สำคัญ
Yàa maawng wâa sùk-khà-phâap bpen rûueang mâi sǎm-khan
“Don’t view health as an unimportant matter.”

Opposite word: สำคัญ (sǎm-khan), which means “important” in Thai.

7. Thai Adjectives for Describing Color

The sixth group of Thai adjectives are those used to describe color in Thai. สี (sǐi) is “color” in Thai, and sometimes Thai people put สี (sǐi) in front of the color name.

1- White

Thai adjective: ขาว (khǎao)

Example:
ฉันชอบเสื้อผ้าสีขาว
Chǎn châawp sûuea-phâa sǐi khǎao
“I like white clothes.”

2- Black

Thai adjective: ดำ (dam)

Example:
กระเป๋าดำใบนั้นสวยดี
Grà-bpǎo dam bai nán sǔuai dii
“That black bag is beautiful.”

3- Purple

Thai adjective: ม่วง (mûuang)

Example:
ดอกไม้สีม่วงปลูกยากมั๊ย
Dàawk-mái sǐi mûuang bplùuk yâak mái
“Is it difficult to grow purple flowers?”

4- Light blue

Thai adjective: ฟ้า (fáa)

Example:
ท้องฟ้าเป็นสีฟ้าสวยมากวันนี้
Tháawng-fáa bpen sǐi fáa sǔuai mâak wan-níi
“Today, the sky is beautifully light blue.”

5- Dark blue

Thai adjective: น้ำเงิน (nám-ngooen)

Example:
พ่อชอบสีน้ำเงิน
Phâaw châawp sǐi nám-ngooen
“My father likes dark blue color.”

6- Green

Thai adjective: เขียว (khǐiao)

Example:
ต้นไม้สีเขียวดูร่มรื่น
Dtôn-mái sǐi khǐiao duu rôm-rûuen
“The green tree looks so shady.”

7- Yellow

Thai adjective: เหลือง (lǔueang)

Example:
แม่ชอบดอกไม้สีเหลือง
Mâae châawp dàawk-mái sǐi lǔueang
“My mother likes yellow flowers.”

8- Orange

Thai adjective: ส้ม (sôm)

Example:
ข้างในกล่องสีส้มมีอะไร
Khâang nai glàawng sǐi sôm mii à-rai
“What is inside the orange box?”

9- Red

Thai adjective: แดง (daaeng)

Example:
ครูใช้ปากกาแดงตรวจการบ้าน
Khruu chái bpàak-gaa daaeng dtrùuat gaan-bâan
“Teachers use a red pen to check homework.”

10- Brown

Thai adjective: น้ำตาล (nám-dtaan)

Example:
รองเท้าสีน้ำตาลคู่นั้นสวยดี
Raawng-tháo sǐi nám-dtaan khûu nán sǔuai dii
“Those brown shoes are beautiful.”

11- Gray

Thai adjective: เทา (thao)

Example:
ใส่ไว้ในกล่องเทาเลย
Sài wái nai glàawng thao looei
“Put it in the gray box.”

12- Pink

Thai adjective: ชมพู (chom-phuu)

Example:
ขนมเค้กสีชมพูอร่อยมาก
Khà-nhǒm-khéek sǐi chom-phuu à-ràauy mâak
“Pink cake is very delicious.”

13- Dark

Thai adjective: เข้ม (khêem)

Example:
น้องชายชอบรองเท้าสีเข้ม
Nǎawng-chaai châawp raawng-tháo sǐi khêem
“My younger brother likes dark shoes.”

Opposite word: อ่อน (àawn), which means “light” in Thai.

14- Light

Thai adjective: อ่อน (àawn)

Example:
น้องสาวของสีชมพูอ่อน
Náawng-sǎo châawp sǐi chom-phuu àawn
“My younger sister likes light pink.”

Opposite word: เข้ม (khêem), which means “dark” in Thai.

8. Thai Adjectives for Describing Shape & Texture

The seventh group of adjectives are words used to describe shape and texture in Thai.

1- Round

Thai adjective: กลม (glom)

Example:
ปั้นแป้งเป็นก้อนกลม ๆ
Bpân bpâaeng bpen gâawn glom-glom
“Make the dough in a round shape.”

Opposite word: เหลี่ยม (lìiam), which means “edged” or “square” in Thai.

2- Edged / Square

Thai adjective: เหลี่ยม (lìiam)

Example:
ลายเหลี่ยม ๆ ไม่สวยเลย
Laai lìiam-lìiam mâi sǔuai looei
“The edged pattern isn’t beautiful.”

Opposite word: กลม (glom), which means “round” in Thai.

3- Smooth

Thai adjective: เรียบ (rîiap)

Example:
โต๊ะไม้ตัวนี้ผิวเรียบมาก
Dtó mái dtuua níi phǐu rîiap mâak
“This wood table has a very smooth surface.”

Opposite word: ขรุขระ (khrù-khrà), which means “rough” in Thai.

4- Rough

Thai adjective: ขรุขระ (khrù-khrà)

Example:
ถนนขรุขระ ขับรถดี ๆ
Thà-nǒn khrù-khrà khàp rót dii-dii
“The road is rough, so drive carefully.”

Opposite word: เรียบ (rîiap), which means “smooth” in Thai.

9. Thai Food Adjectives: Describing Taste

The eighth group of adjectives are words used to describe food in Thai. รส (rót) or รสชาติ (rót-châat) is “taste” in Thai language.

1- Bland

Thai adjective: จืด (jùuet)

Example:
น้ำแกงจืดมาก ลืมใส่ซีอิ๊วรึเปล่า
Nám-gaaeng jùuet mâak luuem sài sii-íu rúe bplào
“The soup is so bland. Did you forget to put in soy sauce?”

2- Salty

Thai adjective: เค็ม (khem)

Example:
ไก่ทอดนี้เค็มกำลังดีเลย
Gài thâawt níi khem gam-lang dii looei
“This fried chicken is perfectly salty.”

3- Sweet

Thai adjective: หวาน (wǎan)

Example:
อาหารจานนี้ต้องหวานนิดหน่อยถึงจะอร่อย
Aa-hǎan jaan níi dtâawng wǎan nít-nàauy thǔeng jà à-ràauy
“This food must be a little sweet to be delicious.”

4- Oily

Thai adjective: มัน (man)

Example:
แม่ไม่ชอบอาหารมัน ๆ
Mâae mâi châawp aa-hǎan man-man
“My mother doesn’t like oily food.”

5- Sour

Thai adjective: เปรี้ยว (bprîiao)

Example:
ไอติมรสนี้หวานอมเปรี้ยวกำลังดี
Ai-dtim rót níi wǎan om bprîiao gam-lang dii
“This ice cream has a perfectly sweet and sour flavor.”

6- Spicy

Thai adjective: เผ็ด (phèt)

Example:
คนไทยชอบอาหารรสเผ็ด
Khon thai châawp aa-hǎan rót phèt
“Thai people like spicy food.”

7- Bitter

Thai adjective: ขม (khǒm)

Example:
เด็ก ๆ ไม่ชอบยาเพราะขม
Dèk-dèk mâi châawp yaa phráw khǒm
“Children don’t like medicine because it is bitter.”

8- Delicious

Thai adjective: อร่อย (à-ràauy)

Example:
ขนมของแม่อร่อยมาก
Khà-nǒm khǎawng mâae à-ràauy mâak
“My mother’s snack is very delicious.”

Opposite word: ไม่อร่อย (mâi à-ràauy), which means “not delicious” in Thai.

9- กลมกล่อม

Thai adjective: กลมกล่อม (glom-glàawm)

Meaning: Perfectly balanced taste, usually used to describe delicious food.

Example:
แกงนี้อร่อยกลมกล่อมมาก
Gaaeng níi à-ràauy glom-glàawm mâak
“This curry has a perfectly balanced taste, very delicious.”

10. Thai Adjectives for Describing Situations

The ninth group of adjectives are words used to describe situations in Thai.

1- Fun

Thai adjective: สนุก (sà-nùk)

Example:
งานเลี้ยงสนุกมาก
Ngaan-líiang sà-nùk mâak
“Parties are very fun.”

Opposite word: น่าเบื่อ (nâa-bùuea), which means “boring” in Thai.

2- Boring

Thai adjective: น่าเบื่อ (nâa-bùuea)

Example:
พ่อบอกว่าไปซื้อของเป็นกิจกรรมน่าเบื่อ
Phâaw bàawk wâa bpai súue-khǎawng bpen gìt-jà-gam nâa-bùuea
“My father said ‘shopping is a boring activity.’”

Opposite word: สนุก (sà-nùk), which means “fun” in Thai.

3- Dangerous

Thai adjective: อันตราย (an-dtà-raai)

Example:
กลางคืนอย่าออกไปไหนคนเดียว อันตราย
Glaang-khuuen yàa àawk bpai nǎi khon diiao an-dtà-raai
“Don’t go out alone at night. It is dangerous.”

Opposite word: ปลอดภัย (bplàawt-phai), which means “safe” in Thai.

4- Safe

Thai adjective: ปลอดภัย (bplàawt-phai)

Example:
ใส่หมวกกันน็อคเพื่อความปลอดภัย
Sài mùuak-gan-náwk phûuea khwaam bplàawt-phai
“Wear a helmet for safety.”

Opposite word: อันตราย (an-dtà-raai), which means “dangerous” in Thai.

5- Weird

Thai adjective: แปลก (bplàaek)

Example:
แก้มทำท่าทางแปลก ๆ
Gâaem tham thâa-thaang bplàaek-bplàaek
“Gaaem is acting weird.”

6- Awkward

Thai adjective: อึดอัด (ùet-àt)

Example:
ฉันรู้สึกอึดอัดเวลาต้องทำงานกับคนแปลกหน้า
Chǎn rúu-sùek ùet-àt wee-laa dtâawng tham-ngan gàp khon-bplàaek-nâa
“I feel awkward when I have to work with strangers.”

7- Wonderful

Thai adjective: ยอดเยี่ยม (yâawt-yîiam)

Example:
การแสดงนี้ยอดเยี่ยมสุด ๆ
Gaan sà-daaeng níi yâawt-yîiam sùt-sùt
“This show is extremely wonderful.”

11. Describing Physical Traits, Conditions & Appearance

The last group of Thai adjectives you should learn are words used to describe a person in Thai.

1- Young (male)

Thai adjective: หนุ่ม (nùm)

Example:
ยังหนุ่มอยู่แท้ ๆ แต่ร่างกายกลับอ่อนแอ
Yang nùm yùu tháae-tháae dtàae râang-gaai glàp àawn-aae
“Despite being young, he is weak.”

Opposite word: แก่ (gàae), which means “old” in Thai.

2- Young (female)

Thai adjective: สาว (sǎao)

Example:
หญิงสาวพวกนี้สวยมาก
Yǐng-sǎao phûuak níi sǔuai mâak
“These young women are very beautiful.”

Opposite word: แก่ (gàae), which means “old” in Thai.

3- Old

Thai adjective: แก่ (gàae)

Example:
ยายของฉันแก่มากแล้ว
Yaai khǎawng chǎn gàae mâak láaeo
“My grandmother is very old now.”

Opposite word: หนุ่ม (nùm) and สาว (sǎao), which mean “young” in Thai.

4- Strong

Thai adjective: แข็งแรง (khǎaeng-raaeng)

Example:
ถึงเขาจะตัวเล็ก แต่แข็งแรงมาก
Thǔeng khǎo jà dtuua lék dtàae khǎaeng-raaeng mâak
“Despite being small, he is very strong.”

Opposite word: อ่อนแอ (àawn-aae), which means “weak” in Thai.

5- Weak

Thai adjective: อ่อนแอ (àawn-aae)

Example:
ฉันออกกำลังกายเพราะไม่อยากร่างกายอ่อนแอ
Chǎn àawk-gam-lang-gaai phráw mâi yàak râang-gaai àawn-aae
“I exercise because I don’t want to be weak.”

Opposite word: แข็งแรง (khǎaeng-raaeng), which means “strong” in Thai.

6- Rich

Thai adjective: รวย (ruuai)

Example:
อ้นรวยมาก
Ôn ruuai mâak
“On is very rich.”

Opposite word: จน (jon), which means “poor” in Thai.

7- Poor

Thai adjective: จน (jon)

Example:
ฉันไม่อยากจน
Chǎn mâi yàak jon
“I don’t want to be poor.”

Opposite word: รวย (ruuai), which means “rich” in Thai.

8- Charming

Thai adjective: มีเสน่ห์ (mii sà-nèe)

Example:
พ่อเป็นคนมีเสน่ห์
Phâaw bphen khon mii sà-nèe
“My father is a charming guy.”

9- Beautiful

Thai adjective: สวย (sǔuai)

Example:
ดาราคนนั้นสวยมาก
Daa-raa khon nán sǔuai mâak
“That celebrity is very beautiful.”

Opposite word: น่าเกลียด (nâa-glìiat), which means “ugly” in Thai.

10- Handsome

Thai adjective: หล่อ (làaw)

Example:
ใคร ๆ ก็ชอบคนหล่อ
Khrai-khrai gâaw châawp khon làaw
“Everyone likes handsome people.”

Opposite word: น่าเกลียด (nâa-glìiat), which means “ugly” in Thai.

11- Cute

Thai adjective: น่ารัก (nâa-rák)

Example:
เด็กคนนั้นน่าตาน่ารักมาก ๆ
Dèk khon nán nâa-dtaa nâa-rák mâak-mâak
“That child looks very cute.”

Opposite word: น่าเกลียด (nâa-glìiat), which means “ugly” in Thai.

12- Ugly

Thai adjective: น่าเกลียด (nâa-glìiat)

Example:
เวลาเธอทำหน้าแบบนั้นดูน่าเกลียดมาก
Wee-laa thooe tham nâa bàaep nán duu nâa-glìiat mâak
“She looks very ugly when she makes that face.”

Opposite word: หล่อ (làaw), สวย (sǔuai), and น่ารัก (nâa-rák), which mean “handsome,” “beautiful,” and “cute” respectively in Thai.

13- Fat

Thai adjective: อ้วน (ûuan)

Example:
ถ้ากินของทอดมากเกินไปจะทำให้อ้วน
Thâa gin khǎawng-thâawt mâak gooen bpai jà tham hâi ûuan
“Eating too much fried food will make you fat.”

Opposite word: ผอม (phǎawm), which means “thin” in Thai.

14- Thin

Thai adjective: ผอม (phǎawm)

Example:
แจมผอมเกินไปจนดูสุขภาพไม่ดี
Jaaem phǎawm gooen bpai jon duu sùk-khà-phâap mâi dii
“Jam is too thin to the point she looks unhealthy.”

Opposite word: อ้วน (ûuan), which means “fat” in Thai.

12. Conclusion

Congratulations! Reaching this part of the lesson means you’ve already learned more than 100 Thai adjectives. How do you feel? Did you have fun learning Thai adjectives? You may feel a bit overwhelmed since there’s a lot to remember.

However, there’s no need to rush. You can try to remember a few Thai adjectives a day. Within a month or two, you’ll be able to remember them all. Try using them a lot in conversation and remember adjectives in Thai phrases to make it even easier. Also, you should remember Thai adjectives in pairs if they have an opposite word. So keep practicing.

And as always, don’t forget to check out other fun lessons at ThaiPod101.com, such as travel phrases you should know or important days in Thailand, once you’ve finished learning Thai adjectives.

Happy learning!

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Lessons, Thai Online, Thai Phrases, Thai Words | Comment

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Netflix Thailand: Watch Good Thai Movies to Learn Thai

Despite your willingness to learn the Thai language, traditional learning methods such as reading books and memorizing new vocabulary can be extremely boring. What’s a better way to learn the Thai language? As you may have guessed, watching Thai movies or shows on Netflix (Thailand) is the best way to do so. You can watch Thai Netflix on the app or on your web browser. Even better? The Thai Netflix price is very cheap, as low as 105 Baht/month.

Now, you may wonder if you’ll be able to understand what you’re watching if you’ve just started learning Thai. Does Netflix have Thai subtitles? The answer is yes! And even if you can’t read Thai yet, watching Thai Netflix series or Thai Netflix movies is still good practice for Thai learners.

On Netflix, Thai language movies can introduce you to Thai accents, which in turn can improve your listening and speaking skills. Also, if you can read some Thai, reading Thai subtitles on Netflix will surely improve your reading skills. Moreover, you get to learn more about how Thai people live their daily lives in context of Thai culture.

There are a lot of Thai movies and Thai TV series on Netflix. To get the most out of the time you spend watching, be sure to choose one that fits your tastes the most. If you’re a fan of Netflix Original Series, you’ll have to wait a while, though, as Thai Netflix Original Series are just now being filmed. And as for Thai TV shows on Netflix, there are currently none available; but hopefully, Netflix will decide to put some in.

We understand that you may have no idea where to start on Thai Netflix, so ThaiPod101.com will help you by providing the best Netflix Thailand movie list for Thai learners, including new Thai movies on Netflix 2019!

Table of Contents

Bangkok Traffic Love Story
Suddenly Twenty
Suckseed
Mae Bia
Nang Nak
Bangrajan
Ong Bak
Hormones
Stupid Cupid
Diary of Tootsies
Conclusion

1. Bangkok Traffic Love Story

Thai title: รถไฟฟ้ามาหานะเธอ (rót-fai-fáa maa hǎa ná thooe)

Movie information:

This is one of the best romantic Thai movies on Netflix. It portrays the story of an average Chinese-Thai office lady who falls in love with a BTS sky train engineer.

Because of this movie, ท้องฟ้าจำลอง (tháawng-fáa jam-laawng), or Bangkok Planetarium, became a popular place for couples to go on dates. The male leading actor is Ken Teeradech, and the female leading actor is Cris Howang.

Movie quotes:

1- แฟนเค้าไม่ได้มีเพื่ออยู่ด้วยกันตลอดเวลา แต่มีเพื่อให้รู้ว่า ยังมีคนที่รักและเป็นห่วงเรา

Thai pronunciation: faaen kháo mâi dâi mii phûuea yùu dûuai gan dtà-làawt wee-laa dtàae mii phûuea hâi rúu wâa yang mii khon thîi rák láe bpen hùuang rao

English meaning: “We are not in a relationship so that we have someone with us all the time, but so that we have someone who loves and cares about us.”

2- ตอนแรกก็ว่าจะไม่คิด แต่มันฝืนความรู้สึกไม่ได้จริงๆ

Thai pronunciation: dtaawn-râaek gâaw wâa jà mâi khít dtàae man fǔuen khwaam-rúu-sùek mâi dâi jing jing

English meaning: “I didn’t mean to at first, but I can’t help my feelings.”

3- ถ้าเป็นหนังรักทั่วไป มันต้องทันไม่ใช่หรอ

Thai pronunciation: thâa bpen nǎng rák thûua-bpai man dtâawng than mâi châi rǒoe

English meaning: “If this is a normal love story, should I be there in time?”

2. Suddenly Twenty

Thai title: 20 ใหม่ ยูเทิร์นวัย หัวใจรีเทิร์น (yîi-sìp mài yuu-thooen wai hǔua-jai rii-thooen)

Movie information:

This is a comedy, romance, and Thai Netflix drama, remade from the Korean and Chinese movies. It’s the story of a 74-year-old grandmother who’s very stubborn and seems unable to get along with her family. Her family plans to send her to a nursing home, but miraculously, her body becomes twenty again. So she decides to use this chance to live her life and build a good relationship with her family again.

In this Thai Netflix movie, you’ll get to see how old people talk compared to the younger generation. The leading actress is Mai Davika.

This is one of the Thai films on Netflix that you shouldn’t miss!

Movie quote: The question and answer shown below are the core of this movie.

1- ถ้าย้อนเวลากลับไปได้ คุณจะใช้ชีวิตแบบใด จะใช้เวลาอย่างไร จะทำอะไรที่ใจอยากทำแต่ไม่ได้ทำ ใช่หรือเปล่า?

Thai pronunciation: thâa yáawn wee-laa glàp bpai dâi khun jà chái chii wít bàaeb dai jà chái wee-laa yàang-rai jà tham à-rai thîi jai yàak tham dtàae mâi dâi tham châi rǔue bplào

English meaning: “If you could turn back time, how would you live your life? How would you spend your time? Would you do things you wanted to do, but didn’t get to do in the past?”

2- ถ้าย้อนเวลากลับไปได้ ฉันก็จะทำเหมือนเดิม

Thai pronunciation: thâa yáawn wee-laa glàp bpai dâi chǎn gâaw jà tham mǔuean-dooem

English meaning: “If I could turn back time, I would still do the same.”

3. Suckseed

Thai title: ซักซี๊ด ห่วยขั้นเทพ (sák-síit hùuai khân thêep)

Movie information:

This Thai Netflix movie is in the romantic-comedy genre, portraying the lives of youngsters.

A boy who’s clueless about everything music-related learns much about it from his first love. Sadly, they eventually have to be separated from each other. Despite being terrible at everything, in twelfth grade, Ped plans to sign up for a famous music contest called the Hot Wave Music Award.

The name of this movie reflects the male leading character and his journey from sucking at everything to actually succeeding. The movie itself was not bad in terms of revenue and public comment, and the original soundtrack is pretty famous.

If you’re looking for a great feel-good movie, this is one of the best Thai movies on Netflix for you!

Movie quotes:

1- เวลาฟังเพลง จะรู้สึกว่ามีเพื่อน

Thai pronunciation: wee-laa fang phleeng jà rúu-sùek wâa mii phûuean

English meaning: “When I listen to music, I feel like I have a friend with me.”

2- นี่มันยุคของเราแล้ว

Thai pronunciation: nîi man yúk khǎawng rao láaeo

English meaning: “It is our time now.”

3- เราก็ยังเหมือนเดิม

Thai pronunciation: rao gâaw yang mǔuean-dooem

English meaning: “I’m also the same.”

4. Mae Bia

Thai title: แม่เบี้ย (mâae bîia)

Movie information:

Mae Bia is one of the best Thai movies Netflix has right now, and people pay a lot of attention to this one because it’s a drama-erotic movie. The story involves old Thai-styled houses, cobras, supernatural events, and a romantic relationship—these elements together made for an S.E.A. writing award-winning movie! And as this story happens in สุพรรณบุรี (sù-phan-bù-rii), you’ll get to hear another local dialect which has a slightly different tone compared to how Thai people normally speak.

The male actor of this movie is very famous, and acts very well. For those who love this kind of story, luckily, this Thai movie is on Netflix now.

Movie quotes:

1- เรื่องของผู้หญิงผู้ชาย ไม่มีอะไรที่เป็นไปไม่ได้

Thai pronunciation: rûueang khǎawng phûu-yǐng phûu-chaai mâi mii à-rai thîi bpen bpai mâi dâi

English meaning: “There is nothing impossible when it comes to things between man and woman.”

5. Nang Nak

Thai title: นางนาก (naang nâak)

Movie information:

Thai people love the horror genre, and do it well in their movies. And when speaking of horror stories, every Thai knows the story of นางนาก (naang nâak). It’s the story of a woman who died while giving birth to her child, and waited as a ghost for her husband to come back from war.

Since this story is so famous, it has been made into TV series, movies, and musicals many times. However, this version is said to be the scariest, and it’s one of the very best Netflix Thai horror movies! If you like horror stories, don’t miss this Thai horror movie on Netflix. Many people have said that it’s the scariest movie they’ve ever seen.

The main female actress, Sai, is very famous for her action in horror films. Also, as this story is believed to have happened more than a hundred years ago, you’ll get to see how Thai people lived and spoke in the past.

Movie quotes:

1- พี่มากขา

Thai pronunciation: phîi mâak khǎa

English meaning: There is no English meaning. This is just what นางนาก (naang-nâak) calls her husband.

2- ฉันมารอพี่ที่ท่าน้ำทุกวันเลยนะ

Thai pronunciation: chǎn maa raaw phîi thîi thâa-nám thúk wan looei ná

English meaning: “I have been coming to the dock every day to wait for you.”

6. Bangrajan

Thai title: บางระจัน (baang-rá-jan)

Movie information:

If you like historical movies, don’t miss บางระจัน (baang-rá-jan). It portrays the story of people in หมู่บ้านบางระจัน (mùu-bâan baang-rá-jan), or Bangrajan Village, who help prolong the end of อยุธยา (à-yút-thá-yaa). Despite losing the fight in the end, people in this village are known as Thai heroes.

It was a very successful movie that made both the leading actor and actress very popular. Similar to นางนาก (naang nâak), you’ll get to see how Thai people lived and spoke in the past, as this story happened over 200 years ago. Definitely a great Thai film Netflix currently has for history-lovers!

Movie quote:

The most touching expression of this movie is below. It shows the sacrifice of people for their homeland, as well as their love for family.

1- หากวันข้างหน้าข้าไม่ได้สั่งสอนมัน เอ็งจงบอกมันว่าข้าไม่ได้จากไปไหน ข้าจักอยู่ในผืนดิน ในต้นไม้ ในสายน้ำ ข้าจักเป็นคนคอยคุ้มหัวมันเอง

Thai pronunciation: hàak wan khâang nâa khâa mâi dâi sàng-sǎawn man eng jong bàawk man wâa khâa mâi dâi jàak bpai nǎi khâa jàk yùu nai phǔuen-din nai dtôn-mái nai sǎai-nám khâa jàk bpen khon khaauy khúm-hǔua man eeng

English meaning: “If in the future, I don’t get a chance to teach our child, you must tell them that I didn’t go away from them. I am in the land, in the tree, in the river. I will protect them.”

7. Ong Bak

Thai title: องค์บาก (ong-bàak)

Movie information:

This is one of the most famous Thai action Netflix films. It’s the story of two men trying to take the stolen head of Buddha back. The action scenes are said to be very good and thrilling. As the main character is from northeast Thailand, you’ll get to hear ภาษาอีสาน (phaa-sǎa ii-sǎan), which is the Thai Northeast dialect.

This was a successful movie, and has been made into three films. If you want to watch a Muay Thai movie on Netflix, you absolutely can’t miss this one.

Movie quotes:

1- ช้างกูอยู่ไหน

Thai pronunciation: cháang guu yùu nǎi

English meaning: “Where is my elephant?”

8. Hormones

Thai title: Hormones วัยว้าวุ่น (Hormones wai wáa-wûn)

Series information:

This Netflix Thai series shows the story of teenagers in high school. It reflects real-life problems that young people face, especially those that have to do with romantic relationships, sex, abuse in school, drugs, family problems, etc. It was one of the first Thai series on Netflix to focus on multiple points of view, and not just on romantic relationships like most Thai series.

This series is so successful that it’s continuing for a third season.

Series quotes:

1- มันเป็นธรรมเนียมที่ทำต่อๆ กันมา

Thai pronunciation: man bpen tham-niiam thîi tham dtàaw dtàaw gan maa

English meaning: “It is the tradition that people have been doing from generation to generation.”

2- เพราะมันไม่ใช่คำตอบที่พวกเธอถูกใจรึเปล่า?

Thai pronunciation: phráw man mâi châi kham-dtàawp thîi phûuak thooe thùuk jai rúe bplào

English meaning: “Isn’t it because it is not the answer you like?”

3- คนอย่างพวกเธอใช้ชีวิตทำโน่นนี่ตามผู้ใหญ่ โดยที่ไม่มีใครเคยตั้งคำถาม

Thai pronunciation: khon yàang phûuak thooe chái chii-wít tham nôon tham nîi dtaam phûu-yài dooi thîi mâi mii khrai khooei dtâng kham-thǎam

English meaning: “People like you like to live doing what adults say without asking questions.”

4- ครูไม่ชอบระบบและคน แต่สิ่งที่ทำให้ครูมีความสุขคือนักเรียน

Thai pronunciation: khruu mâi châawp rá-bòp láe khon dtàae sìng thîi tham hâi khruu mii khwaam-sùk khuue nák-riian

English meaning: “I (teacher) don’t like systems or people. But students make me happy.”

9. Stupid Cupid

Thai title: น้ำตากามเทพ (nám-dtaa gaam-má-thêep)

Series information:

This is another Netflix Thai drama you shouldn’t miss, a melodrama series starring famous actor Sunny. It’s the story of a rich family, and covers themes such as arranged marriage in Thailand and no-so-good relationships between family members.

Actually, this was a short drama shown in the movie Bangkok Traffic Love Story. But with the good response from viewers due to its ironic context, it has been made into a TV series. This is currently one of the best Thai dramas on Netflix, and many people love it because it’s fun to watch.

Series quotes:

1- ถ้าจะพูดอย่างนี้ ด่าว่าควายเลยดีกว่ามั๊ย

Thai pronunciation: thâa jà phûut yàang níi dàa wâa khwaai looei dii gwàa mái

English meaning: “If you spoke like that, you should have berated me as a buffalo.” (stupid)

2- ตอแหล

Thai pronunciation: dtaaw-lǎae

English meaning: “Liar”

10. Diary of Tootsies

Thai title: ไดอารี่ ตุ๊ดซี่ (dai-aa-rîi dtút-sîi)

Series information:

This is a Thai comedy Netflix series based on the story บันทึกของตุ๊ด (ban-thúek khǎawng dtút) of Sha, a famous LGBT Thai person. It’s the story of a group of LGBT friends who all get dumped at the same time and decide to find their true love. This series is quite successful and has gained a lot of attention. In 2019, both a second season and movie are going to be released. This is yet another Thai series on Netflix you shouldn’t miss.

In terms of Thai language, this show will give you a unique glimpse into slang often used by the LGBTQ community in Thailand, as well some swear words.

Series quotes:

Here’s a quote from the show that went viral at the time. Many people use this scene to give their own sarcastic message on almost any topic, from politics to relationships.

1- กูจะขี้ใส่อะไรก็ได้

Thai pronunciation: guu jà khîi sài à-rai gâaw dâi

English meaning: “I can defecate on anything.”

2- แต่มึงจะขี้ใส่ Louis Vuitton ไม่ได้

Thai pronunciation: dtàae mueng jà khîi sài Louis Vuitton mâi dâi

English meaning: “But you cannot defecate on Louis Vuitton.”

11. Conclusion

How many movies or Thai Netflix series here fit your tastes? We hope you decided to try watching many of them! And once you’ve watched one of these movies or series, please leave a comment below to tell us what you thought about it!

By now, you should have a better idea of how to learn Thai on Netflix and how to watch Thai Netflix for maximum enjoyment and learning!

As mentioned before, we believe that watching Netflix movies with Thai subtitles is a great way for you to learn Thai, since it’s enjoyable and will help you improve your Thai speaking skills. If you don’t understand what an actor or actress said, don’t give up just yet. It will take some time for you to be able to understand.

If you want to learn another Thai lesson, visit ThaiPod101.com. We have various topics to choose from, such as delicious Thai fruit and activities in summer in Thailand. And if you want to watch more Thai content, go check out our Thai TV show article.

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Culture, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Online, Thai Phrases, Thai Words | Comment

January 16, 2020

Best Guide to Learn Connecting Words in Thai

Knowing Thai conjunction words enables you to communicate clearly and also makes your conversation sound smooth. Thus, connecting words in Thai are an important aspect of the Thai language. By learning them, you’ll be able to communicate like a native.

To help you master your Thai conjunctions, we’ll outline several key points in this article:

Thai conjunctions definition
A Thai conjunctions list with detailed explanations of each one
Thai conjunctions in sentences and how to use them

Are you ready to learn Thai conjunctions? Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Conjunctions in Thai
Thai Conjunctions Used to Link Sentences with Similar Meanings
Thai Conjunctions Used to Express Opposition
Thai Conjunctions Used to Express Alternatives
Thai Conjunctions Used to Link Cause and Result
How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai Grammar

1. Conjunctions in Thai

Let’s start this lesson with some basic knowledge about Thai conjunctions. Below we’ll explain their definition and functions, and the types of Thai conjunctions. And if you’re asking yourself “What are Thai linking words in writing?” you’ll find the answer here as well.

คำสันธาน (kham sǎn-thaan) is “conjunction” in Thai. Thai people use conjunctions to link sentences, which helps them convey their message through communication better. In order words, Thai conjunctions help shorten sentences or phrases, and makes them sound smoother.

There are four types of Thai language conjunctions, categorized by their functions. Each of them will be explained in detail with examples, as follows.

2. Thai Conjunctions Used to Link Sentences with Similar Meanings

The first type of Thai conjunction in our list of Thai conjunctions is คำสันธานที่เชื่อมความคล้อยตามกัน (kham sǎn-thaan thîi chûueam khwaam khláauy dtaam gan). This type of conjunction is used to link sentences or phrases with same-directioned meaning. Here are list of Thai conjunctions used to link sentences with similar meaning that you should know;

1- “And”

Thai: ละ (láe); กับ (gàp)

Usage: The Thai coordinating conjunctions และ (láe) and กับ (gàp) are used to link sentences that have similar meanings. Most of the time, the pattern used is noun + และ (láe), กับ (gàp) + noun or phrase + และ (láe), กับ (gàp) + phrase.

Example 1:

พ่อและแม่ชอบกินก๋วยเตี๋ยว
Phâaw láe mâae châawp gin gǔuai-dtǐiao
“Father and mother like noodles.”

Example 2:

ฉันเอาข้าวผัดกับไข่ดาว
Chǎn ao khâao phàt gàp khài daao
“I want fried rice and fried egg.”

Additional note: และ (láe) and กับ (gàp) are Thai linking words with the same meaning and can 100% substitute each other.

2- “Both…and…”

Thai: ทั้ง…และ… (tháng…láe…)

Usage: The Thai correlative conjunction ทั้ง…และ… (tháng…láe…) is always used as it is here, with both words. Its meaning and usage is the same as it is in English.

Example:

ทั้งพี่ชายและน้องสาวชอบกินขนมปัง
Tháng phîi-chaai láe náawng-sǎao châawp gin khà-nǒm-bpang
“Both the older brother and the younger sister like to eat bread.”

3- “After…, …”

Thai: …แล้ว… (…láaeo…); พอ…แล้ว… (phaaw…láaeo…)

Usage: The Thai subordinating conjunctions …แล้ว… (…láaeo…) and พอ…แล้ว… (phaaw…láaeo…) are both used as a word that links sentences, explaining two actions that happen continuously. The patterns of sentences using this Thai conjunction are listed below:

[Sentence of action that happens first] + แล้ว (láaeo) + [sentence of action that happens later]
พอ (phaaw) + [sentence of action that happens first] + แล้ว (láaeo) + [sentence of action that happens later]

Example 1:

กินข้าวแล้วค่อยกินยา
Gin khâao láaeo khâauy gin yaa
“Take the medicine after the meal.”

Example 2:

พออาบน้ำแล้วฉันก็นอนเลย
Phaaw àap-nám láaeo chǎn gâaw naawn looei
“After taking a bath, I went straight to bed.”

Additional note: …แล้ว… (…láaeo…) and พอ…แล้ว… (phaaw…láaeo…) are Thai linking words with the same meaning and can 100% substitute each other.

3. Thai Conjunctions Used to Express Opposition

The second type of Thai conjunction is คำสันธานที่เชื่อมใจความขัดแย้งกัน (kham sǎn-thaan thîi chûueam jai-khwaam khàt-yáaeng gan). This type of conjunction is used to link sentences or phrases with opposing meanings. Here is our list of Thai conjunctions used to express opposition that you should know.

1- “But”

Thai: แต่ (dtàae); แต่ว่า (dtàae-wâa)

Usage: The Thai coordinating conjunctions แต่ (dtàae) and แต่ว่า (dtàae-wâa) are used to link sentences that have opposing meanings. The pattern that’s normally used is sentence + แต่ (dtàae) or แต่ว่า (dtàae-wâa) + sentence.

Example 1:

ฉันชอบสีฟ้าแต่พี่สาวชอบสีแดง
Chǎn châawp sǐi fáa dtàae phîi-sǎao châawp sǐi daaeng
“I like blue, but my older sister likes red.”

Example 2:

เพื่อนของฉันเก่งเลขมากแต่ว่าอ่อนภาษาอังกฤษ
Phûuean khǎawng chǎn gèeng lêek mâak dtàae-wâa àawn phaa-sǎa ang-grìt
“My friend is very good at Math but bad at English.”

Additional note: แต่ (dtàae) and แต่ว่า (dtàae-wâa) are Thai conjunctions with the same meaning and can 100% substitute each other. Also, แต่ (dtàae) and แต่ว่า (dtàae-wâa) can also be translated as “yet” in Thai.

2- “However”

Thai: อย่างไรก็ตาม (yàang-rai gâaw dtaam)

Usage: The subordinating conjunction อย่างไรก็ตาม (yàang-rai gâaw dtaam) is used to link sentences with opposing meanings. The pattern that’s normally used is sentence + อย่างไรก็ตาม (yàang-rai gâaw dtaam) + sentence.

Example 1:

วันนี้อากาศมีมลพิษมาก อย่างไรก็ตาม หลายคนยังไม่ใส่หน้ากากเมื่อออกไปข้างนอก
Wan-níi aa-gàat mii mon-lá-phít mâak yàang-rai gâaw dtaam lǎai khon yang mâi sài nâa-gàak mûuea àawk bpai khâang-nâawk
“Today, air pollution is very bad. However, many people don’t wear facial masks when they go outside.”

Additional note: The meanings of แต่ (dtàae), แต่ว่า (dtàae-wâa), and อย่างไรก็ตาม (yàang-rai gâaw dtaam) are pretty much the same. However, Thai people use อย่างไรก็ตาม (yàang-rai gâaw dtaam) in more formal situations.

3- “Although” / “Despite” / “In spite of”

Thai: ทั้ง ๆ ที่…(แต่)… (tháng-tháng-thîi…[dtàae]…)

Usage: The subordinating conjunction ทั้ง ๆ ที่…(แต่)… (tháng-tháng-thîi…[dtàae]…) is used to link sentences or phrases with opposing meanings. There are two ways to use this Thai conjunction. You can either put แต่ (dtàae) between the sentences or skip it. The pattern that’s normally used is ทั้ง ๆ ที่ (tháng-tháng-thîi) + sentence + (แต่ [dtàae]) + sentence.

Example 1:

ทั้ง ๆ ที่เธอสวยมาก แต่เธอกลับไม่เคยมีแฟนเลย
Tháng-tháng-thîi thooe sǔuai mâak dtàae thooe glàp mâi khooei mii faaen looei
“Despite being so beautiful, she’s never had a boyfriend before.”

Example 2:

ทั้ง ๆ ที่อากาศหนาว เขายังกินไอศครีมอีก
Tháng-tháng-thîi aa-gàat nǎao khǎo yang gin ai-sà-khriim ìik
“In spite of cold weather, he still eats ice cream.”

4- “By the time…, …”

Thai: กว่า…ก็… (gwàa..gâaw…)

Usage: The Thai conjunction กว่า…ก็… (gwàa..gâaw…) is used to link sentences and phrases (or a sentence and another sentence) with opposing meanings. This Thai connecting word in English is like “by the time…, …” and is used the same way. The patterns that are normally used are as follows:

กว่า (gwàa) + sentence + ก็ (gâaw) + phrase
กว่า (gwàa) + sentence + subject of second sentence + ก็ (gâaw) + the rest of second sentence

Example 1:

กว่าเธอจะทำการบ้านเสร็จ ก็ถึงเวลานอนพอดี
Gwàa thooe jà tham gaan-bâan sèt gâaw thǔeng wee-laa naawn phaaw-dii
“By the time she finishes her homework, it will be her bedtime.”

Example 2:

กว่าเธอจะพร้อมมาช่วยฉัน ฉันก็คงทำเสร็จไปแล้ว
Gwàa thooe jà phráawm maa chûuai chǎn chǎn gâaw khong tham sèt bpai láaeo
“By the time you’re ready to help me, I will have already finished it.”

4. Thai Conjunctions Used to Express Alternatives

The third type of Thai conjunction is คำสันธานที่เชื่อมใจความให้เลือกอย่างใดอย่างหนึ่ง (kham sǎn- thaan thîi chûueam jai-khwaam hâi lûueak yàang dai yàang nùeng). This type of conjunction is used to link alternatives. Here is our list of Thai conjunctions in English used to express alternatives that you should know.

1- “Or”

Thai: หรือ (rǔue)

Usage: The Thai coordinating conjunction หรือ (rǔue) is used to show alternatives. The pattern that’s normally used is alternative 1 + หรือ (rǔue) + alternative 2.

Example :

เธอจะกินไข่ต้มหรือไข่เจียว
Thooe jà gin khài dtôm rǔue khài jiiao
“Do you want a boiled egg or omelette?”

2- “Either…or…”

Thai: ไม่…ก็… (mâi…gâaw…); หรือไม่ก็ (rǔue mâi gâaw)

Usage: The Thai correlative conjunctions ไม่…ก็… (mâi…gâaw…) and หรือไม่ก็ (rǔue mâi gâaw) are used to show alternatives. The patterns that are normally used are:

ไม่ (mâi) + alternative 1 + ก็ (gâaw) + alternative 2
alternative 1 + หรือไม่ก็ (rǔue mâi gâaw) + alternative 2

Example 1:

พรุ่งนี้น้องชายต้องใส่เสื้อไม่สีขาวก็สีฟ้า
Phrûng-níi náawng chaai dtâawng sài sûuea mâi sǐi khǎao gâww sǐi fáa
“Tomorrow, my younger brother has to wear either a white or blue shirt.”

Example 2:

ฉันอยากเลี้ยงปลาหรือไม่ก็กระต่าย
Chǎn yàak líiang bplaa rǔue mâi gâaw grà-dtàai
“I want either a fish or rabbit as my pet.”

Additional note: ไม่…ก็… (mâi…gâaw…) and หรือไม่ก็ (rǔue mâi gâaw) are Thai linking words with the same meaning and can 100% substitute each other.

3- “Or else” and “Otherwise”

Thai: ไม่อย่างนั้น (mâi yàang nán); ไม่เช่นนั้น (mâi chêen nán); มิฉะนั้น…ก็ (mí chà-nán…gâaw)

Usage: The Thai conjunctions ไม่อย่างนั้น (mâi yàang nán), ไม่เช่นนั้น (mâi chêen nán), and มิฉะนั้น…ก็ (mí chà-nán… gâaw) are used to show forced alternatives. If alternative 1 isn’t chosen, then it will be alternative 2. The patterns that are normally used are:

alternative 1 + ไม่อย่างนั้น (mâi yàang nán) + alternative 2
alternative 1 + ไม่เช่นนั้น (mâi chêen nán) + alternative 2
alternative 1 + มิฉะนั้น (mí chà-nán) + subject of alternative 2, if any + ก็ (gâaw) + the rest of alternative 2

Example 1:

นักเรียนต้องออกจากบ้านแต่เช้า ไม่อย่างนั้น จะไปโรงเรียนสาย
Nák-riian dtâawng àawk jàak bâan dtàae cháo mâi yàang nán jà bpai roong-riian sǎai
“The student has to leave their home early or else they will be late for school.”

Example 2:

พนักงานต้องปฏิบัติตามกฎ ไม่เช่นนั้น จะโดนไล่ออก
Phá-nák-ngaan dtâawng bpà-dtì-bàt dtaam gòt mâi chêen nán jà doon lâi-àawk
“Staff members have to obey the rules, otherwise they will be fired.”

Example 3:

คุณต้องตอบกลับภายใน 24 ชั่วโมง มิฉะนั้นก็จะถือว่าสละสิทธิ
Khun dtâawng dtàawp glàp phaai nai yîi-sìp-sìi chûua-mong mí chà-nán gâaw jà thǔue wâa sà-là-sìt
“You have to reply within 24 hours, or else it’s considered to be a waiver.”

Additional note: Among these three conjunctions, despite having the same meaning, ไม่อย่างนั้น (mâi yàang nán) is the most casual one. Thai people often use ไม่อย่างนั้น (mâi yàang nán) in oral conversations. On the other hand, ไม่เช่นนั้น (mâi chêen nán) and มิฉะนั้น…ก็ (mí chà-nán…gâaw) are more formal, so they’re often used in written language.

5. Thai Conjunctions Used to Link Cause and Result

The last type of Thai conjunction is คำสันธานที่เชื่อมใจความเป็นเหตุเป็นผลกัน (kham sǎn-thaan thîi chûueam jai-khwaam bpen hèet bpen phǒn gan). This type of conjunction is used to link sentences that show cause and result together. Here’s our list of Thai conjunctions to link cause and result that you should know.

1- Because

Thai: เพราะ (phráw); เพราะว่า (phráw wâa); ฉะนั้น…จึง… (chà-nán…jueng)

Usage: The Thai subordinating conjunctions เพราะ (phráw), เพราะว่า (phráw wâa), and ฉะนั้น…จึง… (chà-nán…jueng) are used to show the cause and result of an event. The patterns that are normally used are:

result + เพราะ (phráw) + cause
result +เพราะว่า (phráw wâa) + cause
cause + ฉะนั้น (chà-nán) + subject of reason sentence + จึง (jueng) + the rest of reason sentence

Example 1:

น้ำสอบตก เพราะ ไม่ตั้งใจเรียน
Nám sàawp dtòk phráw mâi dtâng-jai riian
“Nam didn’t pass the test because she didn’t pay attention in class.”

Example 2:

น้อยไม่สบาย เพราะ ทานอาหารไม่สะอาด
Náauy mâi sà-baai phráw thaan aa-hǎan mâi sà-àat
“Noi is sick because she eats unhealthy food.”

Example 3:

วันนี้อากาศร้อนมาก ฉะนั้น ฉันจึงไม่ออกไปข้างนอก
Wan-níi aa-gàat ráawn mâak chà-nán chǎn jueng mâi àawk bpai khâang nâawk
“Because the weather is very hot today, I decided not to go out.”

Additional note: เพราะ (phráw) and เพราะว่า (phráw-wâa) are Thai linking words with the same meaning and can 100% substitute each other. Keep in mind that ฉะนั้น…จึง… (chà-nán…jueng) is normally used in written language.

2- “So,” “Therefore,” and “Thus”

Thai: เพราะฉะนั้น (phráw chà-nán); ดังนั้น (dang-nán)

Usage: The Thai conjunction words เพราะฉะนั้น (phráw chà-nán) and ดังนั้น (dang-nán) are used to show the cause and result of an event. The patterns that are normally used are cause + เพราะฉะนั้น (phráw chà-nán) or ดังนั้น (dang-nán) + result.

Example 1:

คุณพ่ออยากสุขภาพแข็งแรง เพราะฉะนั้น ท่านเลยออกกำลังกายทุกวัน
Khun phâaw yàak sùk-khà-phâap khǎeng-raaeng phráw chà-nán thâan looei àawk-gam-lang-gaai thúk-wan
“My father wants to be healthy so he exercises everyday.”

Example 2:

ตรงนี้รถเยอะมาก ดังนั้น ข้ามถนนต้องระวัง
Dtrong níi rót yóe mâak dang-nán khâam thà-nǒn dtâawng rá-wang
“There are a lot of cars in this area, thus you have to be careful when you cross the road.”

Additional note: เพราะฉะนั้น (phráw chà-nán) and ดังนั้น (dang-nán) are Thai linking words with the same meaning and can 100% substitute each other.

6. How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai Grammar

How are you doing with this topic so far? We hope this topic isn’t too difficult for you!

As you can see, how to use many of these words is similar to doing so in the English language. So with a little practice, you can excel in this in no time. If you know Thai people, try using some of these Thai conjunctions when talking with them! Thai people will find it easier to understand the conversation that way.

If you find that Thai conjunctions are very different from those in your native language, or you’re just having some difficulty with them, let us know in the comments!

And after finishing this lesson, you should continue learning with another enjoyable lesson at ThaiPod101.com, such as the numbers 1-10 in Thai or popular food souvenirs. Have fun studying Thai!

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Culture, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Lessons, Thai Online, Thai Words | Comment

January 6, 2020

Thai Customs: Best Guide to Etiquette in Thailand

Those who have been to many countries are likely to know that people, despite being the same in many aspects, are different because of culture, customs, and values. Everyone has to eat, sleep, and interact with other people. So how do these actions differ in Thailand, compared to elsewhere?

If you need to interact with Thai people or plan on living in Thailand, knowing about Thailand customs, culture facts, social values, beliefs, and traditions is essential. To fit in with the rest of the Thai population and show respect, you need to know about them, especially Thai culture and etiquette.

In this article, ThaiPod101.com will teach you about Thai etiquette in daily life situations, such as Thai eating etiquette, Thai funeral etiquette, Thai business etiquette, and Thai etiquette for tourists, so you know all the do’s and don’ts in Thailand. Moreover, you’ll get to know more about tradition and culture in Thailand through this lesson.

Table of Contents

Words about Thai Customs
Useful Sentence Patterns to Discuss General Etiquette in Thailand
Thai Dining Etiquette
Manners and Etiquette in Thailand: Thai Tourist Etiquette
Thai Greeting Etiquette
Thai Guest Etiquette
Thai Etiquette in Public Transportation
Thai Business Etiquette
Thai Etiquette in Various Situations
Conclusion: How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai Culture

1. Words about Thai Customs

Before you learn about Thai customs, it will be good to know Thai words related to this topic.

ขนบธรรมเนียมไทย (khà-nòp-tham-niiam thai) is “Thai custom” or “Thai tradition”
มารยาทไทย (maa-rá-yàat thai) is “Thai etiquette” or “Thai manners”
วัฒนธรรมไทย (wát-thá-ná-tham thai) is “Thai culture“
ความเชื่อไทย (khwaam-chûuea thai) is “Thai belief”
ค่านิยมไทย (khâa-ní-yom thai) is “Thai value”
สังคมไทย (sǎng-khom thai) is “Thai society”

2. Useful Sentence Patterns to Discuss General Etiquette in Thailand

Let’s learn the sentence patterns you should know when you talk about Thai etiquette and manners. There are two patterns as listed below:

1- Should…

Thai language: ควร + verb

Thai pronunciation: khuuan + …..

Example:

แขกควรถอดรองเท้าก่อนเข้าบ้านคนไทย
khàaek khuuan thàawt raawng-tháo gàawn khâo bâan khon thai
“Guests should take off their shoes before entering a Thai house.”

2- Don’t…

Thai language: อย่า + verb

Thai pronunciation: yàa + …..

Example:

อย่าจับหัวคนไทยโดยไม่จำเป็น
yàa jàp hŭua khon thai dooi mâi jam bpen
“Don’t touch the head of a Thai person unless it’s necessary.”

3. Thai Dining Etiquette

Since eating is part of daily life, we’ll first teach you Thai table manners and dining etiquette in Thailand. Below is a list of things you should and shouldn’t do during a meal with Thai people. As long as you follow these basic rules of eating etiquette in Thailand, you should have a very enjoyable Thai meal.

1- Let elders or people of a higher position eat first.

Thai sentence: ให้คนที่อายุมากกว่าหรือมีตำแหน่งสูงกว่าตักอาหารก่อน

Thai pronunciation: hâi khon thîi aa-yú mâak gwàa rǔue mii dtam-nàaeng sǔung gwàa dtàk aa-hăan gàawn

Explanation: In Thai society, people normally eat together as a big family. Each person has their own plate of rice, but shares side dishes with each other. It’s proper table etiquette in Thailand to let people who are older than you, or people who are in a higher position than you (such as your boss), start eating first. This means that they can pick food from the side dishes first.

2- Set the table for elders.

Thai sentence: จัดโต๊ะอาหารให้คนมีที่อายุมากกว่า

Thai pronunciation: jàt dtó aa-hǎan hâi khon thîi mii aa-yú mâak khwàa

Explanation: As mentioned above, people in Thai society normally eat together. In case the dining table isn’t properly set, the youngest one at the table should be the one who sets it.

3- Don’t speak while chewing.

Thai sentence: อย่าพูดตอนเคี้ยวอาหาร

Thai pronunciation: yàa phûut dtaawn khíiao aa-hǎan

Explanation: Speaking while chewing is considered bad restaurant etiquette in Thailand, and is rude for dining in general. Apart from not looking nice and other people not clearly understanding what’s said, this behavior may make the speaker choke on food. So you shouldn’t do this while dining with Thai people.

4- Don’t make noise when chewing or drinking.

Thai sentence: อย่าทานอาหารหรือดื่มน้ำเสียงดัง

Thai pronunciation: yàa thaan aa-hǎan rǔue dùuem nám sǐiang dang

Explanation: In some countries, making noise when eating shows that you enjoy the food. But in Thailand, it’s viewed as bad etiquette. When you eat in Thailand, avoid making loud noises while eating or drinking.

5- Don’t hit tableware.

Thai sentence: อย่าเคาะช้อนส้อม

Thai pronunciation: yàa kháw cháawn sâawm

Explanation: In the phrase above, its literal meaning only mentions spoons and forks. But actually, Thai people consider hitting all tableware items (such as spoons, forks, chopsticks, etc.) as rude.

6- Don’t talk about gross topics.

Thai sentence: อย่าคุยเรื่องน่าขยะแขยง

Thai pronunciation: yàa khui rûueang nâa khà-yà-khà-yǎaeng

Explanation: During the meal, you shouldn’t talk about something gross, as it will make others lose their appetite.

4. Manners and Etiquette in Thailand: Thai Tourist Etiquette

Thailand is a nice place for traveling. There are many beautiful places to go sightseeing, the food tastes good, and Thai people are very nice. Moreover, the cost of living here isn’t high, so a lot of people enjoy traveling in Thailand.

As a tourist, it’s good to know some Thai manners and customs so that you don’t unintentionally act weird or rude in Thais’ point of view. To help you understand basic social etiquette in Thailand, we’ve provided a list of proper tourist etiquette in Thailand.

There are two main scenarios that we’ll focus on in this section: Basic etiquette in Thailand while in public areas, and how to act in holy places.

1- Thai Etiquette in Public Areas

Sightseeing is a must when you come to Thailand. Most tourists enjoy street food, shopping in the night market, or just seeing around the city. So it’s nice to know what you should and shouldn’t do.

1. No public displays of affection.

Thai sentence: อย่าแสดงความรักในที่สาธารณะมากจนเกินไป

Thai pronunciation: yàa sà-daaeng khwaam-rák nai thîi sǎa-thaa-raa-ná mâak jon gooen bpai

Explanation: In Thai society, some displays of affection between lovers is acceptable, such as holding hands or hugging. But any behavior more than this, such as kissing, isn’t okay. Thai people see it as inappropriate. But displays of affection between parent and child is okay.

2. Be aware not to touch a monk if you’re female.

Thai sentence: ผู้หญิงต้องระวังอย่าให้โดนตัวพระ

Thai pronunciation: phûu-yǐng dtâawng rá-wang yàa hâi doon dtuua phrá

Explanation: Most Thai people are Buddhist, and in Thailand, beliefs and values of Buddhism are quite strong. It’s possible that you may see a monk walking by on the street. For a monk, there’s a rule saying that monks can’t touch a female, regardless of intention.

So if you see a Thai monk, and you’re a female, please uphold proper etiquette in Thailand and avoid being too close; you don’t want to accidentally touch the monk. If you’re walking in a crowded street and don’t know what to do, just stop walking and the monk will avoid you instead.

3. Stand still when you hear the Thai national anthem.

Thai sentence: ยืนตรงเคารพธงชาติ

Thai pronunciation: yuuen dtrong khao-róp thong-châat

Explanation: In some public areas, such as parks, you may hear the Thai national anthem at eight o’clock in the morning and again at six o’clock in the afternoon. When Thai people hear the national anthem, they stand still until the song ends, as a way to pay respect. So if you notice that Thai people have suddenly stopped walking and stand still at these times, it’s probably because of the national anthem.

4. Avoid dressing too short or too sexy.

Thai sentence: อย่าแต่งตัวโป๊

Thai pronunciation: yàa dtàaeng dtuua bpóo

Explanation: In Thailand, values and traditions for women may have changed a lot from the past, but women are still expected to dress properly when going outside. That is, don’t wear short-shorts or short skirts. Not wearing a bra is unacceptable as well. The customs and etiquette in Thailand for men’s dress isn’t as strict as it is for women; just dress with consideration for where you’ll be going.

2. Thai Etiquette in Holy Places

If you come to Thailand, one of the most famous tourist attractions are temples. Temples are viewed as holy places in Thailand, so you’re expected to follow certain cultural etiquette in Thailand when you’re in the temple. Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts for etiquette in Thai temples.

1. Dress properly.

Thai sentence: แต่งกายเรียบร้อย

Thai pronunciation: dtàaeng-gaai rîiap-ráauy

Explanation: It is the etiquette of Thailand to dress properly in the temple, both men and women. A shirt with no sleeves, shorts, and skirts that are shorter than knee-length aren’t appropriate to wear in temples. So if you plan to travel to a temple, please dress properly.

2.Don’t make loud noise.

Thai sentence: อย่าส่งเสียงดัง

Thai pronunciation: yàa sòng sǐiang dang

Explanation: Adding to what we mentioned above, temples are also a place where people come to make merit and practice dharma. Thus, temples normally have a calm atmosphere; you shouldn’t make loud noises in the temple.

3. No alcohol or cigarettes.

Thai sentence: ห้ามดื่มเหล้าและสูบบุหรี่

Thai pronunciation: hâam dùuem lâo láe sùup bù-rìi

Explanation: For Buddhists, there’s a behavior guideline called ศีล 5 (sǐin-hâa) which means “5 precepts.” Drinking alcohol and smoking are prohibited behaviors in these five precepts. So you can’t drink or smoke in the temple area. Also keep in mind that drinking and smoking are unhealthy as well.

4. Take off your shoes where required.

Thai sentence: ถอดรองเท้าในบริเวณที่กำหนด

Thai pronunciation: thàawt raawng-tháo nai baaw-rí-ween thîi gam-nòt

Explanation: In some areas, such as in the chapel, you have to take your shoes off. There will be a sign that clearly shows if you have to take your shoes off.

5. Do not take photos.

Thai sentence: ห้ามถ่ายรูป

Thai pronunciation: hâam thàai rûup

Explanation: In some areas of the temple, you’re not allowed to take photos. There will be a sign clearly showing if you’re not allowed to take photos, so please look around.

5. Thai Greeting Etiquette

Our guide of etiquette rules in Thailand wouldn’t be complete without a section on proper greetings.

When people meet, people greet. So if you come to Thailand, it makes sense to learn Thai greeting etiquette. Greetings reflect another unique aspect of culture and etiquette in Thailand, and we’ll explain the main points of greeting etiquette in Thailand as follows:

1- Say sà-wàt-dii + wâi

When Thai people meet each other, they greet by saying สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) and perform an action called ไหว้ (wâi). Let’s learn some vocabulary before continuing.

ไหว้ (wâi) is a way of greeting in Thai language.
สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) is “hello” in Thai. The word “hello” in Thai means goodness, beauty, prosperity, and safety.

To ไหว้ (wâi), you have to put your hands together in front of your chest and bend your head toward your forefinger.

2- Smile

Thai sentence: ยิ้ม

Thai pronunciation: yím

Explanation: If you’re not Thai or can’t speak much Thai, just smile after greeting. It creates a good atmosphere when you meet someone. As you may have heard before, Thailand is a land of smiles.

3- Call Other Parties by kun+name

When you meet someone for the first time, it’s formal to call them by คุณ (khun) + name. คุณ (khun) is a formal title in Thai.

4- Avoid Looking at Other Parties from Head to Toe

Thai sentence: อย่ามองคนจากหัวจรดเท้า

Thai pronunciation: yàa maawng khon jàak hǔua jà-ròt tháo

Explanation: Looking at other parties from head to toe isn’t exactly a rude gesture. However, some people do this action as a way of looking down on other people, so it may create the wrong impression if you do so.

6. Thai Guest Etiquette

When you come to Thailand, you may get a chance to visit a Thai house. Thus, it will be good to learn some Thai hospitality and etiquette so that you know what you can and can’t do, and act accordingly.

1- Take Off Your Shoes Before Entering the House

Thai sentence: ถอดรองเท้าก่อนเข้าบ้าน

Thai pronunciation: thàawt raawng-tháo gàawn khâo bâan

Explanation: Most Thai people walk barefoot in the house. So if you visit a Thai house, you have to take off your shoes before entering the house.

2- Stay in the Living Room

Thai sentence: อยู่ในห้องนั่งเล่น

Thai pronunciation: yùu nai hâawng nâng lên

Explanation: When you go to another person’s house, if you’re not close to the owner, it’s appropriate to stay mainly in the living room or in the area where the owner seated you. You shouldn’t go wandering by yourself. However, this also depends on the relationship between you and the owner.

3- Bring a Gift (though it’s not Necessary)

Thai sentence: เอาของมาฝากเจ้าของบ้าน

Thai pronunciation: ao khǎawng maa fàak jâo khǎawng bâan

Explanation: When you visit a Thai house, it would be nice to bring some kind of gift to them. Most of the time, when it comes to gift etiquette in Thailand, food and drinks are okay. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Again, what’s considered proper gift giving etiquette in Thailand also depends on the relationship between you and the owner of the house.

4- Avoid Putting Your Feet on the Table

Thai sentence: อย่าเอาเท้าวางบนโต๊ะ

Thai pronunciation: yàa ao tháo waang bon dtó

Explanation: Thai people view feet as being dirty. Thus, you shouldn’t put your feet on the tables or chairs.

5- Don’t Go into the Owner’s Belongings

Thai sentence: อย่ารื้อของในบ้านคนอื่น

Thai pronunciation: yàa rúue khǎawng nai bâan khon ùuen

Explanation: Even if you have a close relationship with the owner of the house, it may be inappropriate to look through things in drawers or cupboards. Things in those areas are kind of personal, but if the owner asks you to open it, then it’s okay.

7. Thai Etiquette in Public Transportation

When you travel in Thailand, you may get a chance to travel by public transportation, such as on a bus, BTS, MRT, etc. Here are the do’s and don’ts for transportation in Thailand that you should know.

1- Don’t Stand in Front of the Door

Thai sentence: อย่ายืนขวางประตู

Thai pronunciation: yàa yuuen khwǎang bprà-dtuu

Explanation: When you travel by bus, BTS, or MRT, try to get inside so that there’s space for others to come in. Avoid standing in front of the door, as this is dangerous and could lead to an accident.

2- Give Your Seat to Children, Monks, Elders, and Handicapped People

Thai sentence: เอื้อเฟื้อที่นั่งแก่เด็ก, พระ, คนชรา, และคนพิการ

Thai pronunciation: ûuea-fúuea thîi nâng gàae dèk phrá khon chá-raa láe khon phí-gaan

Explanation: Thai people are quite kind and often help each other. Thai people view children, elders, and handicapped people as physically inferior and in need of help. As for monks, Thai people respect them. So when traveling by public transportation, Thai people give their seats to them. It’s not a social norm, but it’s what Thai people often do anyways.

3- No Alcohol or Cigarettes

Thai sentence: ห้ามดื่มเหล้าและสูบบุหรี่

Thai pronunciation: hâam dùuem lâo láe sùup bù-rìi

Explanation: Alcohol affects how people think, and cigarette smoke is unhealthy. As they’re not good to others and could lead to accidents and problems, you shouldn’t drink or smoke on public transportation.

4- No Stinky Food

Thai sentence: อย่านำอาหารมีกลิ่นขึ้นรถ

Thai pronunciation: yàa nam aa-hǎan mii glìn khûen rót

Explanation: Some food—such as durians, crispy garlic chive dumplings, and squid—can be very stinky. While some people think these foods smell nice, others don’t. To create a nice and clean atmosphere and not disturb other people, don’t eat stinky food on public transportation. If you have to bring it with you, make sure to seal it properly so it doesn’t smell much.

8. Thai Business Etiquette

If you’re working in Thailand or working with Thai people, it’s nice to know business etiquette in Thailand. Below are some things about business etiquette in Thailand you should be aware of.

1- Dress Properly

Thai sentence: แต่งตัวสุภาพ

Thai pronunciation: dtàaeng-dtuua sù-phâap

Explanation: The first impression is very important when you do Thai business. And the first thing that catches attention is how you dress. Men are supposed to wear a shirt and slacks, while women are supposed to wear a knee-length dress or a shirt with a skirt. The tone of the clothing shouldn’t be too colorful, and no sandals.

2- Address Other Parties Formally

Thai sentence: เรียกอีกฝ่ายอย่างสุภาพ

Thai pronunciation: rîiak ìik fàai yàang sù-phâap

Explanation: The formal way to address each other in Thai is by saying คุณ (khun) + name. คุณ (khun) is a formal title in Thai.

3- Greet Other Parties Formally

Thai sentence: ทักทายอีกฝ่ายอย่างสุภาพ

Thai pronunciation: thák-thaai ìik fàai yàang sù-phâap

Explanation: When you meet your business partner, you should first greet them by saying สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) and perform ไหว้ (wâi).

4- Be Punctual

Thai sentence: ตรงเวลา

Thai pronunciation: dtrong wee-laa

Explanation: This one is quite common; don’t make others wait for you. In Bangkok, the traffic is quite bad, so make sure you have a lot of time for traveling.

5- Shaking Your Foot or Leg

Thai sentence: อย่านั่งเขย่าขา

Thai pronunciation: yàa nâng khà-yào khǎa

Explanation: Some people have a habit of shaking their foot or leg when sitting for a long time. It isn’t a rude manner in Thailand, but it makes you look unprofessional.

6- Avoid Putting Your Feet on the Table

Thai sentence: อย่าเอาเท้าวางบนโต๊ะ

Thai pronunciation: yàa ao tháo waang bon dtó

Explanation: As mentioned above, Thai people consider feet to be dirty. Thus, you shouldn’t put your feet on tables or chairs. It’s considered rude manners.

7- Avoid Chewing Gum

Thai sentence: อย่าเคี้ยวหมากฝรั่ง

Thai pronunciation: yàa khíiao màak-fà-ràng

Explanation: Chewing gum while speaking is unprofessional behavior for Thai people.

9. Thai Etiquette in Various Situations

If you live or work in Thailand, you may be invited to a ceremony for your friends or colleagues. In order for you to act appropriately and be nice to the host, here are the things you should know.

1- Thai Etiquette in Wedding Ceremonies

If you’re quite close to a Thai person, you normally get invited to their wedding ceremony. Normally, when you arrive to the ceremony, you should go to see the bride and groom to congratulate them before taking photos with them. Then, go sit in your assigned place. After this, just celebrate along with everyone.

However, you may not be sure how you should act or dress, as people in different countries have different cultures. For Thai people, you should follow these tips.

1. Wear light-toned clothing.

Thai sentence: ใส่เสื้อผ้าสีอ่อน

Thai pronunciation: sài sûuea-phâa sǐi àawn

Explanation: For women, in case there’s no theme, wear light-toned clothing. If there is a theme, dress according to the theme. Don’t dress in white, as Thai people think only the bride should dress in white for the wedding ceremony. Don’t dress in black either, as Thai people wear black to funerals.

For men, dressing for a wedding is quite easy. Men normally wear a suit to the wedding. Any color is fine; just make sure it’s not too colorful. If there’s a theme, dress according to it.

2. Give money to the bride and groom.

Thai sentence: ใส่ซองให้บ่าวสาว

Thai pronunciation: sài saawng hâi bàao sǎao

Explanation: When Thai people go to a wedding ceremony, they give money to the bride and groom. This is a way to help with the wedding and say thank you for preparing the food and drinks for them. The amount of money they give depends on their relationship to the bride and groom, and where the ceremony is hosted.

3. Don’t talk about bad things or events.

Thai sentence: อย่าพูดเรื่องอัปมงคล

Thai pronunciation: yàa phûut rûueang àp-bpà-mong-khon

Explanation: A wedding ceremony is a happy event. Thai people believe that it’s bad to talk about bad things or unhappy events (such as a death).

4. Don’t make loud noise.

Thai sentence: อย่าส่งเสียงดัง

Thai pronunciation: yàa sòng sǐiang dang

Explanation: Making loud noise can ruin the sweet atmosphere and steal attention from the bride and groom, so don’t do it.

5. Avoid drinking too much.

Thai sentence: อย่าดื่มมากเกินไป

Thai pronunciation: yàa dùuem mâak gooen bpai

Explanation: In some wedding ceremonies, alcohol is served for guests. However, you need to be careful not to drink too much or get drunk. Since people sometimes lose control when drunk, you may cause problems.

2- Thai Etiquette for Funerals

Similar to wedding ceremonies, once you live or work in Thailand long enough, you may have to go to a funeral. Here are the do’s and don’ts for a Thai funeral.

1. Dress formally in black or white.

Thai sentence: แต่งตัวสุภาพด้วยชุดสีดำหรือขาว

Thai pronunciation: dtàaeng-dtuua sù-phâap dûuai chút sǐi dam rǔue khǎao

Explanation: To pay respect to the deceased person and their family, it’s polite to wear black or white. Don’t wear revealing clothing.

2. Give money to the host.

Thai sentence: ใส่ซองช่วยเจ้าภาพ

Thai pronunciation: sài saawng chûuai jâo-phâap

Explanation: To help with funeral arrangements, Thai people give money to the host. The amount of money they give depends on their relationship to the deceased person and their family.

3. Avoid making loud noise.

Thai sentence: อย่าส่งเสียงดัง

Thai pronunciation: yàa sòng sǐiang-dang

Explanation: Making loud noise is viewed as disrespectful toward the deceased. Also, people come here to grieve and comfort the family of the deceased person, so it’s inappropriate to make loud noises.

3- Thai Etiquette for a Buddhist Ordination

งานบวช (ngaan-bùuat) is “Buddhist ordination” in Thai, and this is an important event in Thai society. Thai people believe that men should be a monk for once in their life to learn more about Buddha’s teachings; this is so that he can live his life as a good man.

To join a Buddhist ordination is a good experience for a foreigner, as you get to see Thai culture, values, and beliefs. Here are some things you can and can’t do during a Buddhist ordination.

1. Dress formally.

Thai sentence: แต่งกายเรียบร้อย

Thai pronunciation: dtàaeng-gaai rîiap-ráauy

Explanation: A Buddhist ordination is an event that takes place in a temple. As already mentioned, it’s Thai culture and etiquette to dress properly in the temple, both men and women. Shirts with no sleeves, shorts, and skirts that are shorter than knee-length aren’t appropriate to wear in the temple. Also, no sexy or revealing clothes.

2. No drinking or cigarettes.

Thai sentence: ห้ามดื่มเหล้าและสูบบุหรี่

Thai pronunciation: hâam dùuem lâo láe sùup bù-rìi

Explanation: You shouldn’t drink or smoke in the temple as this is one of the things Buddhists shouldn’t do, as mentioned earlier.

10. Conclusion: How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai Culture

If you’ve reached this point in the lesson, you should know more or less about what you should and shouldn’t do in Thailand. Keep these things in mind so that you don’t accidentally act inappropriately when you visit the country.

It can be hard to fully accommodate to customs you’re not familiar with, but with enough practice and the right mindset, you’re already halfway there! Now that you know all of this, you should go and learn other fun Thai lessons such as the top ten tourist attractions, top five Thai dishes, or how to eat Thai food, at ThaiPod101.com.

Does your country have similar cultural expectations or etiquette rules? Let us know in the comments!

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Culture, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Lessons, Thai Phrases, Thai Translation, Thai Words | Comment

December 20, 2019

Thai Dates: Best Guide for Learning Dates in Thailand

Time is very important, and is a significant part of our daily lives. Thus, when learning any language, it’s essential to learn about dates and time in that language. In this case, knowing Thai dates and how to tell time in Thai will improve your Thai conversation. It will also enable you to make appointments and manage your time well while in Thailand.

This article will teach you how to write dates in Thai, how to say the months in Thai, and basic sentences you can use in conversations to talk about dates or make appointments. To sum up, after finishing this article, you’ll know everything about Thai dates, Thai days, Thai months, and Thai years. Some parts of this lesson may be hard, but others are very easy (especially if you have basic knowledge about Thai numbers!).

Table of Contents

Saying the Day in Thai
Dates in Thai
The Months in Thai
The Year in Thai
Combining Thai Days, Dates, Months, and Years
Other Terms You Should Know
Must-Know Thai Phrases about Dates
Making an Appointment in Thai
Conclusion: How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai

1. Saying the Day in Thai

Let’s start with the basics. Before you can really understand dates in Thailand, you’ll have to know the days of the week in Thai. วัน (wan) is “day” in Thai, and below is a list of the Thai names for each day of the week.

1- “Monday” in Thai

Thai: วันจันทร์ (wan jan)

Example:

วันจันทร์ที่จะถึงนี้เป็นวันหยุด
wan jan thîi jà thǔeng níi bpen wan yùt
This coming Monday is a holiday.

Additional Note: Thai people associate the days with different colors. For Monday, the color of the day is yellow. Since King Rama IX was born on Monday, yellow is considered his color as well.

2- “Tuesday” in Thai

Thai: วันอังคาร (wan ang-khaan)

Example:

วันอังคารหน้าฉันจะไปเกาหลี
wan ang-khaan nâa chăn jà bpai gao-lǐi
I will go to Korea next Tuesday.

Additional Note: Tuesday’s color is pink.

3- “Wednesday” in Thai

Thai: วันพุธ (wan phút)

Example:

ฉันชอบดูหนังวันพุธเพราะตั๋วหนังลดราคา
chăn châawp duu năng wan phút phráw dtŭua năng lót raa-khaa
I like to watch movies on Wednesday because tickets are discounted.

Additional Note: Wednesday’s color is green. In Thailand, a lot of restaurants and movie theaters have promotions on this day.

4- “Thursday” in Thai

Thai: วันพฤหัสบดี (wan phá-rúe-hàt-sà-baaw-dii)

Example:

วันพฤหัสบดีนี้ฉันมีนัดกับลูกค้าใหม่
wan phá-rúe-hàt-sà-baaw-dii níi chăn mii nát gàp lûuk kháa mài
I have an appointment with a new customer this Thursday.

Additional Note: Thursday’s color is orange.

5- “Friday” in Thai

Thai: วันศุกร์ (wan sùk)

Example:

วันศุกร์หน้าเป็นวันเกิดของแม่ฉัน
wan sùk nâa bpen wan gòoet khǎawng mâae chăn
Next Friday is my mother’s birthday.

Additional Note: Friday’s color is light blue.

6- “Saturday” in Thai

Thai: วันเสาร์ (wan sǎo)

Example:

วันเสาร์นี้ฉันจะไปห้างกับพี่สาว
wan săo níi chăn jà bpai hâang gàp phîi săao
I will go to the department store with my older sister this Saturday.

Additional Note: Saturday’s color is purple.

7- “Sunday” in Thai

Thai: วันอาทิตย์ (wan aa-thít)

Example:

วันอาทิตย์เป็นวันครอบครัวของเรา
wan aa-thít bpen wan khrâawp khruua khǎawng rao
Sunday is our family’s day.

Additional Note: Sunday’s color is red.

8- “Weekday” in Thai

Thai: วันธรรมดา (wan tham-má-daa)

Example:

ปกติแล้ว วันธรรมดาฉันจะถึงบ้านตอน 5 โมงเย็น
bpòk-gà-dtì láaeo wan tham-má-daa chăn jà thǔeng bâan dtaawn hâa moong yen
Normally, I arrive home at 5 p.m. on weekdays.

9- “Weekend” in Thai

Thai: วันสุดสัปดาห์ (wan sùt-sàp-daa)

Example:

ร้านอาหารของน้องชายฉันจะขายดีวันสุดสัปดาห์เป็นพิเศษ
ráan aa-hăan khǎawng náawng chaai chăn jà khăai dii wan sùt sàp-daa bpen phí-sìit
My younger brother’s restaurant is always packed on the weekend.

As you can see, the days in Thai may require some extra practice due to the spelling. But you can do this! Knowing the days of the week is essential in mastering Thai dates, so don’t skip over this!

2. Dates in Thai

On the other hand, Thai dates are very easy to learn if you know how to count 1-31 in the Thai language. วันที่ (wan thîi) is “date” in Thai. Basically, to say dates in Thai, you just say วันที่ (wan thîi) + number (date). The list below shows how to read all the number dates in Thai.

วันที่ 1 (wan thîi nùeng) is “1^st” in Thai
วันที่ 2 (wan thîi sǎawng) is “2^nd” in Thai
วันที่ 3 (wan thîi sǎam) is “3^rd” in Thai
วันที่ 4 (wan thîi sìi) is “4^th” in Thai
วันที่ 5 (wan thîi hǎa) is “5^th” in Thai
วันที่ 6 (wan thîi hòk) is “6^th” in Thai
วันที่ 7 (wan thîi jèt) is “7^th” in Thai
วันที่ 8 (wan thîi bpàaet) is “8^th” in Thai
วันที่ 9 (wan thîi gâo) is “9^th” in Thai
วันที่ 10 (wan thîi sìp) is “10^th” in Thai
วันที่ 11 (wan thîi sìp-èt) is “11^th” in Thai
วันที่ 12 (wan thîi sìp sǎawng) is “12^th” in Thai
วันที่ 13 (wan thîi sìp sǎam) is “13^th” in Thai
วันที่ 14 (wan thîi sìp sìi) is “14^th” in Thai
วันที่ 15 (wan thîi sìp hâa) is “15^th” in Thai
วันที่ 16 (wan thîi sìp hòk) is “16^th” in Thai
วันที่ 17 (wan thîi sìp jèt) is “17^th” in Thai
วันที่ 18 (wan thîi sìp bpàaet) is “18^th” in Thai
วันที่ 19 (wan thîi sìp gâo) is “19^th” in Thai
วันที่ 20 (wan thîi yîi sìp) is “20^th” in Thai
วันที่ 21 (wan thîi yîi sìp èt) is “21^st” in Thai
วันที่ 22 (wan thîi yîi sìp sǎawng) is “22^nd” in Thai
วันที่ 23 (wan thîi yîi sìp sǎam) is “23^{rd^{” in Thai}}
วันที่ 24 (wan thîi yîi sìp sìi) is “24^th” in Thai
วันที่ 25 (wan thîi yîi sìp hâa) is “25^th” in Thai
วันที่ 26 (wan thîi yîi sìp hòk) is “26^th” in Thai
วันที่ 27 (wan thîi yîi sìp jèt) is “27^th” in Thai
วันที่ 28 (wan thîi yîi sìp bpàaet) is “28^th” in Thai
วันที่ 29 (wan thîi yîi sìp gâo) is “29^th” in Thai
วันที่ 30 (wan thîi sǎam sìp) is “30^th” in Thai
วันที่ 31 (wan thîi sǎam sìp èt) is “31^st” in Thai

3. The Months in Thai

Now that you know what the days in Thai are, let’s learn how to say “month” in Thai and what each month is called. เดือน (duuean) is “month” in Thai, and the list below shows the month names.

1- “January” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนมกราคม (duuean mók-gà-raa-khom)
Informal spoken language: เดือนหนึ่ง (duuean nùeng)

Abbreviation: ม.ค. (maaw-khaaw)

Example:

ฉันเกิดเดือนมกราคม
chǎn gòoet duuean mók-gà-raa-khom
I was born in January.

Additional Note: Apart from New Year, another important day in Thailand is Children’s Day, which is the second Saturday of January.

2- “February” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนกุมภาพันธ์ (duuean gum-phaa-phan)
Informal spoken language: เดือนสอง (duuean sǎawng)

Abbreviation: ก.พ. (gaaw-phaaw)

Example:

เดือนกุมภาพันธ์เป็นเดือนแห่งความรัก
duuean gum-phaa-phan bpen duuean hàaeng khwaam-rák
February is the month of love.

Additional Note: February in Thailand is full of red. Apart from being the month of love, the Chinese New Year falls in this month almost every year. Most places are decorated with red, a color that represents both Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year.

3- “March” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนมีนาคม (duuean mii-naa-khom)
Informal spoken language: เดือนสาม (duuean sǎam)

Abbreviation: มี.ค. (mii-khaaw)

Example:

ประเทศไทยเริ่มเข้าสู่ฤดูร้อนตั้งแต่เดือนมีนาคม
bprà-thêet thai rôoem khâo sùu rúe-duu ráawn dtâng dtàae duuean mii-naa-khom
The summer in Thailand starts in March.

Additional Note: Thai students love March as it’s the start of their summer vacation. March in Thailand is also the starting period of summer. The weather clearly starts to get hotter.

4- “April” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนเมษายน (duuean mee-sǎa-yon)
Informal spoken language: เดือนสี่ (duuean sìi)

Abbreviation: เม.ย. (mee-yaaw)

Example:

เดือนเมษายนมีเทศกาลสงกรานต์ซึ่งเป็นวันหยุดยาวของประเทศไทย
duuean mee-săa-yon mii thêet-sà-gaan sŏng-graan sûeng bpen wan yùt yaao khǎawng bprà-thêet thai
The sǎawnggran Festival, which is a long Thai holiday, is in April.

Additional Note: As mentioned in the example, the Sŏng-graan Festival or Thai New Year period, is from April 13-15, and this is the hottest period of the year. It’s a long holiday for Thai people, who normally spend their time with family either going back to their hometown or going traveling. So April in Thailand is a time for family.

5- “May” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนพฤษภาคม (duuean phrúet-sà-phaa-khom)
Informal spoken language: เดือนห้า (duuean hâa)

Abbreviation: พ.ค. (phaaw-khaaw)

Example:

นักเรียนไทยเริ่มเปิดเทอมเดือนพฤษภาคม
nák riian thai rôoem bpòoet thooem duuean phrúet-sà-phaa-khom
Thai students start a new semester in May.

Additional Note: The middle of May in Thailand is the start of the rainy season.

6- “June” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนมิถุนายน (duuean mí-thù-naa-yon)
Informal spoken language: เดือนหก (duuean hòk)

Abbreviation: มิ.ย. (mí-yaaw)

Example:

ชื่อของเดือนที่มี 30 วันจะลงท้ายด้วยคำว่า “ยน” ในภาษาไทย เช่น เดือนมิถุนายน
chûue khǎawng duuean thîi mii săam sìp wan jà long tháai dûuai kham wâa yon nai phaa-săa thai chêen duuean mí-thù-naa-yon
The name of a month that has thirty days ends with yoen in Thai, such as เดือนมิถุนายน (duuean mí-thù-naa-yon).

7- “July” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนกรกฎาคม (duuean gà-rá-gà-daa-khom)
Informal spoken language: เดือนเจ็ด (duuean jèt)

Abbreviation: ก.ค. (gaaw-khaaw)

Example:

ชื่อของเดือนที่มี 31 วันจะลงท้ายด้วยคำว่า “คม” ในภาษาไทย เช่น เดือนกรกฎาคม
chûue khǎawng duuean thîi mii săam sìp èt wan jà long tháai dûuai kham wâa khom nai phaa-săa thai chêen duuean gà-rá-gà-daa-khom
The name of a month that has thirty-one days ends with khom in Thai, such as เดือนกรกฎาคม (duuean gà-rá-gà-daa-khom).

8- “August” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนสิงหาคม (duuean sǐng-hǎa-khom)
Informal spoken language: เดือนแปด (duuean bpàaet)

Abbreviation: ส.ค. (sǎaw-khaaw)

Example:

วันที่ 12 สิงหาคมของทุกปีเป็นวันแม่ของประเทศไทย
wan thîi sìp sǎawng sĭng-hăa-khom khǎawng thúk bpii bpen wan mâae khǎawng bprà-thêet thai
The 12^th of August every year is Mother’s Day in Thailand.

Additional Note: August in Thailand is full of events for mothers. The 12^th of August is the birthday of King Rama IX’s wife. Thai people perceive her as the mother of Thai people, so naturally, her birthday has become Mother’s Day in Thailand.

9- “September” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนกันยายน (duuean gan-yaa-yon)
Informal spoken language: เดือนเก้า (duuean gâo)

Abbreviation: ก.ย. (gaaw-yaaw)

Example:

เดือนกันยายนปีนี้ ฉันจะไปเที่ยวญี่ปุ่น
duuean gan-yaa-yon bpii níi chăn jà bpai thîiao yîi-bpùn
I will go traveling in Japan this September.

Additional Note: The 9^th of September in Thailand is considered to be a good day, as both the date and the month are pronounced gâo which means “moving forward” in Thai.

10- “October” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนตุลาคม (duuean dtù-laa-khom)
Informal spoken language: เดือนสิบ (duuean-sìp)

Abbreviation: ต.ค. (dtaaw-khaaw)

Example:

เทศกาลกินเจของไทยอยู่เดือนตุลาคม
thêet-sà-gaan gin jee khǎawng thai yùu duuean dtù-laa-khom
The Vegetarian Festival in Thailand is in October.

Additional Note: If February in Thailand is full of red, October in Thailand is full of yellow because of the ten-day Vegetarian Festival. During this period, some Thai people eat only vegetarian food for ten days in order to make merit by saving the lives of animals.

11- “November” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนพฤศจิกายน (duuean phrúet-sà-jì-gaa-yon)
Informal spoken language: เดือนสิบเอ็ด (duuean sìp èt)

Abbreviation: พ.ย. (phaaw-yaaw)

Example:

วันลอยกระทงของทุกปีมักอยู่เดือนพฤศจิกายน
wan laauy grà-thong khǎawng thúk bpii mák yùu duuean phrúet-sà-jì-gaa-yon
Loy Gratong Day is in November almost every year.

Additional Note: The date on which Loy Gratong Day falls each year is based on the Thai Lunar calendar. It’s the day that Thai people ask พระแม่คงคา (phrá mâae khong-khaa) or the “god of river” for forgiveness if they do something wrong toward the river. This ceremony is quite nice and unique, so foreigners often find it beautiful.

12- “December” in Thai

Thai:

Formal language: เดือนธันวาคม (duuean than-waa-khom)
Informal spoken language: เดือนสิบสอง (duuean sìp sǎawng)

Abbreviation: ธ.ค. (thaaw-khaaw)

Example:

หลายคนชอบเดือนธันวาคมเพราะเดือนนี้มีวันหยุดหลายวัน
lăai khon châawp duuean than-waa khom phráw duuean níi mii wan yùt lăai wan
Many people like December because there are many holidays in this month.

Additional Note: December in Thailand is a month full of holidays. The fact that the weather in Thailand starts to cool down makes the atmosphere nicer. A lot of Thai people travel during this period.

4. The Year in Thai

Learning the years in Thai isn’t difficult. ปี (bpii) is “year” in Thai.

There are a few things you need to know about Thai years, which will be explained below to give you a better idea of how to read dates in Thai according to the year.

1- Ph.D. or B.E.

Thai people mainly use Ph.D., but they also understand if you use B.E. However, when it comes to formal communication in both speaking and writing, Ph.D. is used.

2- How to Say Thai Years (Ph.D.)

Thai: พุทธศักราช (phút-thá-sàk-gà-ràat) + year

Abbreviation: พ.ศ. (phaaw-sǎaw)

Example:

ปีนี้คือพ.ศ.2562
bpii níi khuue phaaw-sǎaw sǎawng-phan-hâa-ráauy-hòk-sìp-sǎawng
This year is 2562 Ph.d.

Additional Note: พุทธศักราช (phút-thá-sàk-gà-ràat) is normally used in formal situations, while พ.ศ. (phaaw-sǎaw) can be used in both formal and informal situations.

3- How to Say Thai Years (B.E.)

Thai: คริสตศักราช (khrít-dtà-sàk-gà-ràat) + year

Abbreviation: ค.ศ. (khaaw-sǎaw)

Example:

ปีนี้คือค.ศ.2019
bpii níi khuue khaaw-sǎaw sǎawng-phan-sìp-gâo
This year is 2019 B.E.

Additional Note: คริสตศักราช (khrít-dtà-sàk-gà-ràat) is normally used in formal spoken situations, while ค.ศ. (khaaw-sǎaw) can be used in informal spoken situations and formal written situations.

5. Combining Thai Days, Dates, Months, and Years

So, how are dates written in Thailand?

Let’s combine everything together that you’ve learned so far, and use it to see how to write dates in Thai. Keep in mind that Thai people start with the smallest unit. Below is an example of how Thai people say the day, date, month, and year altogether:

วัน (day) ที่ (date) เดือน (month) ปี (year)

wan (day) thîi (date) duuean (month) bpii (year)

Now, here are various ways you can say Thai days, dates, months and years, using the structures above. The date that will be used as an example is Tuesday 8^th, January 2019.

1- Full Version

Thai date: วันอังคารที่ 8 เดือนมกราคม ปีพ.ศ. 2562

Thai pronunciation: wan-ang-khaan thîi bpàaet duuean mók-gà-raa-khom bpii phút-thá-sàk-gà-ràat sǎawng-phan-hâa-ráauy-hòk-sìp-sǎawng

Usage: Thai people normally use this in formal situations. You simply say every part of the phrase.

2- Thai Date without Day

Thai date: วันที่ 8 เดือนมกราคม ปีพ.ศ. 2562

Thai pronunciation: wan thîi bpàaet duuean mók-gà-raa-khom bpii phút-thá-sàk-gà-ràat sǎawng-phan-hâa-ráauy-hòk-sìp-sǎawng

Usage: Thai people also use this in formal situations, when they don’t want to focus on the day. If you can say the full version, this is easy. You just cut the day out.

3- Short Version

Thai date: 8 มกราคม พ.ศ. 2562

Thai pronunciation: bpàaet mók-gà-raa-khom phaaw-sǎaw sǎawng-phan-hâa-ráauy-hòk-sìp-sǎawng

Usage: Thai people use this in less formal situations. They simply cut out the day, the word date, the month, and the year. For the year, the abbreviation is used. This is what Thai people use for speaking in daily life.

4- Abbreviated Version

Thai date: 8 ม.ค. 62

Thai pronunciation: bpàaet maaw-khaaw hòk-sǎawng

Usage: Thai people mostly use abbreviated versions for writing. When they read it, they either read it fully or read the abbreviation as shown above. For years, Thai people read each number separately.

6. Other Terms You Should Know

Apart from what you’ve learned so far, there are also terms about dates and times you should know:

1- “Today” in Thai

Thai language: วันนี้ (wan-níi)

Example:

วันนี้เป็นวันอาทิตย์
Wan-níi bpen wan-aa-thít
Today is Sunday.

2- “Tomorrow” in Thai

Thai language: วันพรุ่งนี้ (wan-phrûng-níi); พรุ่งนี้ (phrûng-níi)

Example:

พรุ่งนี้ฝนน่าจะตก
Phrûng-níi fǒn nâa jà dtòk
It may rain tomorrow.

Additional Note: วันพรุ่งนี้ (wan-phrûng-níi) is a little bit more formal than พรุ่งนี้ (phrûng-níi). Still, Thai people use both of them equally.

3- “The Day After Tomorrow” in Thai

Thai language: วันมะรืน (wan-má-ruuen); มะรืน (má-ruuen)

Example:

พ่อต้องไปเชียงใหม่มะรืนนี้
Phâaw dtâawng bpai chiiang-mài má-ruuen níi
Dad has to go to Chiangmai the day after tomorrow.

Additional Note: วันมะรืน (wan-má-ruuen) is a little bit more formal than มะรืน (má-ruuen). Still, Thai people use both of them equally. They often put the word นี้ (níi) after วันมะรืน (wan-má-ruuen) or มะรืน (má-ruuen), but its English meaning is the same.

4- “Yesterday” in Thai

Thai language: เมื่อวาน (mûuea-waan)

Example:

เมื่อวานนี้อากาศร้อนมาก
Mûuea-waan níi aa-gàat ráawn mâak
Yesterday was very hot.

Additional Note: Thai people often put the word นี้ (níi) after เมื่อวาน (mûuea-waan), but its English meaning is the same.

5- “Week” in Thai

Thai language: สัปดาห์ (sàp-daa); อาทิตย์ (aa-thít)

Example:

อาทิตย์ที่แล้ว ฉันไปเที่ยวมา
Aa-thít thîi-láaeo chǎn bpai thîiao maa
I went traveling last week.

Additional Note: สัปดาห์ (sàp-daa) is more formal than อาทิตย์ (aa-thít). Thai people use อาทิตย์ (aa-thít) in conversation more.

6- “This…..” in Thai

Thai language: (name of day / เดือน / ปี) + นี้ (níi)

Example:

วันพฤหัสบดีนี้เป็นวันครู
Wan-phá-rúe-hàt-sà-baaw-dii níi bpen wan khruu
This Thursday is Teacher Day.

Additional Note: In Thailand, Teacher Day is on January 16.

6- “Next…..” in Thai

Thai language: (name of day / เดือน / ปี) + หน้า (nhâa)

Example:

เดือนหน้าอากาศจะเริ่มร้อนแล้ว
Duuean nâa aa-gàat jà rôoem ráawn láaeo
The weather will start to be hot next month.

6- “Last…..” in Thai

Thai language: (name of day / เดือน / ปี) + ที่แล้ว (thîi-láaeo)

Example:

ปีที่แล้วเป็นปีที่ดีของฉัน
Bpii thîi-láaeo bpen bpii thîi dii khǎawng chǎn
Last year was a good year for me.

7. Must-Know Thai Phrases about Dates

Even after learning everything else in this article, you may still find it a bit hard to start a conversation about dates. To help you out, we’ve prepared some sentences you can use.

Thai language: วันนี้วันอะไร
Thai pronunciation: wan-níi wan à-rai
English meaning: What day is today?

Thai language: เดือนนี้เดือนอะไร
Thai pronunciation: duuean níi duuean à-rai
English meaning: What month is this?

Thai language: ปีนี้ปีอะไร
Thai pronunciation: bpii níi bpii à-rai
English meaning: What year is this?

Thai language: วันเกิดคุณคือวันไหน
Thai pronunciation: wan-gòoet khun khuue wan nǎi
English meaning: When is your birthday?

Thai language: วันครบรอบแต่งงานคือวันไหน
Thai pronunciation: wan-khróp-râawp dtàaeng-ngaan khuue wan nǎi
English meaning: When is your wedding anniversary?

Thai language: โรงเรียนเปิดเทอมวันไหน
Thai pronunciation: roong-riian bpòoet-thooem wan nǎi
English meaning: When does your school start?

8. Making an Appointment in Thai

Now, for the last section of this article, let’s learn sentences you can use to make an appointment.

Thai language: คุณว่าง (day / date) มั๊ย
Thai pronunciation: khun wâang …..mái
English meaning: Are you free on (day/date)?

Thai language: ว่าง
Thai pronunciation: wâang
English meaning: I’m free.

Thai language: ไม่ว่าง
Thai pronunciation: mâi wâang
English meaning: I’m not free.

Thai language: แล้ว (day / date) ล่ะ
Thai pronunciation: láaeo…..là
English meaning: What about (day / date)?

Thai language: เจอกัน (day / date) นะ
Thai pronunciation: jooe gan…..ná
English meaning: See you on (day / date).

9. Conclusion: How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai

There’s a lot to learn and remember when it comes to Thai dates, so be sure to practice often. Remembering the names of days and months will definitely take some time, but you can do it, so don’t give up. If you can, try using them with Thai people in daily life.

Once you get the hang of this, you can go and learn other interesting lessons such as our vocabulary list on Thai numbers or about the Thai New Year at ThaiPod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about Thai dates now. Do you feel more confident about writing and reading dates in Thai, or are you still struggling? Don’t forget to keep practicing and never hesitate to reach out for help. We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Culture, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Lessons, Thai Online, Thai Phrases, Thai Translation, Thai Words | Comment

December 6, 2019

Best Guide to Learn about Thai Family in the Thai Language

Regardless of nationality or native language, family is the basic institution for everyone. So it makes sense for you to learn how to describe family members when you learn a new language. For Thai people, family is very important. So by learning about the family in Thai, you’ll get to know more about Thai family culture and Thai family values.

The basic questions most Thai learners have when attempting a Thai conversation about family are about how to say “father” in Thai, how to say “mother” in Thai, and how to say “sister” in Thai. In this article, we’ll answer all of these questions for you, and give you everything you need to know about Thai family. For easy understanding, study the family tree in Thai and English below.

Family in Thai
Thai Terms for Family Members
Thai Terms for Relatives
Thai Terms for Additional Family from Marriage
Interesting Things You Should Know About Thai Family
Thai Proverbs About Family
How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai Language & Culture

1. Family in Thai

First, let’s learn about Thai family life in general, and family in Thai culture. What is family in Thailand?

When it comes to family life in Thai culture and society, people value the family institution. You can see that family members in Thai society are pretty close to each other; also note that family values in Thailand tend to revolve around seniority.

For this reason, Thai people don’t call people who are older than them by their name alone, but rather a term based on seniority and relationship. In other words, they call them by the appropriate family term together with their name. Before we go too much more into depth here, let’s learn some basic vocabulary and family words in Thai.

First and foremost, how do you say “family” in Thai?

1- Family in Thai

Thai: ครอบครัว (khrâawp-khruua)

Example:
ครอบครัวของเราอาศัยอยู่ที่ภาคใต้
khrâawp-khruua khǎawng rao aa-săi yùu thîi phâak dtâi
“Our family lives in the southern part of Thailand.”

Additional note: In Thai society, people normally live with their family. It’s perfectly normal for people who are of age to stay with their parents. Thai people usually move out when they start their own family or if they have to work far from home.

2- Family Members in Thai

Thai: สมาชิกในครอบครัว (sà-maa-chík nai khrâawp-khruua); คนในครอบครัว (khon nai khrâawp-khruua)

Example:
คนในครอบครัวของเราผมหยิกกันหมด
khon nai khrâawp-khruua khǎawng rao phŏm yìk gan mòt
“Every one of our family members has curly hair.”

3- Relatives in Thai

Thai: ญาติ (yâat)

Example:
ญาติของเราจะมารวมตัวกันในวันตรุษจีนทุกปี
yâat khǎawng rao jà maa ruuam dtuua gan nai wan dtrùt jiin thúk bpii
“Our relatives gathering is on the Lunar New Year day every year.”

4- Sibling in Thai

Thai: พี่น้อง (phîi náawng)

Example:
พ่อมีพี่น้องทั้งหมด 3 คน
phâaw mii phîi náawng tháng mòt săam khon
“My father has three siblings.”

2. Thai Terms for Family Members

Now, let’s begin learning what to call family members in Thai. We’ll start with family terms in a single family first.

1- Father in Thai

Thai: There are two words for father in Thai, as shown below:

พ่อ (phâaw) is “father” in Thai.
บิดา (bì-daa) is the formal written language for “father” in Thai.

Example:
พ่อของฉันชื่อธีระ
phâaw khǎawng chăn chûue thii-rá
“My father’s name is Teera.”

How to address/endearment terms: There are many ways for children to address their father in Thailand. Using พ่อ (phâaw) is okay, but many people also use ป๊ะป๋า (bpá-bpǎa), ปะป๊า (bpà-bpáa), ป๊า (bpáa), แดดดี๊ (daddy), and เตี่ย (dtìia).

Additional note: Thai people really love King Rama IX, so we call him พ่อของแผ่นดิน (phâaw khǎawng phàaen-din), which means “father of Thai people” in Thai. (Its literal meaning is Father of the Land.)

2- Mother in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “mother” in Thai, as shown below:

แม่ (mâae) is “mother” in Thai.
มารดา (maan-daa) is the formal written language for “mother” in Thai.

Example:
แม่ของฉันชอบไปทะเล
mâae khǎawng chăn châawp bpai thá-lee
“My mother likes to go to the sea.”

How to address/endearment terms: Similar to “father,” there are many ways for children to address their mother in Thailand as well. Apart from แม่ (mâae), Thai people also use หม่าม๊า (màa-máa), หม่ามี๊ (màa-míi), and ม๊า (máa).

Additional note: You may be able to guess this after reading about the terms for “father.” Since Thai people called King Rama IX พ่อของแผ่นดิน (phâaw khǎawng phàaen-din), it makes sense for us to call the wife of King Rama IX แม่ของแผ่นดิน (mâae khǎawng phàaen-din), which means “mother of Thai people” in Thai. (Its literal meaning is Mother of the Land.)

3- Older Brother in Thai

Thai: พี่ชาย (phîi chaai)

Example:
พ่อของฉันมีพี่ชาย 1 คน
phâaw khǎawng chăn mii phîi chaai nùeng khon
“My father has one older brother.”

How to address/endearment terms: In Thai, people call a sibling who is older than them พี่ (phîi) + name, regardless of their sibling’s gender. For example, according to the family tree, my father calls his older brother พี่ธำรง (phîi tham-rong).

Additional note: You may hear Thai-Chinese people use the term เฮีย (hiia) for an older brother as well.

4- Older Sister in Thai

Thai: พี่สาว (phîi sǎao)

Example:
พี่สาวของพ่อชื่อธารา
phîi sǎao khǎawng phâaw chûue thaa-raa
“The name of my father’s older sister is Tara.”

Additional note: You may hear Thai-Chinese people use the term เจ้ (jêe) for an older sister as well.

5- Younger Brother in Thai

Thai: น้องชาย (náawng chaai)

Example:
น้องชายของพ่อหน้าตาเหมือนพ่อมาก
náawng chaai khǎawng phâaw nâa dtaa mǔuean phâaw mâak
“My father’s younger brother looks a lot like my father.”

How to address/endearment terms: In Thai, there are two ways to address your younger sibling. People either call a sibling who is younger than them น้อง (náawng) + name regardless of their gender, or just call him by name. Most people use the second option. This is because of the focus on seniority in Thai culture.

6- Younger Sister in Thai

Thai: น้องสาว (náawng sǎao)

Example:
แม่มีน้องสาวที่อายุห่างกัน 2 ปี 1 คน
mâae mii náawng săao thîi aa-yú hàang gan sǎawng bpii nùeng khon
“My mother has one younger sister who is two years younger.”

How to address/endearment terms: In Thai, there are two ways to address your younger sibling. People either call a sibling who is younger than them น้อง (náawng) + name regardless of their gender, or just call her by name. Most people use the second option. This is because of the focus on seniority in Thai culture.

3. Thai Terms for Relatives

Let’s learn even more about family members in a bigger family, otherwise known as the extended family in Thailand. This section will show you what to call your father and mother’s family members, and other relatives.

1- Grandfather in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “grandfather” in Thai:

ปู่ (bpùu) means “father of your father” in Thai.
ตา (dtaa) means “father of your mother” in Thai.

Example:
ทั้งคุณปู่และคุณตาของฉันแข็งแรงมาก
tháng khun bpùu láe khun dtaa-khǎawng chăn khăaeng-raaeng mâak
“Both of my grandfathers are very healthy.”

How to address/endearment terms: Normally, when Thai people address their grandfather, they just call them ปู่ (bpùu) or ตา (dtaa). Thai people don’t use their grandfather’s name when they call them.

Additional note: In Thai society, grandparents are known to unintentionally spoil their grandchild. They tend to buy things for their grandchild and grant their wishes.

2- Grandmother in Thai

Thai: Similar to “grandfather,” there are two words for “grandmother” in Thai:

ย่า (yâa) means “mother of your father” in Thai.
ยาย (yaai) means “mother of your mother” in Thai.

Example:
คุณย่าทำอาหารไทยอร่อยมากในขณะที่คุณยายทำขนมไทยอร่อย
khun yâa tham aa-hăan thai à-ràauy mâak nai khà-nà thîi khun yaai tham khà-nŏm thai à-ràauy
“One of my grandmothers can cook delicious Thai food, while the other one can cook delicious Thai sweets.”

How to address/endearment terms: Like “grandfather,” when Thai people address their grandmother, they just call them ย่า (yâa) or ยาย (yaai). Thai people don’t use their grandmother’s name when they call them.

3- Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother in Thai

Thai: ทวด (thûuat)

Example:
แม่เล่าให้ฟังว่าทวดรำไทยสวยมาก
mâae lâo hâi fang wâa thûuat ram thai sŭuai mâak
“Mom told me that my great-grandmother did Thai dancing very beautifully.”

How to address/endearment terms: Like with grandparents, when Thai people address their great-grandparent, they just call them ทวด (thûuat). Thai people don’t use their great-grandparent’s name when they call them, unless they want to specify which great-grandparent they’re referring to.

4- Uncle in Thai

Thai: There are many words for “uncle” in Thai, which we’ll explain below:

ลุง (lung) means “older brother of both father and mother” in Thai.
น้า (náa) means “younger sibling, including younger brother of your mother” in Thai.
อา (aa) means “younger sibling, including younger brother of your father” in Thai.

Example:
พ่อกับอาธนินท์ชอบดูฟุตบอลด้วยกัน
phâaw gàp aa thá-nin châawp duu fút-baawn dûuai gan
“Dad and Uncle Tanin like to watch football together.”

How to address/endearment terms: In Thai, there are two ways of addressing your uncle. Thai people either call their uncle ลุง (lung) / น้า (náa) / อา (aa) + name, or just call them ลุง (lung) / น้า (náa) / อา (aa). Most people use the first option to prevent confusion, in case there are many uncles in your family.

Additional note: The words น้า (náa) and อา (aa) can be used for both genders. So it can mean either “uncle” or “aunt.”

5- Aunt in Thai

Thai: There are many words for “aunt” in Thai, which we’ll explain below:

ป้า (bpâa) means “older sister of both father and mother” in Thai.
น้า (náa) means “younger sibling, including younger sister of your mother” in Thai.
อา (aa) means “younger sibling, including younger sister of your father” in Thai.

Example:
น้ากนิษฐ์บอกว่าฉันดูเหมือนแม่ของฉันตอนเด็ก ๆ มาก
náa gà-nít bàawk wâa chăn duu mǔuean mâae khǎawng chăn dtaawn dèk dèk mâak
“Aunt Kanit said I really look like my mom when she was young.”

How to address/endearment terms: Similar to “uncle,” there are two ways to address your aunt in Thai. Thai people either call their aunt ป้า (bpâa) / น้า (náa) / อา (aa) + name, or just call them ป้า (bpâa) / น้า (náa) / อา (aa). Most people use the first option to prevent confusion, in case there are many aunts in your family.

Additional note: When Thai people talk to people they don’t know or haven’t met before, like a food seller or a man at the bus stop, if those people seem like they’re their parents’ age, they address them as ลุง (lung) or ป้า (bpâa).

6- Nephew and Grandson in Thai

Thai: หลานชาย (lǎan chaai)

Example:
ปู่บอกว่าตอนพี่ชายเกิด ปู่ดีใจมากที่มีหลานชาย
bpùu bàawk wâa dtaawn phîi chaai gòoet · bpùu dii jai mâak thîi mii lăan chaai
“My grandfather said when my older brother was born, he was so happy to get a grandson.”

How to address/endearment terms: Because of seniority, grandparents, uncles, and aunts normally call their nephews or grandsons by name.

7- Niece and Granddaughter in Thai

Thai: หลานสาว (lǎan sǎao)

Example:
ตาบอกว่า ยายรักฉันมากเพราะฉันหน้าตาเหมือนยายตอนสาว ๆ
taa-bòk-wâa yaai-rák-chǎn-mâk-prór-chǎn-nhâa-taa-mǎaeun-yaai-ton-sǎo-sǎo
“My grandfather said my grandmother loves me so much because I look like her when she was young.”

How to address/endearment terms: Like nephews & grandsons, grandparents, uncles, and aunts normally call their nieces and granddaughters by name due to seniority.

8- Cousin in Thai

Thai: ลูกพี่ลูกน้อง (lûuk-phîi-lûuk-náawng)

Example:
กนกเป็นลูกพี่ลูกน้องของฉัน
Gà-nòk bpen lûuk-phîi-lûuk-náawng khǎawng chǎn
“Kanok is my cousin.”

How to address/endearment terms: If your cousin is older than you, you have to call him/her พี่ (phîi) + name. But if he/she is younger than you, you can call him/her by name.

4. Thai Terms for Additional Family from Marriage

Your family normally gets bigger through marriage. So this part of the article will teach you what to call your new family members and in-laws.

1- Husband in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “husband” in Thai, which we’ll explain below:

สามี (sǎa-mii) is the formal way to address the “husband” in Thai.
ผัว (phǔua) is the informal way to address the “husband” in Thai.

Example:
สามีของป้ากนิษฐ์ชื่อน้าปิติ
Sǎa-mii khǎawng bpâa gà-nít chûue náa bpì-dtì
“The husband of Aunt Kanit is Piti.”

How to address/endearment terms: A husband and wife will usually call each other by name, or by a pet name. However, once they have a child, they usually begin to call each other the terms of “father” and “mother.”

2- Wife in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “wife” in Thai, which we’ll explain below:

ภรรยา (phan-rá-yaa) is the formal way of addressing the “wife” in Thai.
เมีย (miia) is the informal way of addressing the “wife” in Thai.

Example:
ป้าส่องศรีเป็นภรรยาของลุงธำรง
bpâa sàawng-sǐi bpen phan-rá-yaa khǎawng lung tham-rong
“Aunt Songsri is Uncle Tamrong’s wife.”

How to address/endearment terms: A husband and wife will usually call each other by name, or a pet name. However, once they have a child, they usually begin calling each other by the terms for “father” and “mother.”

3- Son in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “son” in Thai:

ลูกชาย (lûuk chaai) is “son” in Thai.
บุตร (bùt) is the formal written language for “son” in Thai.

Example:
ลูกคนแรกของปู่เป็นลูกผู้ชาย
Lûuk khon râaek khǎawng bpùu bpen lûuk phûu-chaai
“The firstborn of my grandfather is a son.”

How to address/endearment terms: Thai parents normally call their child by name.

4- Daughter in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “daughter” in Thai:

ลูกสาว (lûuk sǎao) is “daughter” in Thai.
ธิดา (thí-daa) is the formal written language for “daughter” in Thai.

Example:
ยายมีลูกสาว 2 คน
yaai mii lûuk sǎao sǎawng kgon
“My grandmother has two daughters.”

How to address/endearment terms: Thai parents normally call their child by name.

5- Mother-in-law in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “mother-in-law” in Thai:

แม่ยาย (mâae-yaai) is the title for the wife’s mother in Thai.
แม่สามี (mâae sǎa-mii) is the title for the husband’s mother in Thai.

Example:
ย่าเป็นแม่สามีของป้าส่องศรี
Yâa bpen maâe sǎa-mii khǎawng bpâa sàawng-sǐi
“My grandmother is the mother-in-law of Aunt Songsri.”

How to address/endearment terms: When a wife addresses a parent of her husband, or a husband addresses a parent of his wife, they use the terms “father” and “mother” as if they are their own parents. The words แม่ยาย (mâae-yaai) and แม่สามี (mâae sáa-mii) are used as third-person pronouns.

6- Father-in-law in Thai

Thai: There are two words for “father-in-law” in Thai:

พ่อตา (phâaw-dtaa) is the title for the wife’s father in Thai.
พ่อสามี (phâaw sǎa-mii) is the title of the husband’s father in Thai.

Example:
ตาเป็นพ่อตาของน้าปิติ
Dtaa bpen phâaw-dtaa khǎawng náa bpì-dtì
“My grandfather is father-in-law of Uncle Piti.”

How to address/endearment terms: When a wife addresses a parent of her husband, or a husband addresses a parent of his wife, they use the terms “father” and “mother” as if they are their own parents. The words พ่อตา (phâaw-dtaa) and พ่อสามี (phâaw sáa-mii) are used as third-person pronouns.

7- Female In-law in Thai

Thai: When your male family member gets married, the woman he marries is called สะใภ้ (sà-phái). Here are the terms of สะใภ้ (sà-pái) you should know:

ลูกสะใภ้ (lûuk sà-phái) is the title for your son’s wife in Thai.
พี่สะใภ้ (phîi sà-phái) is the title for your older brother’s wife in Thai.
น้องสะใภ้ (náawng sà-phái) is the title of your younger brother’s wife in Thai.
หลานสะใภ้ (lǎan sà-phái) is the title of your grandson’s or nephew’s wife in Thai.

Example:
ป้าส่องศรีเป็นพี่สะใภ้ของพ่อ
bpâa sàawng-sǐi bpen phîi sà-phái khǎawng phâaw
“Aunt Song-sri is my father’s sister-in law.”

How to address/endearment terms: The terms of สะใภ้ (sà-phái) listed above are like titles, and are used as third-person pronouns. Parents, aunts, and uncles of the husband normally call their daughter-in-law by name. The brother and sister of the husband use the terms พี่ (phîi) or น้อง (náawng) + name, depending on their age.

8- Male In-law in Thai

Thai: When your female family member gets married, the man she marries is called เขย (kěay). Here are the terms of เขย (khǒoei) you should know:

ลูกเขย (lûuk khǒoei) is the title of your daughter’s husband in Thai.
พี่เขย (phîi khǒoei) is the title of your older sister’s husband in Thai.
น้องเขย (náawng khǒoei) is the title of your younger sister’s husband in Thai.
หลานเขย (lǎan khǒoei) is the title of your granddaughter’s or niece’s husband in Thai.

Example:
น้าปิติเป็นน้องเขยของแม่
náa bpì-dtì bpen náawng khǒoei khǎawng mâae
“Uncle Piti is my mother’s brother-in-law.”

How to address/endearment terms: The terms of เขย (khǒoei) listed above are like a title, and are used as third-person pronouns. Parents, aunts, and uncles of the husband normally call their daughter-in-law by name. The brother and sister of the husband use the terms พี่ (phîi) or น้อง (náawng) + name, depending on their age.

5. Interesting Things You Should Know About Thai Family

Now that you know all the terms for family members, let’s learn some more things about the Thai family.

1- Terms about Children

Apart from ลูกชาย (lûuk chaai) and ลูกสาว (lûuk sǎao), the following terms can be used to describe your children as well.

ลูกคนเดียว (lûuk khon diiao) is “single child”
ลูุกคนโต (lûuk khon dtoo) is “eldest child”
ลูกคนกลาง (lûuk khon glaang) is “middle child”
ลูกคนเล็ก (lûuk khon lék) is “youngest child”
ลูกชายคนโต (lûuk chaai khon dtoo) is “eldest son”
ลูกชายคนกลาง (lûuk chaai khon glaang) is “middle son”
ลูกชายคนเล็ก (lûuk chaai khon lék) is “youngest son”
ลูกสาวคนโต (lûuk sǎao khon dtoo) is “eldest daughter”
ลูกสาวคนกลาง (lûuk sǎao khon glaang) is “middle daughter”
ลูกสาวคนเล็ก (lûuk sǎao khon lék) is “youngest daughter”

2- Politeness

If you want to talk politely or formally when addressing or talking about a family member or relative, you can put the word คุณ (khun) before the term, such as in คุณตา (khun dtaa). Further, you should end the sentence with ครับ (khráp) for a male speaker, or ค่ะ (khà) for a female speaker.

6. Thai Proverbs About Family

In the Thai language, people usually use proverbs in conversation. Here’s a list of Thai proverbs about family you can use if you want to sound like a Thai native.

1- ลูกไม้หล่นไม่ไกลต้น

Thai pronunciation: lûuk-mái lòn mâi glai dtôn

Literal meaning: “Fruit doesn’t fall far from its tree.”

Meaning: Children are often similar to their parent (in terms of behavior).

Similar English idiom: “Like father, like son,” and “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Example:
ต้นทำอาหารเก่งเหมือนพ่อเลย ลูกไม้หล่นไม่ไกลต้นจริง ๆ

dtôn tham aa-hăan gèeng mǔuean phâaw looei lûuk-mái lòn mâi glai dtôn jing jing

“Ton is very good at cooking like his father.”

2- ดูนางให้ดูแม่

Thai pronunciation: duu naang hâi duu mâae

Literal meaning: “Look at her mother to look at her.”

Meaning: If you want to know what a woman likes, look at her mother.”

Similar English idiom: “A chip off the old block.”

Example:
หลานสะใภ้ชั้นไม่ดูแลบ้านให้เรียบร้อย นิสัยเหมือนแม่เค้าเลย ดูนางให้ดูแม่จริง ๆ

lăan sà-phái chán mâi duu-laae bâan hâi rîiap-ráauy ní-săi mǔuean mâae kháo looei duu naang hâi duu mâae jing jing

“My nephew’s wife doesn’t clean her house well, really like her mother. If you want to know what a woman likes, you really have to look at her mother.”

3- สามีเป็นช้างเท้าหน้า ภรรยาเป็นช้างเท้าหลัง

Thai pronunciation: săa-mii bpen cháang tháo nâa phan-rá-yaa bpen cháang táo lăng

Literal meaning: “Husband is elephant’s forefoot. Wife is elephant’s hind foot.”

Meaning: The husband is the leader of the family, while the wife is a good follower.

Similar English idiom: “It’s a sad house where the hen crows louder than the cock.”

Example:
ครอบครัวสมัยก่อน สามีทำงานหาเงิน ภรรยาดูแลครอบครัว ถือว่าสามีเป็นช้างเท้าหน้า ภรรยาเป็นช้างเท้าหลัง

khrâawp-khruua sà-măi gàawn săa-mii tham ngaan hăa ngooen phan-rá-yaa duu-laae khrâawp-khruua thǔue wâa săa-mii bpen cháang tháo nâa phan-rá-yaa bpen cháang tháo lăng

“For family in the past, the husband was the one who worked for money, while the wife looked after the family. It can be said that the husband is the leader of the family, while the wife is a good follower.”

4- รักวัวให้ผูก รักลูกให้ตี

Thai pronunciation: rák wuua hâi phûuk rák lûuk hâi dtii

Literal meaning: “If you love your ox, tie it up. If you love your child, hit him/her.”

Meaning: “As a parent, you need to punish your children when they do the wrong thing.”

Similar English idiom: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

Example:
เมื่อเห็นลูกทำผิด ต้องลงโทษ อย่าคิดว่าไม่เป็นไร รักวัวให้ผูก รักลูกให้ตี

mûuea hĕn lûuk tham phìt dtâawng long thôot yàa khít wâa mâi bpen rai rák wuua hâi phûuk rák lûuk hâi dtii

“When your child does the wrong thing, you have to punish them. Don’t think it’s okay. As a parent, you need to punish your children when they do the wrong thing.”

7. How ThaiPod101 Can Help You Master Thai Language & Culture

Congratulations on reaching this point! You’ve learned everything you need to know about Thai family, including how to say “family” in Thai and other essential family in Thai terms. Some terms are different from those in English, but with a little practice, you can use them well in no time.

And once you get used to all of these, go and learn other interesting topics at ThaiPod101.com. For example, learn about Thai national holidays, tourist attractions in Thailand, and traveling phrases you should know to plan for a trip to Thailand.

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about family terms in Thai now. More comfortable, or is there still something you’re struggling with? We look forward to hearing from you!

While you’re at it, why not practice talking about family in Thai writing? If you want, write us a paragraph about your family written in Thai!

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Alphabet, Thai Culture, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Online, Thai Phrases, Thai Words | Comment

November 21, 2019

Thai Phrases to Know When Traveling

Most people love to travel. It’s nice to see new things and to learn how people in other places live. It’s exciting to try new foods and traditional clothes of other nations. Simply put, there are a lot of things to learn and try while traveling. For those of you who love Thailand and get to work or learn there, traveling in Thailand is something you don’t want to miss. Before you do, though, there are some Thai phrases to know when traveling to Thailand.

For instance, once you leave the bigger cities in Thailand, you may find that most Thai people don’t speak English. So if you know basic Thai phrases for travelers, your life will be so much easier. The common Thai phrases for travelers that ThaiPod101.com will provide for you in this article will help you to get necessary information for traveling. With this list of common Thai travel phrases, you’ll be able to travel to many places in Thailand. And during the trip, you can see how Thai people live and travel.

Ready to learn Thai travel phrases? Without further ado, here’s one of our travel guides in Thailand, all about the Thai language! First, we’ll learn Thai basic words when traveling to Thailand.

Table of Contents

Basic Expressions
Transportation
Shopping
Restaurants
Asking for and Giving Directions
Emergencies
Flattery Phrases
Useful Phrases to go through Language Problems
Handy Phrases During the Trip
Tips
Conclusion

Log

1. Basic Expressions

Let’s start simple with basic Thai words for travelers. Below is a list of ways to greet in Thai when traveling to Thailand.

1- สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii)

Meaning: “Hello; Goodbye”
Language breakdown: สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) is literally “goodness, beauty, prosperity, and safety” in Thai. And because of its positive meaning, Thai people use this word as a greeting to wish others well.
Cultural background/relevance: Thai people have formally used สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) as “hello” and “goodbye” since January 22, 1943. When Thai people say สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii), they often do an action called ไหว้ (wâi) as well. Generally, if you want to ไหว้ (wâi), mirror the pictures below.

2- ขอบคุณ (khàawp-khun)

Meaning: “Thank you”
Language breakdown: As opposed to สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii), there’s no literal meaning of this word in the Thai language. Thai people use this word to show that they appreciate what other parties do for them.
Cultural background/relevance: Thai people often ไหว้ (wâi) when saying ขอบคุณ (khàawp-khun) as an action to show their gratitude, as they do when greeting.

3- ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot)

Meaning: “Sorry”
Language breakdown: ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) is literally “ask for forgiveness” in Thai. Thai people use this word to show that they’re sorry for what they did.
Cultural background/relevance: If you come to Thailand, you really should learn how to ไหว้ (wâi). Thai people also do this action when they say ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot).

4- ใช่ (châi)

Meaning: “Yes”
Cultural background: There’s a body gesture that Thai people do when saying ใช่ (châi); they sometimes nod their head a few times as a way to say ใช่ (châi).

5- ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi)

Meaning: “No”
Language breakdown: The word ไม่ (mâi) is “no” or “not” in Thai. Combined with ใช่ (châi), the word ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi), means “not yes,” which is “no.” Thai people often use ไม่ (mâi) as a word to make a sentence negative.
Cultural background/relevance: Many Thai people use a gesture when saying ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi) as well. They sometimes shake their head a few times as a way to say ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi).

2. Transportation

There’s no denying that transportation is a huge part of any trip. Trying to travel in a country you’re not familiar with can be hard. However, if you know some Thai phrases for travelers, it will be a bit easier.

1- ไปที่….. (bpai thîi…..)

Meaning: “I want to go to …..”
Language breakdown: ไป (bpai) means “go” in Thai and ที่ (thîi) means “at.” This may seem a little bit weird as there’s no word that means “I want to.” As a Thai learner, you should know one characteristic of the Thai language: If Thai people know that another party understands who the subject of a sentence is, they just cut it out of the sentence. In this example, Thai people automatically know that the speaker is the one who wants to go, so they only say ไปที่….. (bpai thîi…..).

2- ไปที่…..ได้มั๊ย (bpai thîi…..dâi mái)

Meaning: “Can you go to…..?”
Language breakdown: Thai people put ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) at the end of sentences, and it means “can you?” or “can I?” in Thai. Continuing from the sentence above, when putting ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) at the end of a sentence, it means, “Can you go to…..?” Similar to the sentence above, Thai people just cut “you” out of the sentence as they assume the taxi driver understands that he/she is the one being asked.
Cultural background/relevance: Taking a taxi is a convenient way of traveling in big cities. However, drivers don’t know all locations. So you should ask if the driver can get you to your destination or not.

3- ป้ายรถเมล์อยู่ที่ไหน (bpâai rót mee yùu thîi năi)

Meaning: “Where is the bus stop?”
Language breakdown: ป้ายรถเมล์ (pâi-ród-may) is “bus stop” in Thai. อยู่ (yùu) is one of the words for “be” in Thai. And ที่ไหน (thîi năi) is “where” in Thai. As opposed to English, Thai people switch the order of the sentence so it becomes ป้ายรถเมล์อยู่ที่ไหน (bpâai rót mee yùu thîi năi).
Cultural background/relevance: Not all cities in Thailand have taxis, so another choice for traveling in the cities is taking a bus.

4- จะไปที่….ถ้าถึงแล้วบอกหน่อยได้มั๊ย (jà bpai thîi …. thâa thǔeng láaeo bàawk nàauy dâi mái)

Meaning: “I’m going to ….., please tell me when we arrive.”
Language breakdown: The first part of this sentence is similar to the one above, so we’ll skip that part and focus on the latter half. ถ้าถึงแล้ว (thâa thǔeng láaeo) means “when arrive.” บอก (bàawk) means “tell.” And หน่อยได้มั๊ย (nàauy dâi mái) is a phrase Thai people put at the end of a sentence, and means “Can you?” or “Can I?” in Thai. But as mentioned before, since the other parties should know that he/she is being asked, people cut “you” out of the sentence.
Cultural background/relevance: If you plan to travel in the city by bus, it may be a bit hard and confusing. You may be able to find information in advance, such as which bus you should take and from where. However, as the names for each bus stop aren’t shown, you won’t know when you should get off. This is even a problem for Thai people.
Sometimes, staff on a bus called กระเป๋ารถเมล์ (grà-bpǎo rót mee) will say the name of the bus stop, but you may not be familiar enough with Thai pronunciation to be sure of whether it’s the place you want to go or not. So it’s best to ask the กระเป๋ารถเมล์ (grà-bpǎo rót mee) about this when you pay for your ticket using this sentence.
Additional note: When you take a bus in Thai, you’ll find two staff members on the bus. One is the driver and the other is called กระเป๋ารถเมล์ (grà-bpǎo rót mee). There’s no English word for กระเป๋ารถเมล์ (grà-bpǎo rót mee), but he/she is the one who sells you the ticket. When you get on the bus, you should first find an available seat. After that, the กระเป๋ารถเมล์ (grà-bpǎo rót mee) will come to sell the ticket to you.

5- จะไปที่…..ต้องลงสถานีไหน (jà bpai thîi ….. dtâawng long sà-thăa-nii năi)

Meaning: “I’m going to……, which station should I get off?”
Language breakdown: We’ll skip the first part and focus on the latter part, like we did above, since it’s the same. สถานี (sà-thăa-nii) is “station” in Thai. ไหน (nǎi) is “which” in Thai. And ต้องลง (dtâawng long) means “should get off” in Thai. Putting all of this together, it means, “Which station should I get off?” As you can guess, Thai people just cut out the word “I” since they assume other parties know that the one who asks is the one who wants to get off.
Cultural background/relevance: Fortunately for BTS (which is only available in Bangkok) and the train, the names of the stations are shown. This means that you can ask the staff which station you should get off at in order to reach your destination.

6- ซื้อตั๋วที่ไหน (súue dtǔua thîi năi)

Meaning: “Where can I buy a ticket?”
Language breakdown: ซื้อ (súue) is “buy” in Thai. ตั๋ว (dtǔua) is “ticket” in Thai. And ที่ไหน (thîi năi) is “where” in Thai. Combining everything together, you get ซื้อตั๋วที่ไหน (súue dtǔua thîi năi), which means, “Where can I buy a ticket?” in Thai. You may notice that in the Thai language, the question words such as “where,” “can I?,” and “can you?” are put at the end of the sentence, which is opposite to English.
Cultural background/relevance: When taking a bus, as mentioned above, you can pay after you get on. But for BTS and train, you have to buy the ticket before getting on. Normally, the ticket booth is near the station.

7- ซื้อตั๋วไปที่…..สำหรับ…..คน (súue dtǔua bpai thîi…..sǎm-ràp……khon)

Meaning: “I want to buy ticket(s) for going to ….. for ….. persons.”
Language breakdown: You already know the meaning of the first part of the sentence from above, so here we’ll focus on the last part. สำหรับ (sǎm-ràp) means “for” in Thai. And คน (khon) is “unit for person” in Thai. So all together it means, “I want to buy ticket(s) for going to ….. for ….. persons.” The word “I want” is naturally cut out of the sentence.

3. Shopping

Basic Questions

Here comes many people’s favorite activity: shopping. Buying things from the local area is a must when you go on a trip. Of course, you’ll want to buy food, drinks, traditional products, as well as souvenirs. Learning Thai phrases for travel helps, particularly the Thailand travel phrases below.

1- ราคาเท่าไหร่ (raa-khaa thâo-rài)

Meaning: “How much is this?”
Language breakdown: ราคา (raa-khaa) means “price” in Thai. And เท่าไหร่ (thâo-rài) means “how much.” Since you may not know the name of the thing you want, you can point at it and say ราคาเท่าไหร่ (raa-khaa thâo-rài) in order to ask, “How much is this?”

2- มีโปรโมชั่นมั๊ย (mii bproo-moo-chân mái)

Meaning: “Is there any promotion?”
Language breakdown: มี (mii) is “have,” or in this case, “there is” in Thai. The word มั๊ย (mái) has no meaning, but Thai people put it at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
Cultural background/relevance: If you’re shopping from locals, this phrase may not be very useful as they normally don’t have promotions. But if you buy from a big store, don’t forget to ask. If you buy a lot, they may even give you something for free even if there’s no promotion.

3- ลดได้มั๊ย (lót dâi mái)

Meaning: “Can you give me a discount?”
Language breakdown: You’ll see that Thai people cut a lot of words out of this sentence. ลดราคา (lót raa-khaa) is “discount” in Thai. However, people shorten this word here to ลด (lót). And as mentioned before, ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means “Can you?” or “Can I?” in Thai. Basically, there’s no “you” or “me” in this sentence.
Cultural background/relevance: For food and drink, normally, Thai people don’t ask for discounts. However, for other products, you can try asking for a discount, as some sellers already set their price a little bit higher just in case a customer does ask for a discount. Don’t forget to smile sweetly when you ask for a discount, that may help. ^^

4- ที่นี่อะไรขายดี (thîi nîi à-rai khǎai dii)

Meaning: “What is the best seller here?”
Language breakdown: ที่นี่ (thîi nîi) is “here” in Thai, อะไร (à-rai) is “what” in Thai, and ขายดี (khǎai dii) is “sell a lot” in Thai. Actually, the literal Thai meaning of this sentence is, “What is being sold a lot here?” But in English, people don’t normally ask like that, so it is equal to “What is the best seller here?”
Cultural background/relevance: When you go to a souvenir shop, you may have no idea what to buy since you may not know what the products are. You can ask this and see what’s popular.

5- มีอันใหม่มั๊ย (mii an mài mái)

Meaning: “Do you have a new one?”
Language breakdown: มี (mii) is “have” in Thai, อันใหม่ (an mài) is “new one,” and as you may remember, the word มั๊ย (mái) has no meaning but Thai people put it at the end of sentences to make it a question. In this sentence, Thai people cut “you” out of the sentence as they assume people should know that you’re the one asking. So by combining everything together, we get มีอันใหม่มั๊ย (mii an mài mái).
Cultural background/relevance: Sometimes, the product that’s shown may look a little dirty because a lot of people have touched it or tried it out. If you want to buy it, you can always ask and see if the seller has a new one or not.

6- มีสีอื่นมั๊ย (mii sǐi ùuen mái)

Meaning: “Do you have another color?”
Language breakdown: This sentence is pretty similar to the one above, so we’ll focus only on the part that’s different. สีอื่น (sǐi ùuen) means “other color” in Thai. The rest is the same.

7- มีขนาดอื่นมั๊ย (mii khà-nàat ùuen mái)

Meaning: “Do you have another size?”
Language breakdown: Again, this sentence is very similar to the one above so we’ll only focus on the part that’s different. ขนาดอื่น (khà-nàat ùuen) means “other size” in Thai. The rest is the same.
Cultural background/relevance: When you buy clothes in Thailand, even with no fitting room, you can try the clothes on. Most of the time, the seller has a ผ้าถุง (phâa-thǔng), which means “sarong” in Thai, for you to use. You may feel a little bit weird, but that’s how Thai people do it when they buy clothes from a small shop.

8- จ่ายด้วยบัตรเครดิตได้มั๊ย (jàai dûuai bàt khree-dìt dâi mái)

Meaning: “Can I pay with a credit card?”
Language breakdown: จ่าย (jàai) means “pay” in Thai, ด้วย (dûuai) means “with,” บัตรเครดิต (bàt khree-dìtt) means “credit card,” and lastly, ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means “Can you?” or “Can I?” in Thai. Of course, Thai people also cut the subject from the sentence, which is “I” in this case.
Cultural background/relevance: If you go to a big department store, they normally accept credit cards with no additional charge. However, most local stores don’t allow credit cards. If they do, you should check if there’s an additional charge or not.

4. Restaurants

One of the activities people do—whether they travel or not—is eating. So let’s learn some useful Thai travel phrases you can use in restaurants in Thailand.

1- ขอเมนูหน่อย (khǎaw mee-nuu nàauy)

Meaning: “Menu, please.”
Language breakdown: ขอ (khǎaw) is “ask for” in Thai. And หน่อย (nàauy) has no meaning in this case. Thai people normally put this word at the end of a sentence.
Cultural background/relevance: If you go to a small local restaurant, the menu is shown on the wall instead of in book form.

2- สั่งอาหารหน่อย (sàng aa-hǎan nàauy)

Meaning: “Order, please.”
Language breakdown: สั่ง (sàng) is “order” in Thai., อาหาร (aa-hǎan) is “food,” and just like above, หน่อย (nàauy) is no-meaning word Thai people put at the end of sentences.

3- เอา….. (ao…..)

Meaning: “I want…..”
Language breakdown: Actually, เอา (ao) means “take,” but in this case, it means “want.” Naturally, Thai people assume that the other party knows that the speaker is the one who wants food, so they cut “I” out of the sentence.

4- อันนี้เจมั๊ย (an níi jee mái)

Meaning: “Is this vegetarian food?”
Language breakdown: อันนี้ (an níi) means “this” in Thai, and อาหารเจ (aa-hǎan jee) is “vegetarian food.” But Thai people just shorten the word by cutting อาหาร (aa-hǎan) out, as when people say เจ (jee), Thai people automatically understand that it means “vegetarian food.” The word มั๊ย (mái) has no meaning, but Thai people put it at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
Cultural background/relevance: In Thai, there’s a certain period during each year when some people will eat a vegetarian food called เทศกาลกินเจ (thêet-sà-gaan gin jee). Still, some restaurants serve vegetarian food year-round as well. You can look for the sign indicating that vegetarian food is served, which is a yellow flag.

5- แพ้…..กินได้มั๊ย (pháae…..gin dâi mái)

Meaning: “I’m allergic to……, can I eat this?”
Language breakdown: แพ้ (pháae) can mean “lose” or “allergic” in Thai. กิน (gin) means “eat,” and as already shown above, ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means “Can you?” or “Can I?” in Thai. And as usual, Thai people cut out the subject of the sentence.
Cultural background/relevance: Not many restaurants show the ingredients of the dishes on their menu, so if you’re not sure if you can eat it or not, you should ask to be safe.

6- เอาเผ็ดน้อย (ao phèt náauy)

Meaning: “Please make it less spicy.”
Language breakdown: As mentioned before, เอา (ao) means “take,” but in this case it means “want.” เผ็ด (phèt) means “spicy” or “hot” in Thai, and น้อย (náauy) means “little.” Literally, this sentence means “want little spicy” which is equivalent to “make it less spicy” in English.
Cultural background/relevance: Thai food is known to be spicy. If you’re not sure whether you can eat spicy food or not, but still want to try spicy Thai food, you can ask them to make it less spicy.

7- เอาไม่เผ็ด (ao mâi phèt)

Meaning: “Please make it not spicy.”
Language breakdown: You’ve already learned each of these three words from this article. เอา (ao) means “take” but is “want” in this case. The word ไม่ (mâi) is “no” or “not” in Thai, and เผ็ด (phèt) means “spicy” or “hot” in Thai.
Cultural background/relevance: For those who can’t endure spicy food, you can ask them to make it not spicy. For some recipes, if they can, they’ll do it for you.

8- เก็บเงินหน่อย (gèp ngooen nàauy)

Meaning: “Bill, please.”
Language breakdown: เก็บ (gèp) is “collect” in Thai, เงิน (ngooen) is “money,” and หน่อย (nàauy) has no meaning but Thai people put it at the end of sentences. So in total, it literally means, “Collect money please,” which is “Bill, please,” in English.
Cultural background/relevance: You can also use a body gesture for this as well. Once you get your waiter’s or waitress’ attention, you point your forefinger to the food on your table and then make a circle. They’ll understand what you mean.

5. Asking for and Giving Directions

When you go someplace you’ve never been before, you naturally need help with directions. So you should remember the following Thai phrases for travelers.

1- ไป……ยังไง (bpai…..yang-ngai)

Meaning: “How to go to …..?”
Language breakdown: ยังไง (yang-ngai) is “how to” in Thai. ไป (bpai) is “go.” This one is quite simple. Combining both, it’s ไป……ยังไง (bpai…..yang-ngai).
Cultural background/relevance: Thai people are kind and willing to help. If you’re not sure if your pronunciation of the place is correct or not, you can show the picture or the Thai name of the place to help you communicate better.

2- เลี้ยวซ้าย (líiao sáai)

Meaning: “Turn left.”
Language breakdown: This one is also very simple. เลี้ยว (líiao) is “turn” in Thai and ซ้าย (sáai) is “left” in Thai.

3- เลี้ยวขวา (líiao khwǎa)

Meaning: “Turn right.”
Language breakdown: From the phrase above, you already know what เลี้ยว (líiao) means. So let’s focus on the last word. ขวา (khwǎa) is “right” in Thai.

4- ตรงไป (dtrong-bpai)

Meaning: “Go straight.”
Language breakdown: This one is easy too. ตรง (dtrong) is “straight” in Thai. And as mentioned before, ไป (bpai) is “go” in Thai.

5- เดินไปได้มั๊ย (dooen bpai dâi mái)

Meaning: “Can I walk there?”
Language breakdown: เดิน (dooen) is “walk” in Thai, ไป (bpai) is “go,” and ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means, “Can you?” or “Can I?” Combining everything together, its meaning isn’t like English. That’s because Thai people cut “I” and “there” out. They assume that the speaker is the one going there.
Cultural background/relevance: You can ask local people whether you can walk to your destination or not. Sometimes, it may seem far on the map, but there’s a shortcut. You may hear these two words in the answer: ใกล้ (glâi) which is “close” and ไกล (glai) which is “far.”

6. Emergencies

Despite wishing against them, emergency situations can happen any time. In case you find yourself in an emergency, it’ll be very useful if you can communicate in Thai a little. So let’s practice some of these basic Thai phrases for travelers.

1- ช่วยด้วย (chûuai dûuai)

Meaning: “Help.”
Language breakdown: ช่วยด้วย (chûuai dûuai) is the phrase Thai people use to ask for help in Thai. It can be used to ask for help in most emergency situations.
Cultural background/relevance: Thai people are very kind and willing to help. If you say ช่วยด้วย (chûuai dûuai), meaning “help,” Thai people will try to help you.

2- เรียกรถพยาบาลให้หน่อย (rîiak rót phá-yaa-baan hâi nàauy)

Meaning: “Please call an ambulance for me.”
Language breakdown: เรียก (rîiak) is “call” in Thai, รถพยาบาล (rót phá-yaa-baan) is “ambulance,” and ให้หน่อย (hâi nàauy) is the phrase Thai people put at the end of a requesting sentence.
Cultural background/relevance: In case you want to be more specific that you need medical assistance, you can just say this sentence. The cost for Thai medical treatment isn’t very high compared to other countries. Thai hospitals are also known to be destinations for “medical tourism,” so you don’t have to worry much.

3- ฉันรู้สึกไม่ดี (chǎn rúu-sùek mâi dii)

Meaning: “I don’t feel well.”
Language breakdown: ฉัน (chǎn) is “I” in Thai and รู้สึก (rúu-sùek) is “feel.” As mentioned before, ไม่ (mâi) is “not” in Thai. And ดี (dii) is “good” or “well” in Thai. So combining everything together, you get: “I don’t feel well.”
Cultural background/relevance: You can use this sentence to convey that you don’t feel alright. This is quite useful to know, as you don’t have to identify how you feel bad. This is enough for the listener to know that you need medical attention.

4- ฉันเจ็บ (chǎn jèp)

Meaning: “I am hurt.”
Language breakdown: As mentioned in the sentence above, ฉัน (chǎn) is “I” in Thai. And เจ็บ (jèp) is “hurt” in Thai.

5- สถานีตำรวจอยู่ที่ไหน (sà-thǎa-nii dtam-rùuat yùu thîi nǎi)

Meaning: “Where is the police station?”
Language breakdown: สถานี (sà-thǎa-nii) is “station” in Thai, ตำรวจ (dtam-rùuat) is “policeman”, อยู่ (yùu) is one of the words for “be” in Thai, and ที่ไหน (thîi nǎi) is “where.”
Cultural background/relevance: If you lose something in Thailand, the sad fact is that getting it back is unlikely. You may need a document from the police for an insurance claim, or in order to get a new passport if you lost yours.

6- โรงพยาบาลอยู่ที่ไหน (roong-pháa-yaa-baan yùu thîi nǎi)

Meaning: “Where is the hospital?”
Language breakdown: This sentence is pretty similar to the one above, and is another of the most basic Thai travel words and phrases. The only difference is โรงพยาบาล (roong-pháa-yaa-baan), which is “hospital” in Thai.
Cultural background/relevance: If you’re in Bangkok, it’s not too hard to find a hospital as there are plenty here. Some of these hospitals have staff members who can speak other languages, such as Japanese and Korean. But if you’re in a suburban area, there may not be many hospitals in those areas.

7- ร้านขายยาอยู่ที่ไหน (ráan khǎai yaa yùu thîi nǎi)

Meaning: “Where is the drug store?”
Language breakdown: Again, this is a similar sentence to the one above. The only difference is ร้านขายยา (ráan khǎai yaa) which is “drug store” in Thai.
Cultural background/relevance: In Thailand, when you go to the hospital, it’s kind of a one-stop service. You meet the doctor and get the medicine from the hospital. However, if you’re not seriously ill, you can buy some medicine from a drug store without a medical prescription.

8- ฉันทำพาสปอร์ตหาย (chǎn tham pháat-bpàawt hǎai)

Meaning: “I lost my passport.”
Language breakdown: ฉัน (chǎn) is “I” in Thai, and ทำ…หาย (tham…..hǎai) is “lost….” There’s no “my” in Thai sentences because Thai people assume that other parties know that since “I” is the speaker, it should be “my” passport that is lost.
Cultural background/relevance: In case you lose your passport in Thai, you need to go to the police station to get the document to use at the embassy.

7. Flattery Phrases

When you travel, you may like the food you eat, the places you see, or even start to like the people there. Here are common Thai phrases for travelers you can use to show how you feel.

1- ฉันชอบ….. (chǎn châawp…..)

Meaning: “I like ……”
Language breakdown: ฉัน (chǎn) is “I” in Thai, ชอบ (châawp) is “like.” Then, you can put anything you want to say that you like after this phrase, such as:
- คนไทย (khon thai) is “Thai people” in Thai.
- อาหารไทย (aa-hǎan thai) is “Thai food” in Thai.
- ประเทศไทย (bprà-thêet thai) is “Thailand” in Thai.

2- ที่นี่สวยมาก (thîi nîi sǔuai mâak)

Meaning: “This place is very beautiful.”
Language breakdown: ที่นี่ (thîi nîi) is “this place” or “here” in Thai. สวย (sǔuai) is “beautiful” and มาก (mâak) is “very.”

3- อาหารอร่อยมาก (aa-hǎan à-ràauy mâak)

Meaning: “This food is very delicious.”
Language breakdown: อาหาร (aa-hǎan) is “food” in Thai, อร่อย (à-ràauy) is “delicious,” and as mentioned above, มาก (mâak) is “very.”

4- อันนี้กลิ่นหอมมาก (an níi glìn hǎawm mâak)

Meaning: “This smells very nice.”
Language breakdown: อันนี้ (an níi) is “this” in Thai, กลิ่นหอม (glìn hǎawm) is “smell nice,” and มาก (mâak) is “very.”

5- อันนี้น่ารักมาก (an níi nâa-rák mâak)

Meaning: “This is very cute.”
Language breakdown: This sentence is similar to the one above. The only difference is น่ารัก (nâa-rák), which is “cute” in Thai.

6- คุณใจดีมาก (khun jai-dii mâak)

Meaning: “You are so kind.”
Language breakdown: คุณ (khun) is “you” in Thai, ใจดี(jai-dii) is “kind,” and มาก (mâak) is “very.”
Cultural background/relevance: Thai people are known to be kind. If you get help from Thai people and you really appreciate it, you can say this to them.

8. Useful Phrases to go through Language Problems

Generally, not all Thai people can speak English, so some people decide to learn basic Thai in order to communicate better during the trip. In this case, these common Thai travel phrases will be very useful for you. Be sure to study these Thai phrases for tourists and practice often!

1- คุณพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้มั๊ย (khun phûut phaa-săa ang-grìt dâi mái)

Meaning: “Can you speak English?”
Language breakdown: คุณ (khun) is “you” in Thai, พูด (phûut) is “speak,” ภาษา (phaa-săa) is “language,” and อังกฤษ (ang-grìt) is “English.” And as mentioned before, ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means “Can you?” or “Can I?” in Thai.
Cultural background/relevance: In case you want to ask someone something, but you’re not sure if they can speak English or not, you should ask them this. If they can’t speak English, they’ll shake their head to say “no.” But if they can speak English, they’ll reply back to you in English.

2- ฉันพูดภาษาไทยไม่ได้ (chǎn phûut phaa-săa thai mâi dâi)

Meaning: “I can’t speak Thai.”
Language breakdown: ฉัน (chǎn) is “I” in Thai, พูด (phûut) is “speak,” and ไม่ได้ (mâi dâi) is the word you put after a verb to show that you “can’t” do that action. ภาษา (phaa-săa) is “language” and ไทย (Thai) is “Thai.”
Cultural background/relevance: If you’re Asian, Thai people may assume that you’re Thai and try to speak Thai to you. You can use this sentence to tell them that you can’t speak Thai.

3- ฉันไม่เข้าใจ พูดอีกครั้งได้มั๊ย (chǎn mâi khâo-jai phûut ìik khráng dâi mái)

Meaning: “I don’t understand. Can you say that again?”
Language breakdown: ฉัน (chǎn) is “I” in Thai, ไม่ (mâi) is “no” or “not,” เข้าใจ (khâo-jai) is “understand,” พูด (phûut) is “speak,” and อีกครั้ง (ìik khráng) is “again.” ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means “Can you?” or “Can I?” in Thai.
Cultural background/relevance: After you say this sentence to Thai people, they’ll either speak slower or use body language to help with communication.

4- ช่วยพูดช้า ๆ หน่อย (chûuai phûut cháa cháa nàauy)

Meaning: “Speak slowly please.”
Language breakdown: พูด (phûut) is “speak” in Thai, ช้า ๆ (cháa cháa) is “slow,” and as explained before, หน่อย (nàauy) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences when asking for help. It has no meaning in this case.

5- เขียนให้ได้มั๊ย (khǐian hâi dâi mái)

Meaning: “Can you write it down?”
Language breakdown: เขียน (khǐian) is “write” in Thai, and ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means “Can you?” or “Can I?” in Thai. The word ให้ (hâi) is the shortened version of ให้ฉัน (hâi chǎn), which means “for me” in Thai.
Cultural background/relevance: Thai pronunciation can be hard. If you’re not sure of something, you can ask Thai people to write it down.

6- อันนี้อ่านยังไง (an níi àan yang-ngai)

Meaning: “How to read this?”
Language breakdown: อันนี้ (an níi) is “this” in Thai, อ่าน (àan) is “read,” and ยังไง (yang-ngai) is “how.”
Cultural background/relevance: As mentioned before, Thai pronunciation is hard. With just a slight change of tone, the meaning of a word can become different. So if you’re not sure how to read each word, you should ask Thai people to help.

9. Handy Phrases During the Trip

Besides all of the sentences above, ThaiPod101.com thinks the following may also be handy for travelers.

1- ช่วยถ่ายรูปให้ได้มั๊ย (chûuai thàai rûup hâi dâi mái)

Meaning: “Can you take a picture for me?”
Language breakdown: ช่วย (chûuai) is “help” in Thai, ถ่ายรูป (thàai rûup) is “take picture,” and ได้มั๊ย (dâi mái) is the word Thai people put at the end of sentences and it means “Can you?” or “Can I?”
Cultural background/relevance: Thai people love to take pictures and selfies. So you don’t have to be shy if you want to take a picture. Thai people are willing to help if you ask them to take a picture for you.

2- ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหน (hâawng-nám yùu thîi nǎi)

Meaning: “Where is the toilet?”
Language breakdown: ห้องน้ำ (hâawng-nám) is “toilet” in Thai, อยู่ (yùu) is one of the words for “be” in Thai, and ที่ไหน (thîi nǎi) is “where.”
Cultural background/relevance: In big cities, toilets for males and females are separated most of the time. But if you go to a rural area, in some places there may not be separate bathrooms for males and females.

10. Tips

To make a sentence sound formal in Thai, Thai people put the words ครับ (khráp) and ค่ะ (khâ) at the end of sentences when speaking. ครับ (khráp) is used when the speaker is male, while ค่ะ (khâ) is used when the speaker is female. If you want to say sorry informally, there’s no need to put ครับ (khráp) or ค่ะ (khâ) at the end of a sentence.

Apart from ครับ (khráp) and ค่ะ (khâ), Thai people sometimes put นะ (ná) at the end of informal sentences to make them sound more friendly. These words are คำลงท้าย (kham-long-tháai) in Thai.

11. Conclusion

As you can see, in the Thai language, there are a lot of travel phrases for you to learn. Continue studying the Thai travel phrases in English above, because with these travel phrases in your Thai vocabulary, your trip will be more convenient and go a lot more smoothly. We also hope that you see now why travel phrases in Thai language learning are so important and useful.

So keep practicing and don’t be shy to use them in real situations, so that you’ll soon be able to more effectively talk with Thai people, including travel guides in Thailand that you meet!

Once you can remember all of these common phrases for travelers, you can begin studying other interesting lessons such as the most common text slang or ten lines you need to know for self-introduction at ThaiPod101.com.

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Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Lessons, Thai Online, Thai Phrases, Thai Translation, Thai Words | Comment

October 24, 2019

The Best Guide to Learn Thai Numbers for Daily Usage

In this world, numbers are a part of everyone’s life. You use numbers in calculation. You use numbers in communication. You use numbers to count things. This is no different for Thai people. They use numbers for many purposes in daily life.

Thus, it’s essential for Thai learners to learn how Thai people pronounce, write, and use Thai numbers. Thai numbers in language learning are of great importance.

Fortunately, Thai numbers isn’t a very hard Thai topic and you can learn everything you need to know about Thai numbers here at ThaiPod101.com.

ตัวเลข (dtuua-lêek) or เลข (lêek) is “number” in Thai. Thai people use numbers quite a lot in daily life, for example in pricing, telephone numbers, house addresses, postal codes, calculations, etc. If you want to live, study, or work in Thailand, it’s wise to learn how to use Thai numbers. This is especially important if you ever want to contact the Thai government.

Are you ready to learn Thai numbers ? If so, 3…2…1…let’s get started with our Thai numbers lists!

Table of Contents

Thai Numbers 0-9
Thai Language Numbers 0-9
Numerical Digits in the Thai Language
Numbers 10 – 9,999,999
How to Say Numbers Higher than 9,999,999
Decimals
Fractions
House Numbers
Postal Codes
Phone Numbers
Price
Conclusion

1. Thai Numbers 0-9

Let’s start with Thai basic numbers. Not only will you be learning Thai numbers 1-10 or Thai numbers 1-20, but you’ll need to learn Thai numbers 0-9 first.

Most of the time, Thai people use Arabic numerals in writing. It’s important that you try to master this part as it’s the foundation for other number-related topics. Below is the list of Thai numbers with pronunciation.

0 – ศูนย์ (sǔun)
1 – หนึ่ง (nùeng)
2 – สอง (sǎawng)
3 – สาม (sǎam)
4 – สี่ (sìi)
5 – ห้า (hâa)
6 – หก (hòk)
7 – เจ็ด (jèt)
8 – แปด (bpàaet)
9 – เก้า (gâo)

2. Thai Language Numbers 0-9

In the Thai language, there’s another way of writing numbers as well. ตัวเลขไทย (dtuua lêek thai) is “Thai number” in Thai. If you can remember and write Thai numbers, that’s great. But if you can’t write them, don’t worry as Thai people don’t use them much in daily life. Even Thai people don’t get to write these much.

Thai language numbers are mostly used in government documents and sometimes in the house address label. So you may not see them much.

That said, here’s another Thai numbers list you should study.

0 – ศูนย์ (sǔun)
๑ – หนึ่ง (nùeng)
๒ – สอง (sǎawng)
๓ – สาม (sǎam)
๔ – สี่ (sìi)
๕ – ห้า (hâa)
๖ – หก (hòk)
๗ – เจ็ด (jèt)
๘ – แปด (bpàaet)
๙ – เก้า (gâo)

3. Numerical Digits in the Thai Language

To learn numbers higher than 9, you have to understand about digits in the Thai language first. หลัก (làk) is “digit” in Thai. There are seven digits in the Thai language.

หลักหน่วย (làk nùuai) — “unit”
หลักสิบ (làk sìp) — “ten”
หลักร้อย (làk ráauy) — “hundred”
หลักพัน (làk phan) — “thousand”
หลักหมื่น (làk mùuen) — “ten-thousand”
หลักแสน (làk sǎaen) — “hundred-thousand”
หลักล้าน (làk láan) — “million”

4. Numbers 10 – 9,999,999

Once you can remember the numbers 0-9 and the seven digits in Thai, you can pretty much say every number in Thai using the following principle. Basically, you can read the number in each digit followed by the name of that digit from left to right, except for the last digit for which you read only the number. In case 0 shows up in some numbers, you can skip that digit.

1- Special Numbers

For 10, Thai people read it สิบ (sìp) instead of หนึ่งสิบ (nùeng sìp)
For 20, Thai people read it ยี่สิบ (yîi sìp) instead of สองสิบ (sǎawng sìp)
For numbers higher than 10, if 1 is in the unit digit, Thai people read it เอ็ด (èt) instead of หนึ่ง (nùeng)
For one-hundred-something numbers (1XX), sometimes Thai people say it shortly by skipping the word หนึ่ง (nùeng) such as for 105 we read it ร้อยห้า (ráauy hâa) instead of หนึ่งร้อยห้า (nùeng ráauy hâa).

1. Example of 580

580 — five is in the hundred digit spot, so we read “five” followed by the name of the hundred digit in Thai which is ห้าร้อย (hâa ráauy).
580 — eight is in the ten digit spot, so we read “eight” followed by the name of the ten digit in Thai which is แปดสิบ (bpàaet sìp).
580 — since the number in unit digit is 0, we can skip reading this digit.
580 is ห้าร้อยแปดสิบ (hâa ráauy bpàaet sìp)

2. Example of 8,126

8,126 — eight is in the thousand digit spot, so we read “eight” followed by the name of the thousand digit in Thai which is แปดพัน (bpàaet phan).
8,126 — one is in the hundred digit spot, so we read “one” in Thai followed by the name of the hundred digit in Thai which is หนึ่งร้อย (nùeng ráauy).
8,126 — two is in the ten digit spot, so we read “two” followed by the name of the ten digit in Thai which is ยี่สิบ (yîi sìp). (Don’t forget that for 20, Thai people read it ยี่สิบ [yîi sìp]).
8,126 — six is in the unit digit spot, so we read “six” in Thai which is หก (hòk). (Don’t forget that for the unit digit, you read only the number and don’t read the name of the digit.)
8,126 is แปดพันหนึ่งร้อยยี่สิบหก (bpàaet phan nùeng ráauy yîi sìp hòk).

3. Example of 300,451

300,451 — three is in the hundred-thousand digit spot so we read “three” in Thai followed by the name of the hundred-thousand digit which is สามแสน (sǎam sǎaen).
300,451 — since the number in the ten-thousand and thousand digit spots is 0, we can skip reading these two digits.
300,451 — four is in the hundred digit spot, so we read “four” followed by the name of the hundred digit in Thai which is สี่ร้อย (sìi ráauy).
300,451 — five is in the ten digit spot, so we read “five” followed by the name of the ten digit in Thai which is ห้าสิบ (hâa sìp).
300,451 — one is in the unit digit spot, so we read one in Thai which is เอ็ด (èt). (Don’t forget that for numbers higher than 10, if 1 is in the unit digit spot, we read it เอ็ด [èt].)
300,451 is สามแสนสี่ร้อยห้าสิบเอ็ด (sǎam sǎaen sìi ráauy hâa sìp èt).

5. How to Say Numbers Higher than 9,999,999

Now, you may notice that there’s no name for digits higher than one-million. So to read numbers higher than 9,999,999, you have to do as follows:

Divide the number into parts for every six digits from right to left, as follows:
XXX,XXX,YYY,YYY => XXX,XXX and YYY,YYY
Note: The left part may have less than six numbers.
Read the left part (XXX,XXX) first the same way you read the numbers between 10 – 999,999 followed by ล้าน (láan) which is “million digit” in Thai.
Read the right part (YYY,YYY) the same way you read the numbers between 10 – 999,999.

1- Example of 21,700,098

21 and 700,098 — you divide the number into parts for every six digits from right to left first, so you get 21 and 700,098.
21,700,098 — you read the left part first followed by ล้าน (láan) which is ยี่สิบเอ็ดล้าน (yîi sìp èt láan).
21,700,098 — you read the right part after that which is เจ็ดแสนเก้าสิบแปด (jèt sǎaen gâo sìp bpàaet).
21,700,098 is ยี่สิบเอ็ดล้านเจ็ดแสนเก้าสิบแปด (yîi sìp èt láan jèt sǎaen gâo sìp bpàaet).

6. Decimals

ทศนิยม (thót-sà-ní-yom) is “decimal” in Thai. In the Thai language, you read decimals the same way you do in English. Thai people read the number before the point followed by จุด (jùt) which is “point” in Thai. And then they read each number without name of digit after the point.

1- Example of 321.5671

321.5671 — you read the number before the point first, followed by จุด (jùt) which is สามร้อยยี่สิบเอ็ดจุด (sǎam ráauy yîi sìp èt jùt).
321.5671 — you read each number after the point which is ห้าหกเจ็ดหนึ่ง (hâa hòk jèt nùeng).
321.5671 is สามร้อยยี่สิบเอ็ดจุดห้าหกเจ็ดหนึ่ง (sǎam ráauy yîi sìp èt jùt hâa hòk jèt nùeng).

7. Fractions

เศษส่วน (sèet-sùuan) is “fraction” in Thai. The following is how Thai people read fractions:

They read the number above the line first, followed by ส่วน (sùuan) which is “part” in Thai. And then they read the number below the line.

1- Example of 15/120

15/120— you read the number above the line, followed by ส่วน (sùuan) which is สิบห้าส่วน (sìp hâa sùuan).
15/120— you read the number below the line which is หนึ่งร้อยยี่สิบ (nùeng ráauy yîi sìp).
15/120 is สิบห้าส่วนหนึ่งร้อยยี่สิบ (sìp hâa sùuan nùeng ráauy yîi sìp).

8. House Numbers

บ้านเลขที่ (bâan lêek-thîi) is “house number” in Thai. There are two types of house numbers in Thai and they read differently which will be explained below.

1- Regular House Numbers

For normal house numbers with no sign, there are two ways of reading it. We can read it like we read normal numbers; for example, house no. 128 is บ้านเลขที่ 128 (bâan lêek-thîi nùeng ráauy yîi sìp bpàaet). Or we can read each number without the name of the digits, such as house no. 128 is บ้านเลขที่ 128 (bâan lêek-thîi nùeng sǎawng bpàaet).

2- House Numbers with “/” Sign

For condos or village houses, the house numbers normally have a “/” sign which is called ทับ (tháp) in Thai. The number before the “/” sign indicates the number of the village or condo as a whole, while the number after the “/” sign indicates the house number of each house in the village or each room in the condo.

This is how you read this type of house number: You read each number without the name of the digits for all the numbers. For example, house no. 71/98 is บ้านเลขที่เจ็ดหนึ่งทับเก้าแปด (bâan lêek-thîi jèt nùeng tháp gâo bpàaet).

9. Postal Codes

รหัสไปรษณีย์ (rá-hàt bprai-sà-nii) is “post code” in Thai. There are five digits in Thai postcodes. The way you read it is very easy: you read each number without the name of the digits. For example, 10500 is หนึ่งศูนย์ห้าศูนย์ศูนย์ (nùeng sǔun hâa sǔun sǔun).

10. Phone Numbers

เบอร์โทรศัพท์ (booe thoo-rá-sàp) is “phone number” in Thai. Although the country code for Thai phone numbers is +66, Thai people don’t write +66 or say +66 in their phone number when giving it. They use 0 instead of +66.

For Thai landlines, there are nine digits starting with 0 (0X-XXX-XXXX). For mobile phones, there are 10 digits starting with 0 as well (0XX-XXX-XXXX).

You may notice that Thai people sometimes put a “-” sign which is called ขีด (khìit) in Thai to make it easier to read. However, when Thai people read it, they read only the number and don’t say ขีด (khìit) despite writing the sign. They pause instead of saying ขีด (khìit).

When you tell someone your phone number, you say each number without the name of the digits. For example, 02-717-0203 is ศูนย์สอง เจ็ดหนึ่งเจ็ด ศูนย์สองศูนย์สาม (sǔun sǎawng jèt nùeng jèt sǔun sǎawng sǔun sǎam).

11. Price

ราคา (raa-kha) is “price” in Thai. When Thai people talk about the price, there are two currency units we use which are บาท (Bàat) and สตางค์ (Sà-dtang). 100 สตางค์ (Sà-dtang) is 1 บาท (Bàat). This is how we read price:

1- Prices with Decimals

You read the number before the point followed by บาท (Bàat) and then read the number after the point followed by สตางค์ (Sà-dtang). Please note that the way you read prices with a decimal and how you read a normal decimal is different.

For prices with a decimal, the number after the point is read normally, not reading each number without name of digit. For example, 10.25 is บาท is สิบบาท ยี่สิบห้าสตางค์ (sìp bàat yîi sìp hâa sà-dtang).

2- Prices with No Decimals

This one is easy. You just read the number followed by บาท (Bàat). For example, 9,145 บาท is เก้าพันหนึ่งร้อยสี่สิบห้าบาท (gâo phan nùeng ráauy sìi sìp hâa bàat).

12. Conclusion

If you’ve reached this part, it means you’ve learned every basic thing you should know about Thai numbers. You may feel a bit confused at this point, since some of these number rules seem to be similar yet different from what you’re used to.

Still, after reading it a few times and trying to use these numbers yourself, you should be okay. (You’ll be counting in Thai before you know it!)

So, the next thing you should do is to keep practicing so that you can use these Thai numbers fluently. After completing this topic, don’t forget to visit ThaiPod101.com to learn more interesting Thai lessons and vocabulary.

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Language, Thai Lessons, Thai Online, Thai Phrases, Thai Words | Comment

September 12, 2019

Best Guide on How to Say Sorry in the Thai Language

When you do something wrong, you apologize. When you accidentally hurt someone, you say sorry. When you want to get a waitress’ attention, you say “Excuse me.” When you see someone who’s feeling sad because of a bad situation they face, you say you’re sorry for them.

“Sorry” is one of the basic words you use in daily life and is one of the first words you learn when you start learning any language. And this article will teach you how to say sorry in Thai (because to learn sorry when living in Thailand would be tough!).

How do I say sorry in Thai? Well, this topic is easy. In Thai, when you want to show your empathy, give your condolences, or show that you feel bad or sorry for what you did, there are a few words Thai people use which will be explained below. Also, to help you say “I’m sorry” in Thai like a native, ThaiPod101.com will also show you various phrases you can use in numerous situations you may face, including “sorry” from Thai to English. Start with a bonus, and download your FREE cheat sheet – How to Improve Your Thai Skills! (Logged-In Member Only)

The Most Important Apologizing Word
Phrases for Sorry in Thai
Phrases for Condolences in Thai
Sentences to Use with “Sorry”
Reply Phrases for When Someone Says Sorry to You
Tips on How to Say Sorry in Thai
Conclusion

1. The Most Important Apologizing Word

As mentioned above, there are only a few words used for apologies in Thai. First, Thaipod101.com will teach you the words you need to know in order to say “I’m sorry” in Thai. ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) means “sorry,” “apology,” and “excuse me” in Thai. ขออภัย (khǎaw à-phai) has similar meanings, which are “sorry” and “apology” in Thai.

The way to use these two words is slightly different; we’ll explain this below. Another word you should know is เสียใจ (sǐia-jai) which is used to show your condolences in Thai.

1- How Do You Say Sorry in Thai?

Now, for the most important part of this lesson: How to say “I am sorry” in Thai. Here, we’ll also show you some examples of “sorry” in Thai written in English.

For spoken language, the main word used to say sorry, apology, or excuse me in Thai is as follows:

ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) — “Sorry” in Thai translates to this word, and this is the main word for “sorry” in Thailand. You can use this word in every situation, both formal and informal. Make sure you remember this word well.

โทดที (thôot thii) — This is a slang word for “sorry” in Thai. It’s an informal word so you should use this with friends or other people you’re close with. Don’t use this in business situations since it’s too casual.

ซอรี่ (saaw-rîi) — This is another slang word for “sorry” in Thai. As you can guess, this is an informal way to say sorry, so only use this word with friends or other people you’re close with. Actually, this word is “sorry” in Thai pronunciation. To put it simply, Thai people just say sorry in English when using this word.

Examples

When you accidentally step on someone’s foot, you can say ขอโทษค่ะ (khǎaw-thôot khâ) meaning “sorry” to apologize.
When you want to go to another part of the room but your group of friends is blocking your way, you can tell them โทดที ขอเดินหน่อย (thôot thii khǎaw dooen nàauy) which means, “Excuse me, I want to get through.”
When your sister finds out that you ate her chocolate cake, you can say ซอรี่ (saaw-rîi) meaning “sorry” to her.

2- How Do You Write “Sorry” in Thai?

For written language, these are the words and phrase Thai people use:

ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) — As mentioned before, this is the main word for “sorry.” Thus, it’s used in written language as well. It can be used for both formal and informal documents.

ขออภัย (khǎaw à-phai) — The difference between ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) and ขออภัย (khǎaw à-phai) is that ขออภัย (khǎaw à-phai) is mainly used in written language and rarely used in spoken language. It’s a formal language for apologies in Thailand. Another phrase that’s used is ขออภัยเป็นอย่างสูง (khǎaw à-phai bpen yàang sǔung) which means “very sorry” in Thai written language.

ขอโทด (khǎaw-thôot) — This is a slang word in written language. The reason Thai people use this a lot is that it’s easier to type. The pronunciation of ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) and ขอโทด (khǎaw-thôot) is the same.

โทดที (thôot thii) — This is a slang word for both written and spoken language, and gives a more informal feeling than ขอโทด (khǎaw-thôot) does.

Example

You sent your report to your boss later than the deadline, so in the email you write ขอโทษครับ (khǎaw-thôot khráp) to apologize for your lateness.
The toilet in the department store is now being fixed. To ask customers to use the toilet on the third floor instead and apologize for inconvenience, they put a label that reads ขออภัยในความไม่สะดวก กรุณาไปใช้ห้องน้ำที่ชั้น 3 แทน (khǎaw à-phai nai kwaam mâi sà-dùuak gà-rú-naa bpai chái hâawng nám thîi chán săam thaaen).
You forgot to buy the book your friend asked you to buy for them today, so you text her that you’re sorry you forgot and that you’ll buy it for her tomorrow instead: โทดที เราลืมซื้อหนังสือให้ จะซื้อให้พรุ่งนี้แทนนะ (thôot thii rao luuem súue năng-sǔue hâi · jà súue hâi phrûng-níi thaaen ná). In this case, you can use ขอโทด (khǎaw-thôot) instead of โทดที (thôot thii) as well.

3- Body Language

Apart from spoken and written language, you should also know how Thai people act when they want to convey that they’re sorry. Here’s some body language to use when you want to convey “I’m sorry” in Thailand.

ไหว้ (wâi) — In addition to greeting, Thai people also ไหว้ (wâi) when saying ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) to older people. To ไหว้ (wâi), you put your hands together at chest level and bend down your head until the tip of your nose touches your thumb.

Sincere and polite tone of voice — When saying sorry, Thai people use a sincere and polite tone of voice. If your tone of voice is disrespectful or too annoying, it indicates that you’re not really sorry for what you did.

Now that you essentially understand how to say sorry in Thai language, let’s delve a little deeper and learn some useful phrases.

2. Phrases for Sorry in Thai

In Thai, you can use ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) in every situation. However, sometimes you may want to be more specific to the situation. In that case, you should know how to say sorry to a Thai girl, how to say “Sorry I am late” in Thai, and how to say “Excuse me” in Thai language. So ThaiPod101.com presents you with sorry quotes in Thai that you can use in various situations.

1- ขอโทษมาก ๆ

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot mâak mâak
Meaning: “I’m very sorry.”
Example: ขอโทษมาก ๆ ที่ทำหนังสือเธอเปียก.

Khǎaw-thôot mâak mâak thîi tham năng-sǔue thooe bpìiak.
“I’m very sorry for wetting your book.”

2- ขอโทษจริง ๆ

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot jing-jing
Meaning: “I’m really sorry.”
Example: ขอโทษจริง ๆ ที่ลืมนัดของเรา.

Khǎaw-thôot jing jing thîi luuem nát khǎawng rao.
“I’m really sorry I forgot our appointment.”

3- ขอโทษ เป็นอะไรมั๊ย / ขอโทษ เป็นอะไรรึเปล่า

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot bpen à-rai mái / khǎaw-thôot bpen à-rai rúe bplào
Meaning: “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
Example: (You accidentally hit your friend’s chin.)

ขอโทษ เป็นอะไรมั๊ย.
khǎaw-thôot bpen à-rai mái.
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

4- ขอโทษแทน…ด้วย

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot thaaen … dûuai
Meaning: “I’m sorry on … behalf.”
Example: ผมต้องขอโทษแทนลูกน้องของผมด้วย.

Phŏm dtâawng khǎaw-thôot thaaen lûuk náawng khǎawng phŏm dûuai.
“I’m sorry on my staff’s behalf.”

5- ขอโทษที่มาสาย

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot thîi maa sǎai
Meaning: “I’m sorry for being late.”
Example: ต้องขอโทษที่มาสายด้วย วันนี้รถติดมากเพราะฝนตก.

Dtâawng khǎaw-thôot thîi maa sǎai dûuai wan níi rót dtìt mâak phráw fŏn dtòk.
“I’m sorry for being late. Today, the traffic is very bad because of the rain.”

6- ขอโทษที่ให้รอ

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot thîi hâi raaw
Meaning: “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”
Example: ขอโทษที่ให้รอนะคะ ได้ผลตรวจแล้วค่ะ.

Khǎaw-thôot thîi hâi raaw ná khá dâai phŏn dtrùuat láaeo khâ.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. I already got your result.”

7- ขอโทษที่ทำผิดพลาด

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot thîi tham phìt phlâat
Meaning: “I’m sorry for my mistake.”
Example: ขอโทษที่ทำผิดพลาดค่ะ จะไม่ให้เกิดเรื่องแบบนี้อีกแล้วค่ะ.

Khǎaw-thôot thîi tham phìt phlâat khâ jà mâi hâi gòoet rûueang bàaep níi ìik láaeo khâ.
“I’m sorry for my mistake. This won’t happen again.”

8- ขออภัยในความไม่สะดวก

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw à-phai nai khwaam mâi sà-dùuak
Meaning: “I’m sorry for this inconvenience.”
Example: ขณะนี้เกิดเหตุขัดข้องทำให้ไม่สามารถใช้งานลิฟท์ได้ชั่วคราว ต้องขออภัยในความไม่สะดวกด้วยค่ะ.

Khà-nà níi gòoet hèet khàt khâawng tham hâi mâi săa-mâat chái ngaan líp dâi chûua khraao dtâawng khǎaw à-phai nai khwaam mâi sà-dùuak dûuai khâ.
“Elevator can’t be used now because of some issue. I’m sorry for this inconvenience.”

Additional note: This phrase is special. In Thai, when apologizing for an inconvenience, Thai people use ขออภัย (khǎaw à-phai) in both spoken and written language. Thai people don’t use ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) in this case.

9- ขอโทษที่แจ้งกระทันหัน

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot thîi jâaeng grà-than-hăn
Meaning: “I’m sorry for the short notice.”
Example: ผมต้องขอยกเลิกบริการวันพรุ่งนี้ เพราะ ติดงานกระทันหัน ต้องขอโทษด้วยที่แจ้งกระทันหัน.

Phŏm dtâawng khǎaw yók lôoek baaw-rí-gaan wan phrûng-níi phráw dtìt ngaan grà-than-hăn dtâawng khǎaw thôot dûuai thîi jâaeng grà-than-hăn.
“I have to cancel service tomorrow because of sudden word. I’m sorry for the short notice.”

10- ขอโทษที่รบกวน

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot thîi róp-guuan
Meaning: “I’m sorry for disturbing.”
Example: ขอโทษที่รบกวนนะคะ ขออนุญาตเข้ามาทำความสะอาดค่ะ.

Khǎaw-thôot thîi róp-guuan ná khá · khǎaw à-nú-yâat khâo maa tham khwaam sà-àat khâ.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you. May I come in to clean?”

11- ขอโทษที่ตอบช้า

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot thîi dtàawp cháa
Meaning: “I’m sorry for the late reply.”
Example: ขอโทษที่ตอบช้านะคะ ช่วงนี้งานยุ่งมากค่ะ.

Khǎaw-thôot thîi dtàawp cháa ná khá chûuang níi ngaan yûng mâak khâ.
“I’m sorry for the late reply. I’m very busy recently.”

12- ขอโทษ ขอทางหน่อย

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot khǎaw thaang nàauy?
Meaning: “Excuse me, can I get through?”
Example: (There are a lot of people in the room, making it hard to walk to the other side)

ขอโทษค่ะ ขอทางหน่อยค่ะ?
Khǎaw-thôot khà khǎaw thaang nàauy khâ?
“Excuse me, can I get through?”

13- ขอโทษ ขอ…หน่อย

Thai pronunciation: khǎaw-thôot khǎaw … nàauy
Meaning: “Excuse me, can I get …?”
Example: ขอโทษค่ะ ขอพริกน้ำปลาหน่อยค่ะ?

Khǎaw-thôot khâ kkhǎaw phrík nám-bplaa nàauy khâ?
“Excuse me, can you give me chilli in fish sauce?”

Additional Note: พริกน้ำปลา (phrík nám-bplaa) is a Thai-style sauce made from fish sauce, chilli, and garlic. Thai people eat พริกน้ำปลา (phrík nám-bplaa) together with fried rice and fried egg.

3. Phrases for Condolences in Thai

Now, you may wonder how Thai people share condolences, such as how to say “Sorry for your loss,” in Thai. การแสดงความเสียใจ (gaan sà-daaeng khwaam sĭia-jai) is “condolence” in Thai. In English, you say “I’m sorry for ….” But it’s slightly different in Thai. Thai people don’t say what they’re sorry for, they just feel sorry with you. So there’s only one phrase Thai people use for this.

1- เสียใจด้วย

Thai pronunciation: sĭia-jai dûuai
Meaning: “I’m sorry for you.”
Example: (Your friend knows that you just lost your beloved one)

เสียใจด้วยนะ.
sĭia-jai dûuain á.
“I’m sorry for you.”

4. Sentences to Use with “Sorry”

Sometimes, you don’t say sorry alone. You may want to say other things to convey that you’re really sorry and that you want to make up for what happened. Here’s a list of sentences you can use:

1- ฉันไม่ได้ตั้งใจ

Thai pronunciation: chǎn mâi dâi dtâng-jai
Meaning: “I didn’t mean to do this.”
Example: ขอโทษที่ทำเธอเจ็บตัว ฉันไม่ได้ตั้งใจ.

Khǎaw-thôot thîi tham hâi thoow jèp dtuua chǎn mâi dâi dtâng-jai.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I am sorry.”

2- ฉันไม่ได้ตั้งใจจะให้เป็นแบบนี้

Thai pronunciation: chăn mâi dâi dtâng jai jà hâi bpen bàaep níi
Meaning: “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Example: ขอโทษที่ทำให้ลำบาก ฉันไม่ได้ตั้งใจจะให้เป็นแบบนี้.

Khǎaw-thôot thîi tham hâi lam-bàak chăn mâi dâi dtâng jai jà hâi bpen bàaep níie.
“I’m sorry for causing trouble. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

3- ฉันจะไม่ทำแบบนี้อีกแล้ว

Thai pronunciation: chăn jà mâi tham bàaep níi ìik láaeo
Meaning: “I won’t do this again.”
Example: ขอโทษจริง ๆ ฉันจำไม่ทำแบบนี้อีกแล้ว.

Khǎaw-thôot jing jing chăn jà mâi tham bàaep níi ìik láaeo.
“I’m really sorry. I won’t do this again.”

4- ดีกันนะ

Thai pronunciation: dii gan ná
Meaning: “Let’s reconcile.”
Example: ขอโทษ ดีกันนะ.

khǎaw-thôot dii gan ná.
“I’m sorry. Let’s reconcile.”

Additional note: This is an informal phrase. Thai people only say this to friends, family members, or people who they’re close with.

5- อย่าโกรธเลยนะ

Thai pronunciation: yàa gròot looei ná
Meaning: “Please don’t be mad at me.”
Example: ขอโทษค่ะ อย่าโกรธหนูเลยนะ.

khǎaw-thôot yàa gròot nǔu looei ná.
“I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at me.”

Additional note: This is also an informal phrase. Thai people only say this to friends, family members, or people who they’re close with.

6- ยกโทษให้ฉันเถอะ

Thai pronunciation: yók thôot hâi chăn thòe
Meaning: “Please forgive me.”
Example: ขอโทษ ยกโทษให้เราเถอะนะ.

khǎaw-thôot yók thôot hâi rao thòe ná.
“I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

7- มันเป็นความผิดของฉันเอง

Thai pronunciation: man bpen khwaam phìt khǎawng chăn eeng
Meaning: “It is my fault.”
Example: มันเป็นความผิดของฉันเอง ขอโทษนะ.

man bpen khwaam phìt khǎawng chăn eeng khǎaw-thôot ná.
“This is my fault. I’m sorry.”

5. Reply Phrases for When Someone Says Sorry to You

Now that we’ve gone over various ways to say sorry, we’ll now go over what to say when someone says sorry to us. The list below shows some of the phrases you can use.

1- ไม่เป็นไร

Thai pronunciation: mâi bpen rai
Meaning: “It is okay.” / “It is alright.”
How to use: This is the main way to reply when you’re okay or no longer angry. This can be used in every situation, both formal and informal.

2- ฉันยกโทษให้

Thai pronunciation: chǎn yók thôot hâi
Meaning: “I forgive you.”
How to use: You say this to show that you forgive the other party or parties.

3- ช่างมันเถอะ

Thai pronunciation: châng man thòe
Meaning: “Never mind.”
How to use: This is another way you can say that you’re no longer angry. However, this is quite informal. Thai people only say this to friends, family members, or people who they’re close with.

4- ลืม ๆ มันไปเหอะ

Thai pronunciation: luuem luuem man bpai hòe
Meaning: “Just forget it.”
How to use: This phrase also shows that you’re no longer angry and forgive them. It’s an informal phrase, so don’t use it in a business situation.

5- ฉันไม่ยกโทษให้

Thai pronunciation: chǎn mâi yók thôot hâi
Meaning: “I don’t forgive you.”
How to use: You say this to show that you’re still mad for what the other party or parties did and don’t forgive them yet.

6. Tips on How to Say Sorry in Thai

If you’ve reached this part of the article, you’ll find that if you want to be able to say sorry like Thai people, there’s quite a lot to practice and remember. Here are some tips that will help you make your apology sound either formal or informal. To make the sentence sound formal or informal in the Thai language, it depends on pronouns and the word you put at the end of a sentence.

1- Pronoun

There are many Thai pronouns you can use to call yourself. Each one can be used in a different situation depending on the level of formality and the gender of the speaker. Here’s the list of Thai pronouns you can use, ordered by level of formality from the most formal to least formal.

Male: ผม (phǒm); เรา (rao)
Female: ดิฉัน (dì-chǎn); ฉัน (chǎn); เรา (rao); หนู (nǔu) [Nǔu is only used when talking to older people.]

Still, please note that in Thai, sometimes people cut off the subject if the speaker is the one who did the action. So, you may hear Thai people say ขอโทษนะ (khǎaw-thôot ná) instead of ฉันขอโทษนะ (chǎn khǎaw-thôot ná) when saying “I’m sorry.”

2- Khráp and Khâ

To make a sentence sound formal in Thai, Thai people put the word ครับ (khráp) or ค่ะ (khâ) at the end of a sentence when speaking. ครับ (khráp) is used when the speaker is male, while ค่ะ (khâ) is used when the speaker is female. If you want to say sorry informally, there’s no need to put ครับ (khráp) or ค่ะ (khâ) at the end of the sentence.

Apart from ครับ (khráp) and ค่ะ (khâ), Thai people sometimes put นะ (ná) at the end of an informal sentence to make it sound more friendly. These words are คำลงท้าย (kham long tháai) in Thai.

7. Conclusion

By now, you should know some basic words for how to say sorry in Thai. We hope you now have a better idea of the importance of “sorry” in learning Thai.

If nothing else, work on memorizing ขอโทษ (khǎaw-thôot) and ไม่เป็นไร (mâi bpen rai). You can use them in almost any situation. However, if you know many phrases, you can express your feelings better, so keep practicing. Once you know them all, don’t forget to learn other interesting and fun Thai lessons at ThaiPod101.com.

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Culture, Thai Grammar, Thai Language, Thai Lessons, Thai Phrases, Thai Words | Comment

June 21, 2019

The 4 Most Difficult Aspects of Thai and How to Overcome Them

Like the culture it represents the Thai language is beautiful and multifaceted. If you’ve decided to learn Thai you’re in for a real language learning treat!

However, your Thai learning journey won’t be all sunshine and roses. If you’re a native English speaker, there are some real challenges standing between you and fluency.

But that’s no reason to despair or thrown in the towel. The truth is that these challenges, though they often look intimidating, are common and countless students before you have overcome them. You just need a little practice and perseverance!

In this article, we look at four of the most common hurdles students face while learning Thai, and we give some practical tips on how to move past them. Enjoy!

1) The Thai Script

If you’re a native English speaker and Thai is your first foreign language, you may be in for a shock when you first encounter the Thai script. In English, we’re coming from a Latin based alphabet. If we see written languages like French, Spanish, German or even Romanian we’re a lot more comfortable. Heck, even languages as far-flung as Russian and Vietnamese make use of Latin characters.

But when it comes to the Thai alphabet, nothing is going to look familiar. You will have a whole new set of characters to become familiar with. You’ll also start to notice that the Thai alphabet, doesn’t work as a true alphabet the same way the English one does. Characters representing consonants are often interspersed with diacritic marks which represent vowel sounds. If that wasn’t foreign enough, there are also four tone marks (one tone has no mark). More on the Thai tones later!

It’s this mixture of characters and marks that make up written Thai words.

When studying Thai it’s important to start learning the alphabet as soon as possible. Knowing how to read Thai will open the doors to new study materials, literature, media, and so much more. The best way to get started is to learn the Thai alphabet like you did the English one: one step at a time.

The truth is foreign alphabets look a lot more intimidating than they actually are. Once you dive in and start practicing you’ll most likely pick things up quicker than you thought.

2) Tonal system

Like other languages native to Asia, Thai is a tonal language. This means that the pitch of your Thai pronunciation will affect the meaning of what you say. There are a total of five tones in Thai: low, mid, high, falling, and rising.

The best way to practice the tones is to learn them individually and then practice hearing them as well as speaking them. Once you’ve spent some time practicing the tones one by one, test yourself with native audio.

Listen to a native conversation and try to pick out the words you hear. If you can get a written version of the conversation double check it after you’ve listened back a few times. Focus on the sounds you missed and work through them more slowly. You can also record yourself saying the conversation aloud and compare your recording to the native one.

ThaiPod101 is a perfect tool for this kind of auditory exercise because their lessons are built around Thai conversations. Each lesson has a transcript and you can even play back individual words at a slower pace if needed!

3) Regional differences in the language

Most spoken languages have different dialects or mild differences in different parts of the world. Thai is no exception. For example, the Thai spoken in the North of Thailand (known as the Isan region) shares more commonalities with the language of nearby Laos than the Thai spoken in other regions of Thailand.

Usually, this isn’t a huge problem for students. Regional differences appear more often in day to day informal speech, and less in media or learning materials. Advance students and travelers might have to grapple with these differences but the average language learner is unlikely to.

If you do encounter a regional difference it’s nothing to sweat about either. Think of it as a door to another room in the deep and mysterious hall that is Thai. The bulk of the language will be the same, so you should able to figure out the words you don’t know pretty well for the words you do know.

4) Listening comprehension

Once you get past the alphabet and have a decent handle on the tones, you will most likely notice a big jump in your language ability. Basic phrases and common words will start coming to you fairly easily. When you start speaking with native speakers though, you will hit the next major roadblock on your journey: listening comprehension.

Listening comprehension is a common problem every language learner faces, whether he or she is learning Thai or a different language. For me, nothing was more discouraging than feeling like native speakers talk at 100+ miles per hour. Even though I knew core vocabulary and grammar, I couldn’t understand Thai when it was spoken naturally.

Fortunately, this challenge is nothing a little practice and a bit of patience can’t solve. Remember the listening exercises we did for the Thai tones? To improve your listening skills, you just need to take that basic exercise and expand it ever so slightly.

When you were working on the five tones you focused on pronouncing and hearing individual words. Well, when you want to take your listening skills to the next level you just need to move from practicing single words to practicing whole phrases.

When words are spoken together in rapid succession, the syllables in the word can be combined, changed, or even dropped altogether. It’s these changes that throw off new students. This happens in every language, not just Thai.

Think of the English phrase. “How are you doing?”. Depending on what part of the English speaking world you’re from, this phrase can sound like “How you doing?” “How ya doin’?” or “How’r you doing?”. What’s natural for native English speakers is not natural to students of the language, and the same goes for Thai.

Practicing your listening skills with whole phrases will help you develop your ear and pick up the nuances of spoken Thai that are unfamiliar to you.

Conclusion

If you’ve studied Thai for more than a week or two you’ll realize pretty quickly it’s no walk in the park. However, the challenges you face shouldn’t discourage you from learning the language. No matter which aspect of the language is giving you trouble, there’s a method or technique for overcoming it. Hopefully, this article inspired you and gave you some practical tools for your journey through the Thai language!

Posted by ThaiPod101.com in Learn Thai, Speak Thai, Thai Phrases, Thai Words, Tips & Techniques | Comment

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