Basic Thai Vocabulary
Exploring Thailand offers an exciting blend of vibrant culture, stunning landscapes, and warm hospitality. While English is commonly spoken in tourist areas, knowing some basic Thai phrases can greatly enhance your travel experience and help you connect with locals. Here’s a guide to essential Thai phrases for your trip:
Basic Greetings and Common Phrases• Hello: (Sawasdee)
• For men: (Sawasdee khrap)
• For women: (Sawasdee kha)
Use this for any greeting. Adding "khrap" for men and "kha" for women adds a polite touch.
• Thank you: ขอบคุณ (Khob khun)
For men: (Khob khun khrap)• For women: (Khob khun kha)
• No: (Mai chai)
• Excuse me / Sorry: ขอโทษ (Khor thot) / (Tonakha/kap)
For men: (Khor thot khrap)
For women: (Khor thot kha)
Goodbye: (La gon) ( bye)
For informal goodbyes, you can also use (Sawasdee).
For women: (Khor thot kha)
Goodbye: (La gon) ( bye)
For informal goodbyes, you can also use (Sawasdee).
Numbers:
- One: (Neung)
- Two: (Song)
- Three: (Sam)
- Four: (Si)
- Five: (Ha)
- Six - (Hok)
- Seven - (Jet)
- Eight - (Bheaet)
- Nine - (Gaao)
- Ten: (Sip)
- Twenty: (Yee sip)
- Hundred - (Neung roi )
- Thousand - (Pan)
Usefull Thai Phrases:
• Turn Left - (Leo sai)
• Turn right - (Leo qwa)
• Pai or Pa - (let's go)
• Ron - (hot)
• Yen - (Cold)
• Big - (Yai)
• Small - (Noi)
• What ? (Alai na ?)
Use this when inquiring about prices
• Do you speak english ? (Phut passa angrit dai mai ?)
• Where is the restroom?: (Hong nam yoo tee nai ?)Hong nam means restroom, and yoo tee nai means where.
• What is your name ? (Khun chu arai ka\kap ?)
• What is the time right now ? (Gee moong leo?)
• Sabai dee mai ? (How are you ?)
• I don’t understand: (Mai kao jai)
• I don’t understand: (Mai kao jai)
• Little bit - (Nid noy)
• Help!: (Chuay duay)
• Very Delicious: (Aroi mak) (Sep )• Help!: (Chuay duay)
• Water: (Nam)
A great word to use when enjoying local food.
• Spicy - (Phet)
• Not spicy - (Mai Phet)
Use this to ask for the bill at a restaurant.
• Quickly please - (Leo Leo)
• Slowly please - (Cha Cha)
Funny and romantic:
• Ting tong - (Crazy)
• Oiiii - (Oh common )
• Talok ah - (That's funny)
• Dek Dee - (Good boy | Good girl)
• Boom boom - (in the bedroom 😏)
• You are very beautiful - (Khun suay mak)
• You are so cute - (Khun nalak jung loie)
• I love you - (Chan | Phom rak khun)
• I miss you - (Chan | Phom Khitung khun)
•Can I sit here? The chair told me you’re lonely.
(Nang trong níi daai mai khráp?… gao-he man bok waa khun ngao)
• Do you have LINE? Or should I just follow my heart instead?
(Khun mii LINE mai khrap? ruu hai phom taam jai khun thaaen gor daai)
• You’re so charming… I can’t stop looking at you.
(Khun mii sa-nee maak loei na khrap, jon phom moong mai yut loei)
• You’re just like Wi-Fi… because I feel a connection.
(Khun nii muan Wi-Fi loei na khrap… phror phom ruu-suk waa mii connection)
• Tonight you are so beautiful I can't even notice anyone else
(kheun-níi khun suai jon phom moong khon-uun mai ork loei khrap)
• I like your eyes… they’re very attractive.
(Phom chop saai-dtaa khun na khrap, man naa dueng-duut maak)
Transportation
• Taxi: แท็กซี่ (Teksi)
For example, BTS station is (Sa-tha-nee BTS).
• Bus: (Rot mae)
• Train: (Rot fai)
• Motorcycle Taxi: (Win motorcy)
Shopping
• Can you lower the price?: (Lot noi dai mai ka\kap ?)
Pronunciation Tips
• Tones: Thai is a tonal language, so pay attention to the tones as they can change the meaning of words. Listen to how locals pronounce words and try to mimic them.
Conclusion
Learning these basic Thai phrases will help you navigate your travels with ease and make meaningful connections with locals. Don’t stress about perfect pronunciation—locals appreciate any effort to speak their language. Enjoy your journey in Thailand, and have a fantastic time in the Land of Smiles!
