Useful phrases in Thai
For centuries, the Thai language, rather than tripping from foreigners' tongues, has been tripping them up. Its roots go back to the place from which Thais originated in the hills of southern China, but these are overlaid with Indian influences. From the original settlers come the five tones that seem designed to frustrate visitors. While an increasing number of people in Bangkok speak English, negotiating the rest of Thailand will need a little phrasebook help. The official language, Thai, is spoken all over the country, although people in many areas also speak regional dialects.
Where an expression varies according to the gender of the speaker, the alternative versions are followed by an M (masculine) and an F (feminine) in square brackets.
General
Monday wahn jahn
Tuesday wahn ahng•karn
Wednesday wahn púht
Thursday wahn páh•rúe•hàht•sàh•bor•dee
Friday wahn sùhk
Saturday wahn sou
Sunday wahn ar•tíht
Hello! sah•wàht•dee
How are you? bpehn yahng•ngi
Fine, thanks. sah•bie dee kòrp•kuhn
Excuse me! kor•tôet
Do you speak English? kuhn pôot par•sar ahng•grìht dîe mí
What’s your name? kuhn chûee ah•ri
My name is... pom [M]/cháhn [F] chûee…
Nice to meet you. yihn dee têe dîe róo•jàhk
Where are you from? kuhn mar jàrk ni?
I’m from the US/UK. pom [M]/cháhn [F] mar jàrk ah•me•rih•gar/ahng•grìht
What do you do? kuhn tahm•ngarn ah•ri
I work for... pom [M]/cháhn [F] tahm•ngarn têe…
I’m a student. pom [M]/cháhn [F] bpehn náhk•sùek•sar
I’m retired. pom [M]/cháhn [F] gah•sean láew
Do you like...? kuhn chôrp…mí
Numbers
0 soon
1 nùeng
2 sorng
3 sarm
4 sèe
5 hâr
6 hòk
7 jèht
8 bpàet
9 gôw
10 sìhp
100 nùehng róry
500 hâr róry
1,000 nùeng pahn
Arrival and departure
I’m on holiday/business. pom [M]/cháhn [F] mar têaw/túh•ráh
I’m going to... pom [M]/cháhn [F] jah bpi têe…
I’m staying at the... Hotel. pom [M]/cháhn [F] páhk yòo têe roeng•raem…
Money and banking
Where’s...? …yòo têe•ni?
– the ATM dtôo e•tee•ehm
– the bank tah•nar•karn
– the currency exchange office têe ráhp lâek ngern
When does the bank open/close? tah•nar•karn bpèrt /bpìht mûea•rì
I’d like to change dollars/pounds into baht. pom [M]/cháhn [F] yàrk lâek ngern dohn•lâr/bporn bpehn ngern bàrt
Transport
How do I get to town? pom [M]/cháhn [F] jah kôu mueang yahng•ngi
Where’s...? …yòo têe•ni?
– the airport sah•narm•bihn
– the railway [train] station sah•tar•nee rót•fi
– the bus station sah•tar•nee kon•sòng
– the underground [subway] station sah•tar•nee rót•fi tîe dihn
– the skytrain station sah•tar•nee rót•fi•fár
Where do I buy a ticket? pom [M]/cháhn [F] jah súee dtoar dîe têe•ni?
A one-way/return ticket to... dtoar têaw deaw/bpi glàhp bpi…
How much? tôu•rì
Which...? …ni?
– gate bprah•dtoo
– line taew
– platform charn•char•lar
Can I have a map? pom [M]/cháhn [F] kor paen•têe nòhy dî mí
Accommodation
I have a reservation. pom [M]/cháhn [F] jorng hôhng wí
My name is... pom [M]/cháhn [F] chûee…
Do you have a room...? kuhn mee hôhng…mí
– for one/two sahm•ràhp kon deaw/sorng kon
– with a bathroom têe mee hôhng nárm
– with airconditioning têe mee ae
...for... sahm•ràhp…
– tonight kueen née
– two nights sorng kueen
– one week nùeng sàhp•dar
Is there anything cheaper? mee ah•ri têe tòok gwàr née mí
Can I have my bill/a receipt? kor bihn/bi•sèht dôary dî mí
Emergencies
Help! chôary dôary
Go away! ? bpi hî pón
Stop, thief! yùht náh kah•moey
Get a doctor! rêak mor hî nòhy
Fire! fi mî
I’m lost. pom [M]/cháhn [F] long tarng
Can you help me? kuhn chôary pom [M]/cháhn [F] nòhy dî mí
Call the police! chôary rêak dtahm•ròart hî nòhy
There was an accident/attack. mee uh•bàht•dtih•hèt/kon tòok tahm•ríe
I’m innocent. pom [M]/cháhn [F] bor•rih•sùht
I need... pom [M]/cháhn [F] dtôhng•garn…
– an interpreter lârm
– to make a phone call toe•rah•sàhp
– to contact the consulate dtìht•dtòr sah•tarn gong•suhn
Health
I’m ill [sick] pom [M]/cháhn [F] mî sah•bie
I need an English-speaking doctor. pom {M]/cháhn [F] dtôhng•garn mor têe pôot par•sar ahng•grìht dîe
Where’s the chemist [pharmacy]? rárn•kie•yar yòo têe•ni?
What time does it open/close? rárn•kie•yar bpèrt/bpìht gèe moeng
Can you make up [fill] this prescription? chôary jàht yar dtarm bi•sàhng•yar hî nòhy dî mí
What would you recommend for…? kuhn mee yar têe ná•nahm sahm•ràhp ar•garn…mí
– diarrhea tórng rôarng
– insect bites mah•laeng gàht•dtòry
– sunburn dàet pou
Eating out
A table for ..., please. kor dtó sa hm•ràhp…kon
Where’s the toilet [restroom]? hôhng•nárm bpi tarng ni?
A menu, please. kor me•noo nòhy
I’d like ... pom [M]/cháhn [F] yàrk dîe…
The bill [check], please. chéhk bihn dôary
Is service included? roarm kâr bor•rih•garn láew rúe yahng
The wine list/drink menu, please. kor me•noo wie/krûeang dùeem nòhy
Thank you! kòrp•kuhn
Pronunciation
Standard Thai, sometimes called Central Thai or Siamese, part of the Tai family of languages, is a tonal language. Therefore when you mispronounce a word, you don't simply say a word incorrectly: it is another word entirely. The phonetic transcriptions above include the following tone marks:
Tone Pitch Symbol
mid tone normal speaking with the voice at a steady pitch no mark
high tone pitched slightly higher than normal ´
low tone pitched slightly lower than normal `
falling tone pitched high and falling sharply ˆ
rising tone pitched low and rising sharply
Here are examples of how tone changes the meaning of a word:
Pronunciation Tone Meaning
kar mid tone to dangle
kàr low tone galanga (spice)
kâr falling tone to kill
kár high tone to trade
kar rising tone a leg
Read more from the travel guide to Thailand
