Thai in Translation

Learning the basic words and greetings of another language is one of the best parts about visiting a foreign country and a great way to show interest and respect (even though you may be butchering the language) for the local culture. Native people, in my experience, appreciate and welcome this effort. Even though many Thai people know enough English to get by or have other means of communication, for example, in the markets you will pass a calculator back and forth to negotiate a price, they are still very welcoming and eager to share their culture with visitors that show an interest.

For the learning purpose of this guide and your understanding, the Thai translation has been written phonetically in the English alphabet (and not the beautiful loopy Thai alphabet you have zero chance of sounding out). So here is some basic Thai to get you started!

Also, it’s important to note that in Thailand, to be polite, you end sentences with:
Khap for males and Kha for females.

Thai Greetings:

Hello ~ Sa-wat-dee

How are you? ~ Sa-by-dee-mai

Good ~ Dee

No Good ~ Mai-dee

Good/Well ~ Sa-by-dee

Bye-Bye ~ La-korn

Useful Words/ Phrases in Thai:

Thank You ~ Khob-khun

No ~ Mai-chai

Yes ~ Chai

Please ~ Ka-ru-na

Sorry ~ Sier-jai

Help ~ Chuay-duay

Happy ~ Mee-farm-sook

I Do Not Understand ~ Mai-khaw-jai

I Have a Problem ~ Chan-me-pan-ha

Where is the Toilet ~ Hong-nam-yoo-nai

Thai Food Related Words:

Food ~ A-harn

Delicious ~ A-roy

Spicy ~ Phed

Very Spicy ~ Phed-Mark

Not Spicy ~ Mai-Phed

How Much ~ Tow-rai

Enjoy ~ Sa-nook-mark

Thai Travel Related Words:

Cheap ~ Mai-pang

Expensive ~ Pang

Airport ~ Sa-nam-bin

Bus Station ~ Sa-ta-nee-rod-bud

Train Station ~ Sa-ta-nee-rod-fai

Hotel ~ Rong-ram

Fun Thai Phrases:

I Love You ~ Chan-rak-khun

Sexy Boy ~ Roop-lhor

Sexy Girl ~ Soy-mark

Thai Numbers:

1~ nung  2~ song  3~ sam  4~ see  5~ ha  6~ hok  7~ jed  8~ pad  9~ gao  10~ sib

20~ yee-sib  100~ nueng-roi  1,000~ nueng-phan

Give it a try and don’t be afraid to sound silly! A tip that my sister said to me, that at first sounded rude but turned out to be super helpful, is to whine – exaggerate the last sound of the word and draw it out. It is both oddly satisfying and actually how it’s supposed to sound! Saying Sa-wat-dee-khaaaaaa (if you’re female) is going to be your new favourite hobby, I swear.

Happy travels!

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