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Koh Phi Phi View Point, Thailand

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.

Koh Phi Phi View Point, Thailand

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.

Lonely Beach, Koh Chang, Thailand

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

Bangkok, Thailand

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

Barn & Bed Hostel in Bangkok, Thailand

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!

March 28, 2017 By Alex Charters 9 Comments

Filed Under: Alex Charters, All Aboard!, Around the World, Asia, Destinations, In Translation, Our Travelers, Thailand, Travel Tips Tagged With: Asia, culture, Southeast Asia, Thai, Thailand

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tarik

    April 23, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    Great general tips here. I also recommend getting the Thai Phrasebook from ThailandRedCat. It contains a lot of great lessons and will help you learn faster. The tricky thing about Thai is the tonal sounds. There are around 6 different sounds. So I recommend listening to Thai speakers on Youtube and listening to the Thai news as well. This helped me comprehend better because Thais do speak very fast.

    If you are really serious about learning, then apply for a Thai ED visa through a good language school. You can get a 1 year Thai visa along with Thai classes for around $1,500. It’s a great deal plus gives you a long visa without worrying about visa runs!

    Reply
    • Alex Charters

      May 12, 2017 at 10:10 am

      Thanks for sharing all that great info!

      Reply
  2. Tarik

    May 12, 2017 at 11:26 am

    Sure thing. I’d be happy to share more Thailand travel tips with your audience. Please drop me an email if you’re interested. Great blog BTW!

    Reply
  3. Jose Allen

    June 2, 2017 at 1:51 am

    Nice tips, I learned many words in here. Hope it helpful when I visit Thailand

    Reply
    • Alex Charters

      August 16, 2017 at 7:19 am

      I hope so too! 🙂

      Reply
  4. JooJoobs

    October 4, 2017 at 7:32 pm

    Great list!

    I’ve lived here for 7 years now, with my Thai family.

    The longer I stay, the more I realize, Thai doesn’t translate to English!

    The best thing for newcomers who are serious about learning the language, learn the alphabet on day 1 and live in Bangkok. (not Chiang Mai)

    There are different dialects in different regions. If you live in Chiang Mai, they will teach Bangkok Thai in schools but speak a different language (Lanna) in the community.

    Reply
  5. Joe Peters

    December 21, 2017 at 2:07 am

    great article on the translation work in thai. great job. if i was about to board the flight to thailand this would be the most important things to say and listen to. thanks for putting this up

    Reply
  6. maik

    October 5, 2018 at 4:38 am

    great list. it was really helpful for me.

    Reply
  7. Bryson Fico

    April 9, 2021 at 10:35 am

    Excellent choice of words and phrases. Effective communication is key when you don’t speak the native language.

    Reply

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