Useful Thai Phrases for Travellers
Simple Thai words and phrases for travelling in Thailand.
This is not a formal Thai language course. It is a simple traveller phrase guide, using easy English-style pronunciation to help you get by with basic Thai words and phrases.
Thai has tones, so English spelling will never be perfect. The pronunciation here is kept simple on purpose. Add krap at the end if you are male, or ka if you are female, to make the sentence polite.
Polite Words
Thai sounds friendlier when you add a polite word at the end of a sentence. Men usually say krap. Women usually say ka.
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| Polite word for men | Krap | Add it to the end of a sentence if you are male. |
| Polite word for women | Ka | Add it to the end of a sentence if you are female. |
| I / me, for men | Pom | Used by male speakers. |
| I / me, for women | Chan | Used by female speakers. |
| Thank you | Khop khun krap / ka | One of the most useful Thai phrases. |
Small Talk
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| Hello / How are you? | Sawadee krap / ka. Sabai dee mai? | A polite everyday greeting. |
| I am very well, thank you | Sabai dee. Khop khun krap / ka. | A simple reply when someone asks how you are. |
| Pleased to meet you | Dee jai tee dai pop khun | Useful, but a little formal. |
| My name is… | Pom / chan chue… | Use pom if you are male, chan if you are female. |
| Can you help me? | Chuay noi dai mai krap / ka? | Good phrase to remember. |
| Can I have… | Khor… | Use before the thing you want. |
| I would like… | Ao… | Short and useful. |
| Is there… here? | Tee nee mee… mai? | Useful when asking about places or things. |
| That is right | Thook laew krap / ka | Means correct or that is right. |
| Goodbye | La gon na | Casual goodbye. |
| See you again | Laew pop gan mai | Means see you again. |
| Good luck | Khor hai chok dee | Friendly and useful. |
| I cannot speak Thai | Phut phasa Thai mai dai | Very useful for travellers. |
| Do you speak English? | Phut phasa Ang-grit dai mai? | Use politely with krap / ka. |
| I do not understand | Mai khao jai | Probably one of the most useful phrases on the page. |
| Please speak slowly | Phut cha cha noi krap / ka | Useful if someone answers too quickly. |
| I do not know | Mai roo | Simple everyday phrase. |
| Do you understand? | Khao jai mai? | Short and common. |
| Please write it down for me | Chuay khian hai noi dai mai? | Helpful with addresses, prices and directions. |
| What is this? | Nee arai? | Useful when eating, shopping or looking confused. |
| Never mind / no problem | Mai pen rai | Very common in Thailand. |
| I am not interested | Mai son jai | Softer than sounding annoyed. |
| What time is it? | Gee mong laew? | Useful, although most people just check their phone now. |
| Be careful | Ra-wang | Good word to know. |
| Sorry | Khor thot krap / ka | Polite apology. |
| I am really sorry | Pom / chan sia jai jing jing | More serious apology. |
| Darling | Tee rak | For someone close to you. Use wisely, champion. |
| I love you | Pom / chan rak khun | Pom for men, chan for women. |
Restaurant Phrases
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| Could I have a cup of coffee, please? | Khor gaa-fae nueng thuay dai mai? | Simple way to ask for coffee. |
| May I have some more milk? | Khor nom perm noi dai mai? | Useful if you like milk in your coffee. |
| I cannot eat spicy food | Gin phet mai dai | Very useful in Thailand. Very useful. |
| Can I have a table for two, please? | Khor to samrap song khon dai mai? | Useful in busier restaurants. |
| I did not order this | Mai dai sang an nee | For when dinner takes an unexpected turn. |
| Bill please | Check bin krap / ka | Very common in restaurants. |
| Please collect the money | Gep ngern krap / ka | Another way to ask for the bill. |
Around Town
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| Where is the nearest letter box? | Too jod mai yoo tee nai? | Less common now, but still useful. |
| Where can I post a letter? | Song jod mai dai tee nai? | Useful if you are still doing postcards properly. |
| I want to go to Lamai | Pom / chan yaak ja pai Lamai | Change Lamai to the place you want. |
| Where can I park? | Jod rot dai tee nai? | Useful if driving. |
| I want to go… | Yaak ja pai… | Add the place after the phrase. |
| Where is…? | …yoo tee nai? | Put the place or thing first. |
| Where is the toilet? | Hong nam yoo tee nai? | Possibly the most important travel phrase here. |
| Come to see | Maa haa | Simple phrase. |
| Go to see | Pai haa | Simple phrase. |
| May I take a photograph? | Tai roop dai mai? | Polite to ask before taking photos of people. |
Hotel Phrases
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| Do you take credit cards? | Rap bat credit mai? | Useful at smaller hotels and guesthouses. |
| I would like a room with air-conditioning | Ao hong tit air | Important in Thailand unless you enjoy sweating indoors. |
| How much for one night? | Kha hong wan la tao rai? | Useful for walk-in bookings. |
| Can I see the room first? | Khor doo hong gon dai mai? | Sensible before paying. |
| Could you bring my luggage up? | Chuay yok gra-pao maa hai noi dai mai? | Useful in hotels without lifts. |
| Can I have a bottle of drinking water? | Khor nam plao nueng kuat dai mai? | Very useful. |
| I will be back at… o’clock | Pom / chan ja glap wela… mong | Use if leaving a key or arranging pickup. |
| I am leaving tomorrow | Pom / chan ja pai prung nee | Useful at reception. |
| Where can I buy shoes? | Seu rong tao dai tee nai? | Change shoes to whatever you need. |
Phone Calls
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| May I use the telephone? | Khor chai tor-ra-sap dai mai? | Less common now, but still useful. |
| I would like to speak to Mr John | Khor phut gap khun John dai mai? | Change the name as needed. |
| My phone number is… | Ber tor-ra-sap khong pom / chan kue… | Use when giving your number. |
| When will he be back? | Khao ja glap maa muea rai? | Useful if someone is not there. |
| Who is speaking? | Krai phut? | Simple and direct. |
| I will call back later | Diaw ja toh maa mai | Useful phrase. |
Thai Numbers
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| One | Neung | |
| Two | Song | |
| Three | Saam | |
| Four | See | |
| Five | Haa | |
| Six | Hok | |
| Seven | Jet | |
| Eight | Paet | |
| Nine | Gao | |
| Ten | Sip | |
| Eleven | Sip et | One changes slightly after ten. |
| Twelve | Sip song | |
| One hundred | Neung roi | |
| One thousand | Neung pan | |
| Ten thousand | Neung muen | Useful for larger prices. |
Days of the Week
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| Sunday | Wan a-thit | |
| Monday | Wan jan | |
| Tuesday | Wan ang-khan | |
| Wednesday | Wan phut | |
| Thursday | Wan pha-rue-hat | |
| Friday | Wan sook | |
| Saturday | Wan sao | |
Months of the Year
| English | Say it like this | Note |
|---|
| January | Ma-ga-ra-khom | |
| February | Gum-pha-phan | |
| March | Mee-na-khom | |
| April | May-sa-yon | |
| May | Prut-sa-pha-khom | |
| June | Mi-thu-na-yon | |
| July | Ga-ra-ga-da-khom | |
| August | Sing-ha-khom | |
| September | Gan-ya-yon | |
| October | Too-la-khom | |
| November | Prut-sa-ji-ga-yon | |
| December | Than-wa-khom | |
This page keeps the pronunciation simple for travellers. Thai spelling and tones are more complicated than this, but these phrases should be enough to help with greetings, food, shopping, hotels and getting around.
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Thai Words L to Z
