Thai Dictionary A to K
Simple Thai words from A to K for travellers in Thailand.
This page is a basic Thai-English word list, using simple English-style pronunciation. It is not formal Thai transliteration, but it should help with everyday travel words, signs, shopping, food, hotels and getting around.
Thai has tones, so English spelling will never be perfect. I have kept the pronunciation simple and consistent, using plain traveller-style spelling rather than a formal language-school system.
A
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| a / an / the | There are no direct articles in Thai. |
| able | bpen |
| accident | u-but -dti -hed |
| across | khaam |
| add | phuem |
| address | tee yoo |
| adventure | pha jon phai |
| advertise | kho-sa-na |
| afraid | klua |
| after | luang |
| afternoon (early) | dton baai |
| afternoon (late) | dton yen |
| again | eek |
| age | ah-yu |
| airport | sa-naam bin |
| alcohol / whisky | lao |
| all | thang mot |
| alone | khon dee-o |
| already | laew |
| always | sa-mer |
| and | laeh |
| arm | khaen |
| around | rop rop |
| arrive | ma tueng |
| ashtray | tee kia buree |
| ask | thaam |
| asleep | norn |
| at | tee |
| attractive | soo-eye |
| aunt | khun paah |
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B
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| back | lung |
| bad | mai dee |
| bakery | raan kai ka-nom-bpung |
| banana | kloo-eye |
| Bangkok | krung teb |
| bank | tha-na-khan |
| bar | baa |
| barber | raan dtad pom |
| bathroom | hong nam |
| bay | ao |
| beach | chai haad |
| beautiful | soo-eye |
| beauty salon | raan serm soo-eye |
| because | proh waah |
| bedroom | hong non |
| beef | nuea |
| beer | beer |
| before | gone |
| believe | chuea |
| belt | kem kut |
| best | dee tee soot |
| better | dee gwaa |
| big | yai |
| bill | bin |
| bitter | kom |
| black | see dam |
| blanket | pah hom |
| blue | see fah |
| boat | rue-a |
| body | rang gaai |
| body hair | khon |
| book | nang seu |
| book shop | raan kai nang seu |
| bored | buea |
| boring | nah buea |
| bottle | kuat |
| bottle opener | tee bperd kuat |
| bottom | gon |
| bowl | jaan |
| boy | dek chai |
| boyfriend / girlfriend | fan |
| bread | ka-nom bpung |
| breakfast | a-han chao |
| bridge | sa-paan |
| bring | ow maah |
| broken | dtaeg ( glass, crystal) huk (wood, plastic ) |
| brown | see nam dtaan |
| builders' yard | raan kai oo-pa-gorn gaw sang |
| bus | rot doy saan, rot may |
| bus station | sa-ta-nee rot may/ rot doy saan , boh khoh soh (common spoken word) |
| busy | yoong |
| but | dtae |
| butchers | raan kai nuea |
| buy | seu |
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C
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| calf | nong |
| camera | klong taai roop |
| can / able | dai |
| can / tin | gra-bpong |
| can? | dai mai |
| cannot | mai dai |
| car | rot yon |
| careful | ra-wang |
| carry | tue |
| carry bag | toong |
| cat | maew |
| ceiling | pay daan |
| chair | gao-ee |
| cheap | took |
| cheek | gam |
| chemist | raan kai yaa |
| chest | na-ok |
| chicken | gai |
| child | dek |
| chilli | prik |
| chips | mun farang tord |
| chocolate | chock-ga-lat |
| choose | leuak |
| cigarette | buree |
| cinema | rong nung |
| city | moo -ung |
| clean / adjective | sa-aat |
| clean / verb | tam kwaam-sa-aat |
| clever | chalart |
| close | bpid |
| close (near) | glaai |
| clothes | suea paa |
| clothes shop | raan kai suea paa |
| cloud | maayk |
| coconut | ma-prao |
| coffee | ga-fae |
| cold (adj.) | yen |
| cold (weather) | nao |
| colour | see |
| comb | weee |
| come | maa |
| complicated | sub son |
| condom | toong yahng |
| contract | san yah |
| cook | tum a-han |
| cough | eye |
| country | pra-tayt |
| crab | bpoo |
| crazy | baa |
| cup | too aye |
| curry | gang |
| cut | dtut |
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D
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| dance | dten-rum |
| dangerous | un-dta-raai |
| dark | mued |
| date | wan-tee |
| daughter | look sao |
| day | wan |
| day after tomorrow | wan ma-rue nee |
| day before yesterday | muea waan suen |
| dead | dtaai |
| dear / darling | tee rak |
| dear / expensive | paeng |
| degree | ong saa |
| delay | chaar |
| delicious | a-roy |
| deliver | song |
| dentist | mor fun |
| dessert | khong waan |
| difficult | yahk |
| dine | taan a-han |
| dinner | a-han yen |
| dirty | sok-a-prok |
| dish / plate | jaan |
| district | amphur |
| disturb | rob kuan |
| do, make | tum |
| doctor | mor |
| document | ek-ga-saan |
| dog | maa |
| don't! | yaah |
| door | bpra-too |
| down | kang laang |
| drink | deum |
| drinking water | nam deum |
| drive | khup |
| drunk | mao |
| dry | hang |
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E
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| ear | hoo |
| earlobe | dting hoo |
| easy | ngaai |
| eat | gin, taan |
| egg | khai |
| elbow | koh sohk |
| electrical shop | raan kai krueng fai faa |
| electricity | fai faa |
| elephant | chung |
| embassy | sa taan toot |
| empty / bottle | plao |
| empty / room | wang |
| energy | gumlung |
| engine | kreuang yon |
| England | prathet ang-grit |
| enough | paw |
| entrance | taang kao |
| envelope | song jod maai |
| evening | dton yen |
| everyone | took kon |
| everything | took yang |
| everywhere | took-tee |
| excellent | yiam |
| except | yok wen |
| excuse me | khor tawt |
| exercise | ok gumlung gai |
| exit | taang ok |
| expensive | paeng |
| eye | dtaa |
| eyebrow | ki-eew |
| eyelash | khon dtaa |
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F
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| face | nah |
| fall | dok |
| family | krob krua |
| famous | dung |
| far | glaai |
| farewell | um laa |
| fat | oo-un |
| father | khun phor |
| favourite | chawp |
| finger | niw |
| finish | set |
| fire | fai |
| fish | plaa |
| floor | puen hong |
| flower | doc maai |
| fly (verb) | bin |
| food | a-han |
| foot, feet | tao |
| forget | luem |
| fork | sohm |
| fresh | sot |
| Friday | wan sook |
| friend | puean |
| from | jaak |
| front | nah |
| fruit | polla-mai |
| full | tem |
| fun | sanook |
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G
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| garbage | ka yaa |
| garden | suan |
| gateway | tahng khao |
| Germany | prathet germany |
| get | dai rub |
| get up | look kuen |
| giant | yuk |
| gift | kong kwean |
| give | hai |
| glad | yin dee |
| glass | gaew |
| glasses | wan dtaa |
| go | bai |
| gold | tong |
| good afternoon | sawaddee |
| good evening | sawaddee don yen |
| good morning | sawaddee don chao |
| good night | ra-tree-sa-wad |
| goodbye | laa gon |
| government | rat ta baan |
| grandmother | khun yaa, khun yaai |
| grape | a-ngun |
| grass | yaa |
| great / big | ying yai |
| green | kiew |
| grill | yang |
| groom | jao bao |
| grow | teb too |
| guilty | phid |
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H
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| hair | pom |
| half | krueng |
| hand | mue |
| handbag | gra-pao |
| happy | mee kwaam sook |
| hard / difficult | yahk |
| hard / strong | khang |
| have | mee |
| he | kao |
| head | hua |
| headache | puard hua |
| heart | hua jai (physical word), jai (emotion) |
| heavy | nuk |
| heel | son tao |
| hello | sawaddee |
| help | choo-eye |
| her | ter |
| here | tee nee |
| hers | kong ter |
| high | soong |
| highway | taang luang |
| hips | sa-poh |
| his | kong kao |
| holiday | wan yuut |
| hope | wang |
| horse | maa |
| hospital | rong pa yaa baan |
| hot | rorn |
| hotel | rong raem |
| hour | cha moong |
| house, home | baan |
| how | yaang-rai |
| how many, how much | tao rai |
| how many? | gee …? |
| hurt | jeb |
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I
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| I (man) | pom |
| I (woman) | chan |
| ice | nam kang |
| identification card | bart pra cha chon |
| if | thaa |
| imagine | jin ta na karn |
| importance | sam kaan |
| impossible | bpen pai mai dai |
| in | nai |
| injury | baad jeb |
| instructor | a-jarn |
| intelligence / clever / smart | chalard |
| interest | son jai |
| interview | suum part |
| invite | chuern |
| is, am, are / object | bpen |
| is, am, are / place | yoo |
| is, am, are (person) | keu |
| island | koh |
| isn't it? | chai mai? |
| it | mun |
| its | khong mun |
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J
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| jackfruit | ka noon |
| jail | kook |
| Japan | yee-poon |
| jasmine | mali |
| jelly | woon |
| jellyfish | maeng ka proon |
| job / work | nngaan |
| join | kao ruam |
| joke | dta lok |
| journey | duen taang |
| juice | naam pholamai |
| jump | ga dort |
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K
| English | Say it like this |
|---|
| keep | keb rak saa |
| key | khun jay |
| kid / child | dek |
| kidnap | lak paa tua |
| kidney | dtai |
| kill | khaa |
| kilogram | kilo |
| kind ( hearted ) | jai dee |
| kitchen | kruea |
| knee | kao |
| knife | meed |
| knock | koh |
| know / a person | roo jak |
| know / a thing | roo |
| Korea | gao-lee |
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This A to K page is part of the Saltwater Dreaming Thai phrase book. For useful sentences, numbers, days and months, use the main Thai phrase guide.
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Useful Thai Phrases
Thai Words L to Z
