Kra-Dai · Thai
Thaiภาษาไทย
70M speakers · Southeast Asia
250 terms
sawatdi
Hello
The universal Thai greeting, used any time of day; men add khrap, women add kha.
arun sawat
Good morning
A formal morning greeting; in everyday speech Thais simply say sawatdi.
ratri sawat
Good night
A polite phrase said before going to bed.
la kon
Goodbye
A farewell for longer partings; for casual goodbyes Thais often say sawatdi.
laeo choe kan
See you later
A casual way to say goodbye to someone you will meet again.
khop khun
Thank you
The standard expression of gratitude, often with a wai gesture.
mai pen rai
You're welcome; no worries
The famous Thai phrase of easy-goingness: never mind, it's okay, you're welcome.
kho thot
Sorry; excuse me
An apology, also used to get someone's attention politely.
chai
Yes
An affirmative answer confirming something is true.
mai chai
No
A negative answer meaning that something is not the case.
sabai di mai
How are you?
A common question asking about wellbeing, literally are you comfortable.
sabai di
I'm fine
The standard reply to how are you, meaning comfortable and well.
phom chue
My name is (male)
How a man introduces himself; a woman says chan chue or dichan chue.
yindi thi dai ru chak
Nice to meet you
Said when meeting someone for the first time.
yindi ton rap
Welcome
Used to welcome guests or visitors.
chok di
Good luck
A wish for success, also used as a casual goodbye.
chon kaeo
Cheers
A toast, literally clink glasses.
mai khao chai
I don't understand
A useful phrase for learners when something is unclear.
nueng
One
The number one.
song
Two
The number two.
sam
Three
The number three.
si
Four
The number four.
ha
Five
The number five; typing 555 means hahaha in Thai internet slang.
hok
Six
The number six.
chet
Seven
The number seven.
paet
Eight
The number eight.
kao
Nine
The number nine; considered lucky because it sounds like moving forward.
sip
Ten
The number ten.
roi
Hundred
The number one hundred.
phan
Thousand
The number one thousand.
wan ni
Today
The present day.
phrung ni
Tomorrow
The day after today.
muea wan
Yesterday
The day before today.
ton ni
Now
At the present moment.
chua mong
Hour
A period of sixty minutes.
nathi
Minute
A period of sixty seconds.
sapda
Week
A period of seven days; colloquially also athit.
pi
Year
A period of twelve months.
khrop khrua
Family
A group of people related by blood or marriage.
mae
Mother
A female parent.
pho
Father
A male parent.
phi chai
Older brother
Thai distinguishes older and younger siblings; phi means older sibling.
phi sao
Older sister
An older female sibling.
nong chai
Younger brother
A younger male sibling; nong means younger sibling.
nong sao
Younger sister
A younger female sibling.
luk chai
Son
A male child in relation to his parents.
luk sao
Daughter
A female child in relation to her parents.
pu
Grandfather (paternal)
Your father's father; the mother's father is ta.
ya
Grandmother (paternal)
Your father's mother; the mother's mother is yai.
sami
Husband
The man a woman is married to.
phanraya
Wife
The woman a man is married to.
dek
Child
A young person.
phuean
Friend
A person you know well and like.
phu chai
Man
An adult male person.
phu ying
Woman
An adult female person.
khru
Teacher
A person who teaches; teachers are highly respected in Thai culture.
nam
Water
The clear liquid essential for life; also appears in many compounds.
cha
Tea
A hot or iced drink; Thai iced tea, cha yen, is world-famous.
kafae
Coffee
A hot or iced drink made from coffee beans.
khao
Rice
The staple Thai food; eating a meal is literally kin khao, to eat rice.
kuai tiao
Noodles
Noodle soup, one of the most popular Thai street foods.
nuea
Meat; beef
Meat in general, or specifically beef.
kai
Chicken
Chicken meat, central to dishes like khao man kai.
pla
Fish
An animal that lives in water, eaten as food.
khai
Egg
An egg laid by a hen, a common breakfast food.
phak
Vegetables
Plants grown for food.
phonlamai
Fruit
Sweet plant foods; Thailand is famous for its tropical fruit.
mamuang
Mango
A sweet tropical fruit; mango sticky rice is a beloved dessert.
nom
Milk
A white drink produced by cows.
nam phonlamai
Juice
A drink made from pressed fruit.
namtan
Sugar
A sweet substance; Thai food often balances sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
kluea
Salt
A white substance used to season food.
phet
Spicy
Hot in taste; the defining flavour of Thai cuisine.
ahan chao
Breakfast
The first meal of the day.
ahan klang wan
Lunch
The meal eaten in the middle of the day.
ahan yen
Dinner
The meal eaten in the evening.
sanam bin
Airport
A place where airplanes take off and land.
khrueang bin
Airplane
A flying vehicle with wings and engines.
rot fai
Train
A connected line of carriages that runs on rails.
sathani
Station
A place where trains or buses stop for passengers.
rot me
Bus
A city bus; a long-distance coach is rot bat or rot tua.
thaeksi
Taxi
A car you pay to be driven somewhere in; Bangkok taxis are colourful.
tuk tuk
Tuk-tuk
The iconic three-wheeled Thai taxi.
rong raem
Hotel
A place where travelers pay to stay overnight.
ran ahan
Restaurant
A place where you pay to eat meals.
mueang
City; town
A large town; Thailand itself is called mueang Thai.
mu ban
Village
A small settlement in the countryside.
thanon
Street; road
A road in a city or town.
nangsue doen thang
Passport
An official document needed for traveling abroad, literally travel book.
tua
Ticket
A piece of paper that allows you to travel or enter a place.
phaen thi
Map
A drawing showing streets, cities, or countries.
thanakan
Bank
A place where people keep and borrow money.
talat
Market
A place where goods are sold; Thai night markets and floating markets are famous.
chai hat
Beach
A sandy shore by the sea; Thailand's beaches draw visitors worldwide.
thiao
To travel; to go out
To travel for fun; pai thiao means to go on a trip.
phra athit
Sun
The star that gives Earth light and warmth.
phra chan
Moon
The bright object seen in the sky at night.
dao
Star
A point of light visible in the night sky.
thong fa
Sky
The space above the earth where clouds and stars appear.
thale
Sea
The large body of salt water; Thailand has two beautiful coastlines.
mae nam
River
A large natural stream of water, literally mother of water.
phukhao
Mountain
A very high hill; northern Thailand is full of mountains.
pa
Forest; jungle
A large area covered with trees.
ton mai
Tree
A tall plant with a trunk, branches, and leaves.
dok mai
Flower
The colorful blossom of a plant.
fon
Rain
Water that falls from clouds; the rainy season runs roughly May to October.
lom
Wind
Moving air that you can feel.
akat
Weather; air
The condition of the air; also means the air itself.
sat
Animal
A living creature such as a dog, bird, or fish.
chang
Elephant
The national animal of Thailand, a symbol of strength and luck.
maeo
Cat
A small pet animal; the Siamese cat originated in Thailand.
rang kai
Body
The whole physical structure of a person.
hua
Head
The top part of the body; in Thai culture the head is sacred — never touch it.
ta
Eye
The part of the body used for seeing; also means maternal grandfather.
hu
Ear
The part of the body used for hearing.
chamuk
Nose
The part of the face used for smelling and breathing.
pak
Mouth
The part of the face used for eating and speaking.
mue
Hand
The part of the body at the end of the arm; used in the wai greeting.
thao
Foot
The part at the end of the leg; pointing feet at people is impolite in Thailand.
hua chai
Heart
The organ that pumps blood, also used for feelings.
phom
Hair
The hair on the head; the same word is the male pronoun I.
thong
Stomach; belly
The belly; puat thong means stomach ache.
mo
Doctor
A person trained to treat sick people.
rong phayaban
Hospital
A place where sick people are treated.
ya
Medicine
Something you take to treat an illness.
sukkhaphap
Health
The condition of the body and mind.
puai
Sick
Ill, not in good health.
ngan
Work; job; event
A job or task; also means a festival or event.
borisat
Company
A business organization that sells goods or services.
samnak ngan
Office
A room or building where people work at desks.
chao nai
Boss
The person in charge at work.
phuean ruam ngan
Colleague
A person you work with, literally friend who shares work.
prachum
Meeting
An occasion when people come together to discuss something.
ngoen
Money; silver
Coins and banknotes; the word also means silver.
ngoen duean
Salary
The money you receive monthly for your work, literally month money.
khomphiotoe
Computer
An electronic machine used for work and entertainment; a loanword.
thorasap
Telephone
A device used for calling people; a mobile is mue thue.
achip
Profession
The type of work a person is trained to do.
khrongkan
Project
A planned piece of work with a clear goal.
luk kha
Customer
A person who buys goods or services.
sanya
Contract; promise
A formal written agreement; also means a promise.
phu chatkan
Manager
The person who leads a company, shop, or team.
rong ngan
Factory
A building where goods are made with machines.
watthanatham
Culture
The art, customs, and traditions of a society.
prawattisat
History
The study of past events, or the events themselves.
phasa
Language
A system of words used by a nation or group.
nangsue
Book
Written pages bound together for reading.
dontri
Music
Sounds arranged in a pleasing way, made by voices or instruments.
nang
Movie
A story shown in moving pictures; also means leather.
sinlapa
Art
Painting, sculpture, and other creative work.
phiphitthaphan
Museum
A building where important objects and art are shown.
thetsakan
Festival
A special time of celebration.
songkran
Songkran
The Thai New Year water festival in April, famous worldwide.
satsana
Religion
Belief in and worship of a god or gods; most Thais are Buddhist.
wat
Temple
A Buddhist temple; Thailand has more than forty thousand of them.
khao
News
Reports about recent events.
ratthaban
Government
The group of people who rule a country.
pen
To be
To be something or someone; used with nouns.
mi
To have
To own or possess something; also expresses there is.
pai
To go
To move from one place to another.
ma
To come
To move toward the speaker or a place.
kin
To eat
To put food in your mouth; kin khao literally means eat rice.
duem
To drink
To take liquid into your mouth and swallow it.
hen
To see
To notice something with your eyes.
fang
To listen
To pay attention to sounds or speech.
phut
To speak
To say words, to talk.
an
To read
To look at words and understand them.
khian
To write
To form letters and words on paper or a screen.
sue
To buy
To get something by paying money.
khai
To sell
To give something in exchange for money.
tham
To do; to make
To perform an action or create something.
tham ngan
To work
To do a job, literally to do work.
khit
To think
To use your mind to form ideas or opinions.
yak
To want (to do)
To wish to do something; used before another verb.
rak
To love
To feel deep affection for someone.
chop
To like
To find something pleasant or enjoyable.
rian
To learn; to study
To gain knowledge or skill.
ru
To know (facts)
To have information in your mind.
ru chak
To know (people, places)
To be familiar with a person, place, or thing.
hai
To give
To hand something to someone; also marks for someone.
ao
To take; to want
To take something; also used for ordering, like ao kafae.
ha
To look for
To try to find something or someone.
chuai
To help
To make something easier for someone.
roem
To begin
To start doing something.
set
To finish
To be done or completed.
di
Good
Of high quality or pleasant; appears in sawatdi and sabai di.
mai di
Bad
Not good; Thai often negates di rather than using a separate word.
yai
Big
Of great size.
lek
Small
Of little size.
mai
New
Recently made or bought.
kao
Old (things)
Having existed for a long time; for people use kae.
ron
Hot
Having a high temperature; Thailand's hot season is very hot indeed.
yen
Cool; cold
Having a low temperature; also means evening, as in ahan yen.
nao
Cold (weather)
Cold as a feeling or weather; the cool season is na nao.
reo
Fast
Moving or happening quickly.
cha
Slow
Moving or happening without speed.
phaeng
Expensive
Costing a lot of money.
thuk
Cheap; correct
Costing little money; the same word also means correct.
suai
Beautiful
Very pleasing to look at.
ngai
Easy
Not difficult to do or understand.
yak
Difficult
Hard to do or understand.
samkhan
Important
Having great value or significance.
sa-at
Clean
Free from dirt.
sung
Tall; high
Of great height.
yao
Long
Of great length.
san
Short
Of little length or duration.
aroi
Delicious
Having a pleasant taste; one of the most useful Thai words.
arai
What
Used to ask about things.
khrai
Who
Used to ask about people.
thi nai
Where
Used to ask about places.
muea rai
When
Used to ask about time.
thammai
Why
Used to ask about reasons.
yang rai
How
Used to ask about manner; colloquially yangngai.
thao rai
How much
Used to ask about quantity or price — essential for markets.
an nai
Which one
Used to ask about a choice between things.
khong khrai
Whose
Used to ask about ownership.
mai
Question particle
Placed at the end of a sentence to make a yes/no question.
ban
House; home
A building where people live, or your home.
hong
Room
A space inside a building with its own walls.
khrua
Kitchen
The room where food is prepared.
hong nam
Bathroom; toilet
The room with a toilet or shower, literally water room.
hong non
Bedroom
The room where you sleep.
pratu
Door; gate
The entrance to a room or building; also a goal in football.
na tang
Window
An opening in a wall with glass that lets in light.
to
Table
A piece of furniture with a flat top.
kao-i
Chair
A seat with a back for one person.
tiang
Bed
A piece of furniture for sleeping.
non
To sleep; to lie down
To rest with your eyes closed at night.
suea pha
Clothes
Things you wear, such as shirts and trousers.
rong thao
Shoes
Footwear; always removed before entering a Thai home or temple.
kunchae
Key
A metal object used to open locks.
nalika
Clock; watch
A device that shows the time.
thorathat
Television
A device for watching programmes; colloquially thiwi.
khom fai
Lamp
A device that gives light; floating lanterns light up Loy Krathong.
krapao
Bag
A container with handles for carrying things; also means wallet or pocket.
tham ahan
To cook
To prepare food, literally to make food.
sue khong
To go shopping
To buy things, literally to buy stuff.
mi khwam suk
Happy
Feeling pleasure and joy, literally to have happiness.
sao
Sad
Feeling unhappy.
krot
Angry
Feeling strong displeasure; Thais value keeping a cool heart, jai yen.
klua
To be afraid
Feeling fear.
nueai
Tired
Needing rest after work or activity.
hio
Hungry
Feeling the need to eat.
hio nam
Thirsty
Feeling the need to drink, literally hungry for water.
kangwon
Worried
Feeling anxious about something.
buea
Bored
Feeling tired because something is not interesting.
tuen ten
Excited
Feeling very happy and full of anticipation.
pralat chai
Surprised
Feeling wonder because of something unexpected.
khwam rak
Love
A deep feeling of affection; khwam turns verbs into nouns.
khwam wang
Hope
The feeling that something good will happen.