Basic Thai For Travelers: Top Thai Phrases You Need To Know

buying pad thai khao sanThailand is one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, and for many good reasons. The Thai people are friendly, hospitable and welcoming, but they also love to see visitors taking the time to learn a few basic Thai phrases, it shows a bit of respect for their culture and will undoubtedly enhance your experience of the country. So don’t be afraid to give it a go, and if you can get as far as mastering the numbers, you may well find that you are also offered a better price when haggling at the local markets!

Thai language can be hard to master for some as it has five distinct tones, some of which may sound deceptively similar, but don’t worry too much about the tones for now, the Thais will know that you are a foreigner and try and be a bit more understanding if you don’t get something quite right, but rest assured, your efforts will certainly be appreciated for learning some Thai language basics. If you venture further out of the tourism hotspots, you will find that the standards of English are often low, and this is compounded by the fact that the Thais are generally shy and afraid of saying something incorrectly, so it would help to download a translation app to your phone which can work offline. It’s much more fun to try and learn a few common Thai phrases and expressions yourself, though!

Note – some Thai words (not many) change depending on whether the speaker is male or female. This includes the polite particle at the end of sentences which is khrap (cap) for a male, and ka (car) for a female. Also, the personal pronouns “I” or “me” are different, pom for a male and chan for a female. In the basic Thai words and phrases below, the male pronunciation is given first, followed by the female, with English to Thai translation with pronunciation.

Here below are a selection of some of the most useful Thai phrases and expressions to get you started and help you communicate and a have basic Thai conversation with the Thai people during a trip to Thailand.

Basic Greetings in Thai

Hello – Sawasdee khrap (sa-wat-dee cap) / sawasdee ka (sa-wat-dee car)

How are you? – Sabaidee mai (sa-by-dee my)

I’m fine, thank you – Sabaidee khrap (sa-by-dee cap) / sabaidee ka (sa-by-dee car)

I’m not well – Mai sabai (my sa-by)

Thank you – Kop khun khrap (kawp coon cap) / kop khun ka (kawp coon car)

Sorry – Khaw tort khrap (cor tort cap) / khaw tort ka (cor tort car)

Can you speak English? – Puut Angrit dai mai (poot ang-keet dye my)

Basic Thai for Getting Around

Where are the taxis? – Taksi yoo tee nai khrap (tak-see you tee nai cap) / Teksi yoo tee nai ka (tak-see you tee nai car)

Where is the train? – Rot fai yoo tee nai khrap (rot-fye you tee nai cap) / Rot fai yoo tee nai ka (rot-fye you tee nai car)

To the hotel please – Bai rong raem khrap (bye low-ng lairm cap) / bay rong raem ka (bye low-ng lairm car).

To the airport, please – Bai sanambin khrap (bye sa-nam-bin cap) / Bay sanamabin ka (bye sa-nam-bin car).

Straight on – Trong bai (trawng bye)

Turn left – Liaow saai (lee-ao sai)

Turn right – Liaow kwaa (lee-ao kwaa)

Basic Thai for Ordering Food & Eating Out

Not spicy please – Mai phet khrap (my pet cap) / mai phet ka (my pet car)

I am vegetarian – Phom bpen mangswirat khrap (pom pen mang-sa-wi-rat cap) / Chan bpen mangswirat ka (chan pen mang-sa-wi-rat car)

Please don’t use fish sauce – Mai sai nam plaa khrap (my-sy nam baa cap) / Mai sai nam plaa ka (my-sy nam baa car)

I would like this one please – Ao an-nii khrap (ao an-nee cap) / ao an-nii ka (ao an-nee car)

Note: “ao” sounds like the noise you make when you stub your toe, it means “want”.

This one – An-nii (an-nee)

That one – An-nan (an-nan)

Where is the bathroom, please? – Hawng nam yoo tii nai khrap (horng nam you tee nye cap) / hawng nam yoo tii nai ka (horng nam you tee nye car)

The bill, please – Check bin khrap (check-bin cap) / Check bin ka (check-bin car)

Basic Thai for Shopping

How much is this one? – An-nii taorai khrap (an-nee tao-lie cap) / An-nii taorai ka (an-nee tao-lie car)

Can you discount? – Suanlod dai mai? (soo-an lod die my)

Do you have big size? – Mii size yai mai? (me size yai my)

How much – Taorai (tao lai)

Expensive! – Paeng (pair-ng)

I like it – Chawp (chorp)

I don’t like it – Mai chawp (my chorp)

Learning Thai Numbers

Learning Thai numbers can be very helpful in many situations. To complicate matters, however, they also have their own symbols, many of which look quite similar to one another. They are often used in official documents, for opening times and sometimes for prices at attractions.

0 – Soon 20 – Yiisip 1000 – Noong pan 0 – ๐
1 – Noong 30 – Samsip 10000 – Noong moon 1 – ๑
2 – Song 40 – Siisip 100000 – Noong saen 2 – ๒
3 – Sam 50 – Hasip 1000000 – Noong larn 3 – ๓
4 – Si 60 – Hoksip 4 – ๔
5 – Ha 70 – Jetsip 5 – ๕
6 – Hok 80 – Bpairtsip 6 – ๖
7 – Jet 90 – Gaosip 7 – ๗
8 – Bpairt 100 – Noong Lawy 8 – ๘
9 – Gao 9 – ๙
10 – Sip 10 – ๑๐

Booking Your Trip to Thailand: Travel Tips & Recommendations

Booking Your Flight to Thailand
Find the cheapest international flights to Thailand by using Skyscanner or use 12go.asia for domestic bookings. These are the two search engines I always use, they check the best prices and deals from all the best Airlines.

Booking Your Accommodation In Thailand
To find the best rates on accommodation in Thailand use Agoda.com. They consistently offer the best prices on accommodation and in the unlikely event you do see it cheaper elsewhere they will match it. Agoda are my #1 booking site when it comes to accommodation in Thailand.

If you are looking for a place to stay in Bangkok, here are some of our favorites:

Khao San Road

Sukhumvit Road

Don’t Go Without Travel Insurance
You really shouldnt go to Thailand without Travel Insurance. Travel insurance can protect you against illness and medical repatriation, accidents, theft and cancellations. Personally I never go on a trip without having comprehensive insurance, I have required it on a few occasions and trust me it’s money very well spent. I recommend World Nomads, they offer excellent cover for Thailand and have fantastic customer service.

Getting Around Thailand
To book internal flights, trains, buses, minivans/taxis and ferries I use 12go.asia, here you can check the latest timetables and prices for almost all methods of transport in Thailand. They offer an easy-to-use booking system and great customer service.

Checkout our Recommended Resources & Save Money
Take a look at our recommended resources page, here we list all of the best companies to use when traveling to Thailand.

Want to learn more about Thailand ?
Checkout our comprehensive travel guide to Thailand, to find the best places to stay, things to do, places to go, travel tips and planning advice.

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