Before going abroad experienced travelers advise learning basic phrases in the language of the country you are planning to visit. It can help you to quickly get to your destination; bargain on the market; order a dish in a restaurant; make friends; get to know the locals and culture etc.
Below you will find a list of useful phrases in Thai which you can use during your next trip to the land of smiles.
Hello (and goodbye) — sawadi (kaaa or krap)
thank you — ko pun (kaaa or krap)
please — karunaa
good luck! — chok diy (kaa or krap)
how much it? – tao rai (kaaa or krap)?
do not put chili / no spicy — may pet
don’t put sugar — mai sai nam tan
a little – nit noy
so much, a lot– mak mak
tasty — arooi
very tasty! — mak mak aroi
can? – daai mai?
you can’t — may daai
you can — daai
no — may
is there? (in stock) — mi may?
no — may mi
what is it? — ni arai
expensive — peen
Food vocabulary
rice — khao
fried rice — khao phat
egg — khai
omelette — khai tot
fried egg — khai dao
water — naam
meat, beef — neuua
chicken — gai
pork — muu
fish — plaa
shrimp — gong
fruit juice — naam phon la maai
milk — nom
coffee — gaa faae
tea — chaa
beer — biia
vegetables — pak
watermelon — teng mo
pineaple — sapolot
mango — mamuang
soup — tom
fish sauce — nam pla
thai fried noodles — phat thai
sticky rice — khao niao
hainanese chicken rice — khao man gai
*To express a respect to a person you are talking to at the end of each phrase, add the prefix «krap» or «kap» – if you are a man, and «ka» if you are a woman.
For better remembering the most common phrases in Thai, please have a look on flashcards represented below: