Thai Language Basics
It's always good to know few basic phrases in Thai language when you are traveling. It can be really handy if you will be traveling in remote areas or at least will help to get few more sincere Thai smiles from the people you will meet. You should not forget to add Thai particles of politeness - khrap at the end if you are male, and kha if you are female - and you will get even further.
Hello; Goodbye - sawatdee
Hello (for men) - sawatdee khrap
Hello (for women) - sawatdee kha
How are you? - sabaidee mai?
Fine! - sabaidee
Not fine - mai sabai
Thank you (for men) - khaawp khoon khrap
Thank you (for women) - khaawp khoon kha
Talking of Thai Food
Thai food might be one of the reasons you are coming for to Thailand. Few thai words can help you not to get lost in the variety of Thai Food names, especially if you like eating local street food - far from all street vendors can speak English and even less of them bother writing the names of dishes in other language than Thai.
Below you can find some important words that can help you not to die from hunger in Thailand... OK, it's nearly impossible but anyway, it's good to know some words about food in Thai language for making your Thai Food experience smoother.
Thai Food in Thai language
food, meal - aa-haan
Thai food - aa-haan thai
chinese food - aa-haan jeen
seafood - aa-haan tha laeh
restaurant - raan aa-haan
to eat - gin aa-haan
You can't eat spicy food? Better let them know before ordering as Thai Food can be really spicy:
- not spicy - mai phet
Your meal was so delicious? Don't forget to let them know it:
- very tasty - a-roi maak
Thai Food dishes
You may have an idea of Thai Food dishes you wish to try while on your trip in Thailand and it's a good idea to know their names in Thai language.
Thai fried noodles - phat thai
Tom Yam - dtohm yam
Thai style curry - gaaeng
Thai fried rice - khaao phat
pork skewer - muu sadteh
sausage - sai graawk
rice - khaao
sticky rice - khaao niaao
Noodles in Thai language
There plenty of noodle types in Thailand and for the first timer it might be difficult to see the difference.
noodles - sen
rice noodles - mee
egg noodles - ba mee
rice noodles - guay dtiaao
Learn how to order noodle in Thai with our Thai Street Food Guide: How to Order Noodle in Thailand.
Variations of egg in Thai language
There are many variations of Thai omelette you should try, oyster omelette being the top choice of tourists. Or you can be like a Thai and order fried egg on top of your rice dish - with these words it will be easy. Order omelette in Thai language!
egg - khai
omelette - khai jiaao
fried egg - khai daao
boiled egg - khai dtohm
Meat and fish in Thai language
Thai dishes quite often can be ordered with an addition of your choice - you can have your Pad Thai plain, with chicken, shrimps or seafood, whatever you like the most. Just add one of these Thai words and if the vendor has it, you will get it.
meat, beef - neuua
chicken - gai
duck - bpet
pork - muu
seafood - tha laeh
fish - bplaa
shrimp - goong
crab - bpuu
Drinks in Thai language
Getting thirsty? You just need to know few words and can order your drink in Thai language.
water - naam
ice - nam khaeng
fruit juice - naam phohn-la-maai
milk - nohm
coffee - gaa faae
tea - chaa
beer - biia
Thai Numbers
Being able to speak and understand numbers in Thai language is an essential skill for any traveler in Thailand. Even if the numbers are the most common English words known by Thais, you can't always rely on their knowledge, especially if you are dealing with some street vendor or motorbike driver who rarely if ever interacts with foreigners. Learning Thai numbers is easy and it can help you a lot. Use your knowledge for bargaining and your chances of getting "Thai" price will grow up significantly!
How much..? - thao rai?
money - ngern
Although Thai has its own numerals, western digits are more commonly used throughout Thailand.
1 - neung (๑)
2 - song (๒)
3 - saam (๓)
4 - see (๔)
5 - haa (๕)
6 - hok (๖)
7 - jet (๗)
8 - bpaaet (๘)
9 - gaao (๙)
10 - sip (๑๐)
When you know these ten numbers, counting in Thai language becomes easy.
11 - sip et
12 - sip song
13 - sip saam
14 - sip see
15 - sip haa
16 - sip hok
17 - sip jet
18 - sip bpaaet
19 - sip gaao
20 - yee sip
21 - yee sip et
30 - saam sip
40 - see sip
50 - haa sip
60 - hok sip
70 - jet sip
80 - bpaaet sip
90 - gaao sip
100 - roi
101 - roi neung
200 - song roi
If you are dealing with large numbers and more zeros, pay your attention to the difference between English and Thai numbering systems - Thais use new words to define tens and hundreds of thousands. This can be quite confusing for Thais and your knowledge in Thai language can help you to avoid misunderstandings.
1.000 - phan
10.000 - meuun
100.000 - saaen
1.000.000 - laan
Popular Songs in Thai Language
If you are willing to try and learn more of Thai language, checking popular song translation to Thai language can be a fun way to do so. Lots of song translations can be found here: Song by THAI.LT.