You do not need fluent Thai to travel well in Thailand — but a handful of phrases changes everything. Start with sawasdee (สวัสดี) for hello, khop khun (ขอบคุณ) for thank you, and mai pen rai (ไม่เป็นไร) for "no problem," and you will see faces light up from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
In tourist areas most people speak some English, so nothing on this list is strictly required. It is simply the fastest way to show respect — and Thais are famously generous with anyone who tries even a few words of their language.
Politeness first: krub and ka
Before learning any phrases, learn the one habit that makes all of them sound polite. Men end sentences with krub (ครับ), women with ka (ค่ะ). You may also see the male particle written as khrap or khap — in everyday speech the "r" is usually dropped.
There is a Thai word for please, but it is rarely used the way English speakers expect. Instead, that soft particle at the end of a sentence does the job of "please" and "thank you" combined.
When in doubt, add krub or ka to anything you say — even single words. "Aroy krub!" (delicious!) sounds friendly and complete. Read more in our guide to ka and krub.
The essentials
These five carry you from the airport to almost any situation. Phrases below show the male ending; women swap krub for ka.
สวัสดีครับ
sawasdee krub
Hello (male speaker)
ขอบคุณค่ะ
khop khun ka
Thank you (female speaker)
ขอโทษครับ
kho thot krub
Excuse me / sorry (male speaker)
ใช่ / ไม่ใช่
chai / mai chai
Yes / no
ไม่เป็นไร
mai pen rai
No problem, never mind
Getting around
Thai taxi and tuk-tuk drivers do not expect foreigners to speak Thai, which is exactly why a little effort goes a long way.
ไปที่นี่ได้ไหม
pai tee nee dai mai
Can you go here? (while pointing at a map)
เลี้ยวซ้าย / เลี้ยวขวา
liao sai / liao kwa
Turn left / turn right
ตรงไป
trong pai
Straight ahead
จอดที่นี่ครับ
jot tee nee krub
Stop here, please (male speaker)
Eating out
Food is the heart of Thai life, and the vocabulary is delightfully easy to pick up. Two words you will use daily: aroy (อร่อย) for delicious and phet (เผ็ด) for spicy.
ขอเมนูหน่อยครับ
kho menu noi krub
The menu, please (male speaker)
ไม่เผ็ดค่ะ
mai phet ka
Not spicy, please (female speaker)
อร่อยมาก
aroy mak
Very delicious
เช็คบิลครับ
check bin krub
The bill, please (male speaker)
Complimenting food is real currency in Thailand. Saying "aroy mak" to a street-food cook — with a smile — will often get you a bigger portion next time. For a deeper menu decoder, see our guide to Thai food words.
Shopping and markets
Markets are where your Thai gets its first workout. Learn the numbers if you can — our Thai numbers guide covers 1 to 10 in two minutes — but these phrases work even without them.
อันนี้เท่าไหร่
an nee tao rai
How much is this one?
ลดหน่อยได้ไหม
lot noi dai mai
Can you lower the price a little?
แพงไป
paeng pai
Too expensive
When you get stuck
No phrasebook survives contact with a fast-talking local. These three keep the conversation friendly while you catch up.
ไม่เข้าใจครับ
mai kao jai krub
I don't understand (male speaker)
พูดไทยนิดหน่อย
pood thai nit noi
I speak a little Thai
คุณพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหม
khun pood pasa angkrit dai mai
Do you speak English?
Thai is a tonal language, so the same syllable said with a different pitch can be a different word entirely. Don't let that scare you — context rescues beginners constantly — but if a phrase gets a blank look, try pointing, smiling, and simplifying rather than repeating it louder. Our guide to Thai tones explains the five tones with examples.
Keep learning Thai
Ten phrases open doors; a hundred start friendships. Keep going with our free essential Thai phrases list, then practice speaking with audio and spaced repetition in the Pretalk app — a few minutes a day is enough to land in Bangkok sounding confident.
