Learning Thai
It's my intention to every day learn some Thai words. I'll write them down, try to form sentences with them that make sense to a native Thai speaker, maybe eventually I'll understand the writing system too, when I compare the written words and their pronounciations ð.
Do you want an interactive way to learn the words in the table below? Check out the flash cards!
Do you want to learn the individual Thai letters? Check out the full alphabet!
| Thai | English | Pronounciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| āļĄāļąāļāļŠāļ§āļīāļĢāļąāļāļī | Vegan / veganism | mang-sa-wee-rat, mangsaweerat | pom kin mangsaweerat |
| āļāļĄ | I | pom | pom suwaii |
| āļāļĄ | Hair | pom | pom khun suwaii maak |
| āļāļīāļ | Eat | kin | pom kin maak |
| āļĢāļąāļ | Love | rak | pom rak khun |
| āļāļļāļ | You | khun | pom rak khun |
| āļŠāļ§āļĒ | Beautiful | su-waii, suwaii | pom suwaii |
| āļĄāļēāļ | A lot / much / many | maak | pom rak khun maak |
| āļāļĩāđ | Pee (normal) | chi | pom puat chi |
| āļāļ§āļ | Pain | pu-at, puat | pom puat chi |
| āđāļāđāļ | Hurt | cheb | cheb |
| āđāļāđāļ | Pee (informal) | yi (high note, but not super high) aww, yiaww | puat yiaww |
| āļāļąāļŠāļŠāļēāļ§āļ° | Pee (super formal) | pas-sawa, passawa | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| āļĄāļĩ | Have | mi | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| āļāļąāļāļŦāļē | Problem | pan-ha, panha | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| āđāļāļĩāđāļĒāļ§āļāļąāļ | About | kiaw-khab, kiawkhab | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| āđāļāļĩāđāļĒāļ§āļāļąāļ | Action (used to specify with about, clarifying the action) | khaan | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| āđāļāđāļēāđāļ | Understand | khaw-tchai, khawtchai | pom khaw-tchai krab |
| āļāļĢāļąāļ / āļāđāļ° | Yes | krab (male) / kha (female) | krab, khun ki-lei |
| āļāļĩāđāđāļŦāļĢāđ | Ugly / unattractive | ki-lei, kilei | krab, khun ki-lei |
| āļāļāļāļāļļāļ | Thanks / thanks you | khob-khun, khobkhun | khobkhun nah krab |
| āļāļ° | Enforces Yes (expresses a deeper yes) | nah | khobkhun nah krab |
| āļāļģ | Do (something) | tam | tam araii yu? |
| āļāļ°āđāļĢ | What | a-raii, araii | tam araii yu? |
| āļāļĒāļđāđ | Live / present / currently | yu | tam araii yu? |
| āļĄāļąāđāļĒ | Right | mai | rak pom, mai? |
| āđāļāđ | Chicken | kai | kin kai |
| āļāđāļēāļ§ | Rice | Khaw | kin khaw |
| āļāļĨāđāļ§āļĒ | Banana | glu-waii, gluwaii | pom choob kin gluwaii |
| āļāļāļ | Like | choob | pom choob kin gluwaii |
| āļāļđ | watch / see | do | pom do nang yu |
| āļŦāļāļąāļ | Movie | nang | pom do nang yu |
| āļāļ° | Will / shall | tja | tja pai nai |
| āđāļ | Go | pai | tja pai nai |
| āđāļŦāļ | Where | nai | tja pai nai |
| āļāļĒāļēāļ | Want | jaak | pom jaak duuum naam |
| āļāļ·āđāļĄ | Drink | duuum | pom jaak duuum naam |
| āļāđāļģ | Water | naam | "pom jaak duuum naam", "hong naam" |
| āļāļąāļāļāļĩāđ | This thing | ani | ani tawraii nah krab |
| āđāļāđāļēāđāļŦāļĢāđ | How much | taw-raii, towraii | ani tawraii nah krab |
| āļĄāļē | Come | ma | kin khaw ma ruuuwe yang |
| āļŦāļĢāļ·āļ | Or | ruuuwe | kin khaw ma ruuuwe yang |
| āļĒāļąāļ | Yet | yang | kin khaw ma ruuuwe yang |
| āļ§āļąāļ | Day | one | one nee jaak kin araii |
| āļāļĩāđ | This / present | nee | one nee jaak kin araii |
| āļāļđāļ | Speak | poo-t, poot | pom poot thai dai nah krab |
| āđāļāļĒ | Thai (language) | thai | pom poot thai dai nah krab |
| āđāļāđ | Can | die / dai | pom poot thai dai nah krab |
| āļāļĢāļąāđāļ | Foreigner (white / white passing) | farang | pom farang ki nok |
| āļāļĩāđ | Shit | ki | pom farang ki nok |
| āļāļ | Bird | nok | pom farang ki nok |
| āļāļąāļāļāđ | Money | tang | maai mi tang nah krab |
| āļŠāļāļēāļāļāđ | Money / cents | satang | maai mi satang nah krab |
| āđāļĄāđ | No | maai | maai mi tang nah krab |
| āļāļāļ | Sleep | no-oo-n, nooon | "pom jaak nooon", "hong nooon" |
| āļāļąāļāđāļāđāļ§ | Adorable (Isaan) | Kan-cheiaw, kancheiaw | kancheiaw maak |
| āļŦāđāļāļ | Room | hong | hong naam yu tinai? |
| āļāļĩāđāđāļŦāļ | Where | tinai | hong naam yu tinai? |
| āļāļĢāļąāļ§ | Kitchen | kruwa | hong kruwa yu tinai? |
| āđāļāļ | Guest | khek | hong rap khek yu tinai? |
| āļĢāļąāļ | Receive (something) | rap | hong rap khek yu tinai? |
| āđāļāļĩāđāļĒāļ§ | Travel / trip | tiaw | pai tiaw gan teu |
| āļāļąāļ | Together | gan | pai tiaw gan teu |
| āđāļāļāļ° | Let us / let's | teu | pai tiaw gan teu |
| āļāļ·āđāļ | Buy | Suuuue | pom jaak suuuue appen ha look |
| āđāļāļāđāļāļīāđāļĨ | Apple | appen | pom jaak suuuue appen ha look |
| āļŦāđāļē | Five (5) | Ha | appen hasip look |
| āļŠāļīāļ | Ten (10) | Sip | appen hasip look |
| āļŦāđāļēāļŠāļīāļ | Fifty (50) | ha-sip, hasip | appen hasip look |
| āļĨāļđāļ | Amount of something | look | appen hasip look |
| āļĢāļđāđāļāļąāļ | Know | ru-chak, ruchak | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| āļ āļēāļĐāļē | Language | passa | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| āđāļāļĢāđāļāļĢāļĄ | Program | program | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| āļāđāļēāļ | Some / any / somewhat | baaang | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| āļŠāļāļēāļĒ | Comfortable / good | sa-bai, sabai (pronounced as "sa bye") | pom maai sabai krab |
| āļŦāļē | Find / see | hahnn, ha (pronounced with the a shifting tone, first going down a tone, then going up slightly, as if you're thinking) | one nee pom pai ha moh ma |
| āļŦāļĄāļ | doctor | m-oh, moh (pronounced in a way as if you say 'oh' when you're disappointed, like 'oh :'(, why did this happen?') | one nee pom pai ha moh ma |
| āļŠāļ§āļąāļŠāļāļĩ | Hello | sa-wa-di-krab, sawadikrab | sawadikrab, sabai di maai? |
| āļāļĩ | Good | di | sawadikrab, sabai di maai? |
| āļāļāļāđāļāđāļē | Morning | thon chaw | sawadi thon chaw |
| āļāļĩāđ | That / at | t | khobkhun t chuwai nah krab |
| āļāđāļ§āļĒ | Help | Chu-wai, chuwai | khobkhun t chuwai nah krab |
| āļāļ·āđāļ | name | chu | pom chu Roger |
| āļāđāļ§āļĒ | With | du-wai, duwai | duwai khwamyindi krab |
| āļāļ§āļēāļĄāļĒāļīāļāļāļĩ | Pleasure / joy | khwam-yin-di, khwamyindi | duwai khwamyindi krab |
| āļŦāļāļķāđāļ | One | Nue-ng, nueng | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āļŠāļāļ | Two | song | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āļŠāļēāļĄ | Three | saam | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āļŠāļĩāđ | Four | sie | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āļŠāļĩāļŦāđāļē | Five | ha | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āļŦāļ | Six | hok | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āđāļāđāļ | Seven | ched | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āđāļāļ | Eight | pet | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āđāļāđāļē | Nine | kaaw | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āļŠāļīāļ | Ten | sip | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| āđāļāļ | Date | date | khun jaak pai date kap pom maai? |
| āļāļąāļ | With | kap | khun jaak pai date kap pom maai? |
| āļāļąāļāļāļĪāļĐ | English (language) | ang-grit, anggrit | pom put passa anggrit |
| āļāļđāļ | Speak | put | pom put passa anggrit |
| āļ āļēāļĐāļē | Language | pa-ssa, passa | pom put passa anggrit |
| āđāļĨāđāļ§āļĨ / āļĢāļ°āļāļąāļ | Level | lewel / ra-dap radap | radap thoupai |
| Next | thou-pai, thoupai | radap thoupai | |
| āđāļĢāļāđāļĢāļĩāļĒāļ | School | rooong rian | pom pai rooong rian |
| āļāļ·āđāļāļāļāļ / āļāļāļāļāļīāđāļ | Shopping | suuuu khong / shop-ping shopping | pom pai suuuu khong |
Clarifications
Explaining certain sentences a bit more, since languages can be confusing and not everything is directly translatable.
| Sentence | Explanation | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| pom kin mangsaweerat | I eat vegan, means I am vegan. | 1 |
| pom khun su-waii maak | Your hair is very beautiful. | 3 |
| pom puat chi | I pain pee, means I need to pee. | 9-10 |
| cheb | Hurt => means I am hurting, it hurts, ... | 11 |
| pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa | I have a urinary problem. | 13-17 |
| khobkhun nah krab | Thank you, yes! => The "nah krab" is a way to come over more polite, you can add it to nearly any sentence and seem more polite / higher educated. | 21-22 |
| tam araii yu? | What are you doing? => yu, means "at the moment" / "currently" / "in the present", in English "-ing" is added to represent an action that is currently going on. | 23-25 |
| rak pom, mai? | love me, right/not? => do you love me? => "mai" is used here to ask a question, when "mai" comes at the end, most of the time it means someone is asking something. | 26 |
| kin khaw | eat rice => eat a meal => in Thai, since rice is a common phenomenon, they use "eat rice" as "eat a meal" / "lets eat" / "eat breakfast" / "eat lunch" / "eat dinner" => sort of used instead of "eat" in general, but only main meals and doesn't apply to snacks, desert, ... | 28, 41-43 |
| hong naam | room water => Bathroom | 38, 57-58 |
| kin khaw ma ruuuwe yang | Eat rice come or yet? => Did you eat before coming here? | 41-43 |
| one nee | Day this => today | 44-45, 76-77 |
| pom poot thai dai | I speak thai can => I can speak Thai. | 46-48 |
| farang ki nok | foreigner shit bird => foreinger that is a cheap skate, "farang ki nok" is a slur often used to refer to foreigners who do not want to spend any money or foreigners that are extremely (abnormally) cheap, or used to refer to white trash, e.g.: A foreigner that is trying to get a discount for something that is very cheap already | 49-51 |
| hong nooon | room bed => Bedroom | 55 |
| kancheiaw | Adorable => The adorableness is so overwhelming, that I am feeling itchy => Something is super cute | 56 |
| hong rap khek yu tinai? | Room receive guest stay where? => Where is the living room? => "rap khek" => welcoming guests, "hong rap khek" => "living room" => room where guests are entertained | 60-61 |
| look | look => indicates an amount of items in formal Thai, in english it would be equivalent to: "round objects" or "long objects", for example, with mango or a stone you'd use "look" | 65-70 |
| maai sabai | maai sabai => literally translated to => not comfortable but can mean sick/ill | 75 |
| pai ha moh ma | the combination of "pai" and "ma" in this sentence indicates that it is in the past, a.k.a. went instead of go, order of "pai" and "ma" is important, the "ma" is supposed to come after the "pai" | 76-77 |
| sawadi thon chaw | Good morning | 80 |
| pom chu | My name is | 83 |
| duwai khwamyindi | You're welcome | 84-85 |
| khun jaak pai date kap pom maai | Would you want to go on a date with me? | 96-97 |