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 👍.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| มังสวิรัติ | Vegan / veganism | mang-sa-wee-rat, mangsaweerat | pom kin mangsaweerat |
| ผม | I | pom | pom suwaii |
| ผม | Hair | pom | pom khun suwaii maak |
| กิน | Eat | kin | pom kin maak |
| รัก | Love | rak | pom rak khun |
| คุณ | You | khun | pom rak khun |
| สวย | Beautiful | su-waii, suwaii | pom suwaii |
| มาก | A lot / much / many | maak | pom rak khun maak |
| ฉี่ | Pee (normal) | chi | pom puat chi |
| ปวด | Pain | pu-at, puat | pom puat chi |
| เจ็บ | Hurt | cheb | cheb |
| เจ็บ | Pee (informal) | yi (high note, but not super high) aww, yiaww | puat yiaww |
| ปัสสาวะ | Pee (super formal) | pas-sawa, passawa | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| มี | Have | mi | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| ปัญหา | Problem | pan-ha, panha | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| เกี่ยวกับ | About | kiaw-khab, kiawkhab | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| เกี่ยวกับ | Action (used to specify with about, clarifying the action) | khaan | pom mi pan-ha kiaw-khab khaan pas-sawa |
| เข้าใจ | Understand | khaw-tchai, khawtchai | pom khaw-tchai krab |
| ครับ / ค่ะ | Yes | krab (male) / kha (female) | krab, khun ki-lei |
| ขี้เหร่ | Ugly / unattractive | ki-lei, kilei | krab, khun ki-lei |
| ขอบคุณ | Thanks / thanks you | khob-khun, khobkhun | khobkhun nah krab |
| นะ | Enforces Yes (expresses a deeper yes) | nah | khobkhun nah krab |
| ทำ | Do (something) | tam | tam araii yu? |
| อะไร | What | a-raii, araii | tam araii yu? |
| อยู่ | Live / present / currently | yu | tam araii yu? |
| มั้ย | Right | mai | rak pom, mai? |
| ไก่ | Chicken | kai | kin kai |
| ข้าว | Rice | Khaw | kin khaw |
| กล้วย | Banana | glu-waii, gluwaii | pom choob kin gluwaii |
| ชอบ | Like | choob | pom choob kin gluwaii |
| ดู | watch / see | do | pom do nang yu |
| หนัง | Movie | nang | pom do nang yu |
| จะ | Will / shall | tja | tja pai nai |
| ไป | Go | pai | tja pai nai |
| ไหน | Where | nai | tja pai nai |
| อยาก | Want | jaak | pom jaak duuum naam |
| ดื่ม | Drink | duuum | pom jaak duuum naam |
| น้ำ | Water | naam | "pom jaak duuum naam", "hong naam" |
| อันนี้ | This thing | ani | ani tawraii nah krab |
| เท่าไหร่ | How much | taw-raii, towraii | ani tawraii nah krab |
| มา | Come | ma | kin khaw ma ruuuwe yang |
| หรือ | Or | ruuuwe | kin khaw ma ruuuwe yang |
| ยัง | Yet | yang | kin khaw ma ruuuwe yang |
| วัน | Day | one | one nee jaak kin araii |
| นี้ | This / present | nee | one nee jaak kin araii |
| พูด | Speak | poo-t, poot | pom poot thai dai nah krab |
| ไทย | Thai (language) | thai | pom poot thai dai nah krab |
| ได้ | Can | die / dai | pom poot thai dai nah krab |
| ฝรั่ง | Foreigner (white / white passing) | farang | pom farang ki nok |
| ขี้ | Shit | ki | pom farang ki nok |
| นก | Bird | nok | pom farang ki nok |
| ตังค์ | Money | tang | maai mi tang nah krab |
| สตางค์ | Money / cents | satang | maai mi satang nah krab |
| ไม่ | No | maai | maai mi tang nah krab |
| นอน | Sleep | no-oo-n, nooon | "pom jaak nooon", "hong nooon" |
| คันแข้ว | Adorable (Isaan) | Kan-cheiaw, kancheiaw | kancheiaw maak |
| ห้อง | Room | hong | hong naam yu tinai? |
| ที่ไหน | Where | tinai | hong naam yu tinai? |
| ครัว | Kitchen | kruwa | hong kruwa yu tinai? |
| แขก | Guest | khek | hong rap khek yu tinai? |
| รับ | Receive (something) | rap | hong rap khek yu tinai? |
| เที่ยว | Travel / trip | tiaw | pai tiaw gan teu |
| กัน | Together | gan | pai tiaw gan teu |
| เถอะ | Let us / let's | teu | pai tiaw gan teu |
| ซื้อ | Buy | Suuuue | pom jaak suuuue appen ha look |
| แอปเปิ้ล | Apple | appen | pom jaak suuuue appen ha look |
| ห้า | Five (5) | Ha | appen hasip look |
| สิบ | Ten (10) | Sip | appen hasip look |
| ห้าสิบ | Fifty (50) | ha-sip, hasip | appen hasip look |
| ลูก | Amount of something | look | appen hasip look |
| รู้จัก | Know | ru-chak, ruchak | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| ภาษา | Language | passa | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| โปรแกรม | Program | program | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| บ้าง | Some / any / somewhat | baaang | khun ru-chak passa program araii baaang, krab? |
| สบาย | Comfortable / good | sa-bai, sabai (pronounced as "sa bye") | pom maai sabai krab |
| หา | 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 |
| หมอ | 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 |
| สวัสดี | Hello | sa-wa-di-krab, sawadikrab | sawadikrab, sabai di maai? |
| ดี | Good | di | sawadikrab, sabai di maai? |
| ตอนเช้า | Morning | thon chaw | sawadi thon chaw |
| ที่ | That / at | t | khobkhun t chuwai nah krab |
| ช่วย | Help | Chu-wai, chuwai | khobkhun t chuwai nah krab |
| ชื่อ | name | chu | pom chu Roger |
| ด้วย | With | du-wai, duwai | duwai khwamyindi krab |
| ความยินดี | Pleasure / joy | khwam-yin-di, khwamyindi | duwai khwamyindi krab |
| หนึ่ง | One | Nue-ng, nueng | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| สอง | Two | song | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| สาม | Three | saam | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| สี่ | Four | sie | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| สีห้า | Five | ha | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| หก | Six | hok | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| เจ็ด | Seven | ched | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| แปด | Eight | pet | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| เก้า | Nine | kaaw | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| สิบ | Ten | sip | Nueng, song, saam, sie, ha, hok, ched, pet, kaaw, sip |
| เดท | Date | date | khun jaak pai date kap pom maai? |
| กับ | With | kap | khun jaak pai date kap pom maai? |
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 |