- Thailand
Getting by with Thai Language
- Ryan Zander
- .
- December 16, 2016

Share on
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
It is possible to live in Thailand and get by without knowing the Thai language, but I don’t recommend it. In larger cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and places frequented by tourists such as Koh Samui or Phuket, the Thai staff in restaurants, shopping areas, and hotels should be able to understand enough English for you to not run into any big trouble. That said, if you’re living in Thailand (or even making an extended visit) your experience will be much enhanced by learning to speak some Thai.
Iglu offers complementary Thai language lessons at the Mae Hia office in Chiang Mai to help our employees get up to speed. The group lessons are with Kru Jan, who is also available for private tutoring in person or via Skype (Check her link in the Thai learning resources at the end of this post).
Just about any travel book will tell you that at least making an effort to learn some of the local language will be worthwhile no mater which country you’re visiting. Here are some of the best reasons I can think of for learning some Thai:
I’m only going to cover some of the bare minimum basic Thai phrases here because it is such an extensive topic. At the end of this article you’ll find links to some good resources for furthering your study of the Thai language.
Before I get any farther, I want to mention that the Thai language can’t really be accurately written out using the regular Roman alphabet. It is a tonal language, with each syllable having one of 5 different pitches: middle, low, high, rising, or falling. Everything else being the same, a different tone can completely change the meaning of a word. Furthermore, there are some consonant and vowel sounds found in the Thai language that English doesn’t have. So any transcription of Thai words here is just going to be an approximation of their sound value. Anyone serious about learning how to speak Thai should learn to read it. Learning both speaking and reading Thai concurrently will not only give you a well rounded understanding of the language, but also a greater understanding and appreciation of Thai culture too.
“Hello”- Sawat-dii khrap (male speaker) / Sawat-dii kha (female speaker)
“Thank you” – Khawp-khun khrap (male speaker) / Khawp-khun kha (female speaker)
“How are you?” – Sabai-dii mai
“I’m fine” – Sabai-dii
“What’s your name?” – Khun chue arai
“My name is ___” – Phom chue ___ (male speaker) / Di-chan chue ___ (female speaker)
“Nice to meet you” – Yin-dii thii dai ru-jak
“1” – Nueng
“2” – Sawng
“3” – Saam
“4” – Sii
“5” – Haa
“6” – Hok
“7” – Jet
“8” – Bpaet
“9” – Gao
“10” – Sip
This should give you a good start on your way to learning Thai. It might seem difficult at times, but don’t give up. Learning Thai is a fun and rewarding journey.