Thai phrases · 17 to start with
Basic Thai phrases for beginners, with pronunciation
The 17 phrases below get you through a first week in Thailand: greetings, thanks and sorry, what to say when you don’t understand, and shopping and food. Each one has its karaoke and a woman’s and a man’s voice. Then add the polite ending.
Greetings
Hello, how are you, and see you
Polite basics
Thank you, sorry, yes and no
When you don’t understand
Ask them to slow down
Out and about
Shopping, food and finding the toilet
Hear them together · Lesson 1, with a colleague
A first conversation
In the Kruu Jaidee app
Every phrase here is in Level 1. Hear it, say it, keep it.
Hear them in real scenes.
At the café, the clinic, the market: every line in Thai with karaoke, recorded by native speakers, female and male.
Use them in a real conversation.
Talk with Kruu Jaidee about food, shopping or your day. She answers in Thai, with karaoke, and gives you real-time feedback.
Keep them.
Words you find hard are tagged tricky automatically, and come back for practice across all the tools until you know them.
Questions
Basic Thai phrases: common questions
What are the most useful Thai phrases for beginners?
These five, each with your polite ending:
How do you say hello in Thai as a man or a woman?
A man says สวัสดีครับ Sà-wàt-dee kráp. A woman says สวัสดีค่ะ Sà-wàt-dee kà. The same word also means goodbye.
Do I need to learn the Thai alphabet to speak?
No. You can start speaking with karaoke, the Thai written in English letters with marks for the tones, and add the script later.
How do I ask someone to speak slowly in Thai?
Say พูดช้าๆ หน่อย pûut cháa cháa nòy, “speak slowly, please”, and add your polite ending.
Say them out loud, and see how you sound
The first 5 lessons, the tone practice and the free tools are free, with no card and no email. Hear both voices, say it yourself, and see your tone.