Sawatdee ka (hello)
While it’s always a good idea to try and learn a bit of the language of the country you’re visiting. It’s easier if you’re planning a long trip to a single country and will have some time to both study before you go and practice while you’re traveling. But when you’re on the move, any good intentions of trying to learn a few phrases beyond “Hello” and “Thank you” tend to disappear.
When I was backpacking through South East Asia, going through a new country every ten days or so, I had no idea about the language around me. Sure making an effort to learn more and struggle through ordering food or buying tickets is useful, but it’s not always practical. I strongly believe that if you’re spending any extended time in a place you should learn the language – but if you’re just traveling through you’re off the hook.
That said, there are 5 phrases (+ hello/goodbye!) you should know wherever you are.
More Travel Tips: Best Budget Airlines in SE Asia | Thailand Travel Tips
5 Thai Phrases You Need to Know
Note: Thai is a tonal language where the location of the characters denotes a specific tone – medium, low, high, rising and falling – for each syllable. While the following words and phrases have set tones they should be said in, you won’t find tone markers below as it’s impossible to copy the tones correctly without actually hearing them. Also, since these are common saying and phrases, chances are if you mess up the tone (which is likely for just about everyone who isn’t Thai) you’ll still be understood.
To show politeness in Thai you’ll always add a particle at the end of the phrase – kup if you’re male and ka if you’re female. So, after each of the following phrases I would add ka. Khob khun ka.
khob khun – thank you
khor toad – excuse me
sa-bai dee mai / sa-bai dee – How are you? / I’m fine.
mai ao (ow) – no thank you / I do not want any
tao rai – How much?
BONUS PHRASE:
mai pen rai – it’s okay / no worries / nevermind / don’t worry about it / forget it
What words or phrases do you think you should know while traveling? Tell me in the comments section!