When you visit a country, one of the most common words or phrases you would like to know is “Thank you”. In Thailand, people are impressed when they hear foreigners say ‘Thank you’ in their language. It shows a level of respect for the country and culture.
Whether you are visiting Bangkok or staying in Chiang Mai, a little bit of kindness goes a long way.
Let’s learn more Thai as I will show you how to say ‘Thank you’ in Thai (and write it too).
Table of Contents
How Do I Say Thank You In Thai?
First of all, in the Thai language, we differentiate the gender of the speaker. But don’t worry, it is not complicated at all to learn!
You only have to remember the words for ‘I’ (female: ดิฉัน(dì chǎn)/male: ผม(phǒm)) and the polite word ‘female: ค่ะ(khâ)/male: ครับ(khráp)’. Most other words will be the same no matter who is speaking.
The Thai ‘thank you’ is actually made up of three words:
| The word “Thank you” is khop (low tone) khun (normal tone), followed by the polite word: Female: ขอบคุณค่ะ – khɔ̀ɔp khun khâ |
Male: ขอบคุณครับ – khɔ̀ɔp khun khráp
After saying this word, I am sure you will see a big smile on the face of the person you are talking to. This is the most basic way to say thank you, and the one you will likely be saying the most.
For example, if you just finished some delicious Thai food, you can let them know with this phrase. Make sure to remember it for when you are in Thailand!
How To Write Thank You In Thai?
Practiced your Thai writing skills and want to put them to the test? Then get your calligraphy pen ready – you are going to learn how to write thank you in Thai! While we recommend you try out the writing activity on the Ling App to get a better idea of how to write using the Thai alphabet, you can also try it freehand. Here is a larger image with the word ‘Thank you’ written in Thai so you can see each character better:
How did it go? It can be tricky starting out. Remember that, like in every other language, there are different fonts that affect how the characters look. I tried to choose a rather typical-looking one for your reference. But, with some practice, you will be awkwardly writing it out every time you want to thank someone just to show off. Let everyone know you know how to write thank you in Thai!
How Do You Reply To Thank You In Thai?
Sometimes, the reply is just as important as the thanks itself. Now you have learned how to thank, you will also need to learn how to reply back too. You should prepare yourself with a couple of phrases ready for when your kindness gets recognized.
Of course, you may also find that the person you are speaking to may say something back to you in reply after you thank them, and you should know what they mean too.
| In response to a thank you, you can say “You’re welcome” : ไม่เป็นไร – mây pen ray |
Female: ไม่เป็นไรค่ะ – mây pen ray khâ
Male: ไม่เป็นไรครับ – mây pen ray khráp
People say that the phrase “mây pen ray” is the national motto of Thailand. It represents the kindness of Thai people, and can also be translated as ‘don’t worry about it’.
Another way to reply to thank you in Thai is to use this somewhat nicer-sounding phrase:
ยินดี – Yin dii (normal tone)
This means something closer to ‘my pleasure’ or, as Google Translate puts it, ‘pleased’. While this wouldn’t be an appropriate response in every situation, it is nicer to hear.
Example Of A Conversation In Thai
Now, let’s imagine a situation where you are traveling in Thailand. You want to know where the toilet is. After you got the answer you would reply with a Thank you. Here is an example of an exchange.
In this case, the speaker is female. As we mentioned before, the polite word for females is “ค่ะ (khâ)” so she says “ขอบคุณค่ะ (Khɔ̀ɔp khun khâ)“.
In this YouTube video, you can hear how to say this exchange. Remember that Thai is a tonal language, so listen carefully for that. Don’t worry too much about it though. You will get used to them over time and Thai people are very understanding.
Another way in which you can reply to thank you is by just saying these polite words. So let’s say you (male) hold the door open for someone (female) and as they walk past they say “Khɔ̀ɔp khun khâ“.
In reply, you can simply say “khráp“. It is a quick and polite answer for smaller gestures like this, but it is not super common.
How To Say Thank You Among Friends
With a language like Thai, you need to be careful when choosing how to say something. There are so many different ways to say thank you and other words and phrases based on the situation and your relationship with the person you are speaking to. With that said, how do you say thank you to friends in Thai?
It would be a bit weird if you use the basic way we mentioned above because it is a bit formal. You could drop the polite word from the end of the phrase to make it less awkward:
But you can also go with something a bit more different to really show off your Thai skills. For example, you could go with this phrase which interestingly enough also means thank you in Lao:
Bear in mind that this one is very informal, so you should definitely only use this amongst close friends and people you know well. This is the equivalent of saying ‘thanks’ in Thai, and here, this is not something you would say to someone of a higher status. Instead, you can use it to say thank you in Thai to friends and younger siblings.
Other Ways To Say Thank You In Thai
There may also be situations where you feel a normal ‘thank you’ isn’t enough, or maybe you are bored of that and want to say something different. There are ways to better get your thankfulness across. One way is to add the word ‘mak’ at the end:
This means ‘thanks a lot!’, which is a bit more informal, so you can use it with your friends and people you are close to.
There is another phrase you can use to highlight how helpful or kind a person has been to you. This phrase is:
คุณใจดีมาก – Khun cay dii mâak!
Translated, this would mean something like ‘You are so kind!’, which would definitely make someone feel appreciated. Save this one for people who go out of their way to help you. It will definitely help you find new friends when saying Thank you to someone in Thai.
Importance Of Polite Words In Thai Culture
As you may have noticed, we keep mentioning the words like khrap and kha. You may also notice that these polite words are commonly used in other phrases like ‘hello’ (สวัสดีค่ะ – sawàtdii khâ) and ‘excuse me’ (ขอโทษค่ะ – khɔ̌ɔthôot khâ).
This is because Thailand has a hierarchy system, where a person’s status affects how you should talk to them. Therefore, you should try to act politely and use these polite words when speaking to someone like your boss or elders.
In a situation where you are thinking of someone, being polite will also add to the sincerity. However, we will look further into this another day.
How Do You Say Thank You In Thai?
The Thai word for thank you is ขอบคุณ (khɔ̀ɔpkhun).
Other Vocabulary For Thank You in Thai
Now that you know how to say ‘thank you’ in Thai, you can try practicing talking about saying thank you with these example sentences.
Frequently Asked Questions About Thank You In Thai
Why Do Thai People Bow When Saying Thank You?
As well as a greeting, and a way of saying goodbye, the wai is ultimately a sign of respect and is used instead of the traditional Western handshake or a wave. A wai can be a way of saying thanks, of showing understanding of a situation or person, and also as a polite way to apologize.
What Is The Thai Thank You Gesture?
The traditional Thai “wai,” a bow with palms pressed together, is a gesture that embodies respect, humility, and thanks. More than just a physical act, the “wai” is a symbol; it conveys a depth of feeling and sincerity that words alone cannot express.
What Does Ka Pham Mean In Thai?
What does the Thai word “kapom” mean? It’s spelled ครับผม [kʰráp pʰǒm], but can sound a lot like “kappom” when spoken fast. It’s a frequent Thai interjection used by male speakers and indeed indicates affirmation, so it can be translated as “Yes.” or “Right.” or “Aye.”
From Thank You To Khoopkhun Khrap
Saying Thai thank you vocabulary words will help you to make friends and will help to make you popular, as everyone likes a polite person. Not everyone can speak English well either, so it may be necessary to use Thai. From here, you can go on to learn other common and important phrases that will help you day-to-day in Thailand.
