5 Tips On Giving Directions In Thai For Travelers

If you’re traveling in or around Thailand, you’ll need to know how to follow directions and be confident in giving directions in Thai.

Understanding how to give and receive directions when traveling is a must to make sure you’re not lost, and to help out others on their trips as well!

It may seem daunting at first, but Thai people are always ready to help give out directions.

You don’t need to know that much Thai, either! Just knowing simple directional words will help greatly if you’re trying to find a specific restaurant or attraction.

So, let’s get started! Read on!

Explaining Locations In Thai

The way to express locations is by using Thai prepositions. These are a type of word that explain the relationship between things.

There are a number of different examples of these words that will help you give some more detail when explaining where things are located, especially in relation to other things.

The word ‘inside’ is an example of an English preposition that provides details about an object or person. In Thai, the word for ‘inside’ is paai nai (ภายใน).

If there is a toilet inside the shop, then you would use this word to tell them how to get there.

‘Around’ is another word you can use for giving directions In Thai. The word for this is rɔ̂ɔp (รอบ). You can use the word ‘at’ too, which is tîi (ที่) in Thai.

If something is adjacent to something, you can use the word dtìt gàp (ติดกับ), or if it is next to something, you use kâang kâang (ข้าง ๆ).

‘Near’ is another useful word, which in Thai is glâi (ใกล้). Don’t get this confused with ‘far’, which is
glai (ไกล)!

Giving Directions In Thai

Traveling in Thailand needing some words for driving in Thai or at least directions?

Starting with the basics, left and right in Thai are sáai (ซ้าย) and kwǎa (ขวา) respectively.

While these should be enough for going around day to day, there are some more words you can learn.

Up and down are also useful words to know when giving directions in Thai.

Up is kʉ̂n (ขึ้น) in Thai, while down is long (ลง). These can also mean ‘to get on’ or ‘to get off’ too. They can be used when talking about vehicles, for example.

Compass Directions

There are also the compass directions to be more general when giving directions in Thai.

Starting with North, in Thai it is called nʉ̌a (เหนือ). South in Thai is dtâi (ใต้). East and West in Thai are dtà wan ɔ̀ɔk (ตะวันออก) and dtà wan dtòk (ตะวันตก).

For the directions in between, you can simply add chǐang (เฉียง) between each word.

Interestingly, in Thai, the ‘North’ and ‘South’ part is placed at the end of the word.

So Northwest would be dtà wan dtòk chǐang nʉ̌a (ตะวันตกเฉียงเหนือ) and Southeast would be dtà wan ɔ̀ɔk chǐang dtâi (ตะวันออกเฉียงใต้).

This is particularly useful when talking about the different regions of Thailand.

How Do You Say Giving Directions In Thai?

‘Giving directions’ in Thai can be translated as gaan bɔ̀ɔk taang (การบอกทาง)🔊 Play การบอกทาง.

Vocabulary Related To Giving Directions In Thai

To help you remember all the words you’ve learned today, find the words we’ve touched on as well as some other vocabulary you should know in the table below:

English	Thai	Pronunciation	Sound
Giving directions	การบอกทาง	gaan bɔ̀ɔk taang	🔊 Play การบอกทาง
Inside	ภายใน	paai nai	🔊 Play ภายใน
Around	รอบ	rɔ̂ɔp	🔊 Play รอบ
At	ที่	tîi	🔊 Play ที่
Adjacent	ติดกับ	dtìt gàp	🔊 Play ติดกับ
Next to	ข้าง ๆ	kâang kâang	🔊 Play ข้าง ๆ
Near	ใกล้	glâi	🔊 Play ใกล้
Far	ใกล	glai	🔊 Play ใกล
Left	ซ้าย	sáai	🔊 Play ซ้าย
Right	ขวา	kwǎa	🔊 Play ขวา
Up	ขึ้น	kʉ̂n	🔊 Play ขึ้น
Down	ลง	long	🔊 Play ลง
North	เหนือ	nʉ̌a	🔊 Play เหนือ
South	ใต้	dtâi	🔊 Play ใต้
East	ตะวันออก	dtà wan ɔ̀ɔk	🔊 Play ตะวันออก
West	ตะวันตก	dtà wan dtòk	🔊 Play ตะวันตก
Diagonal	เฉียง	chǐang	🔊 Play เฉียง
Where is this place?	ที่นี่อยู่ที่ไหน?	tîi nîi yûu tîi nǎi	🔊 Play ที่นี่อยู่ที่ไหน
Sorry to bother you	ขอรบกวน	kɔ̌ɔ róp guan	🔊 Play ขอรบกวน

Tips On Giving Directions In Thai

So, now that you know the different directional words, how do you go about asking Thai people for directions? Don’t worry! We’ve got five helpful tips to make sure you get where you want to go:

1. When approaching someone for directions, begin with a polite ‘hello’, or sà wàt dii kráp/kâ (สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ). Follow this up with a tîi nîi yûu tîi nǎi kráp/kâ (ที่นี่อยู่ที่ไหนครับ/ค่ะ) to ask for directions. Remember, politeness goes a long way!
2. Look out for simple directional words, like sáai (ซ้าย) and kwǎa (ขวา). Also note if they say glâi (ใกล้) or glai (ใกล)
3. If you’re still confused, using a map application to help you point your way can also help. Use this as a last resort, however, or you risk not practicing your Thai!
4. To remember directional vocab, practice with flash cards, spaced repitition, or by using an online language learning program like the Ling app.
5. If the person you’re talking to is busy with a task, you can say ‘sorry to bother you’ before asking for directions. In Thai, this is done by saying kɔ̌ɔ róp guan kráp/kâ (ขอรบกวนครับ/ค่ะ).

With these tips, you’ll never get lost when traveling in Thailand – and always remember to end a sentence with kɔ̀ɔp kun (ขอบคุณ) to give thanks!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Does Bao Bao Mean In Thai?

Bao bao (เบา ๆ) in Thai means ‘lightly’ or ‘softly’. This is most often used to describe an action that is gentle or soft. It’s used in a variety of situations and is a good word to have in your vocabulary!

2. What Does Khon Dii Mean In Thai?

‘Khon dii’, or kon dii (คนดี) is a word that describes someone who is good-natured. It literally translates to ‘good person’ and is a common compliment in Thai. If someone helps you out, you can say that they are kon dii (คนดี).

3. What Does Kao Jai Mean In Thai?

‘Kao jai’, or kâo jai (เข้าใจ) means ‘to understand’ in Thai. Fun fact, it literally means ‘to take into heart’. If someone were to give you directions, you can first say this phrase, then a simple ‘thank you’ to end the conversation.

Get Around Thailand With Ease

Now that you know some new vocabulary, you should now be able to understand where people are telling you to go. Of course, this also means that you can help others out.

Imagine how impressed a local would be if you were able to point and explain where they need to go. Sometimes, learning Thai proves most useful in little moments like these!

Learn Thai For Travel And More!

Learning Thai is a journey itself. Especially when traveling, it can help you get closer to Thai culture and make your trip more fun, engaging, and memorable.

Adding to that, interacting with locals in their own language will bring a smile to their face (and yours, too)!

If you’d like to go further than just giving directions in Thai, why don’t you try out the Ling app’s language learning units?

Units 11 and 12 in the Thai course are particularly helpful for travel, and are an excellent way to dig deeper into Thai travel culture.

So, try out the Ling app and see how it helps you to learn Thai language!