We all know the general flow of a conversation. It usually begins with the ‘small talk’ phase before moving forward with what we want actually to talk about. We start by saying hello and then asking, ‘how are you?’
Saying ‘how are you’ in Thai is no different. Whether you are actually interested in the answer or just asking out of habit, asking how a person is doing is essential. It can lead to much deeper interactions where you can learn more about the other person. If that sounds interesting to you, then let’s take a look at it today.
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How To Say How Are You In Thai?
Thankfully, it is not a particularly difficult phrase to remember! The phrase for ‘how are you’ in Thai is: Sabaay dii mǎy? (สบายดีไหม).
If you’re visiting Thailand, you will likely hear this word a lot. So, let’s break it down, as we can learn a few good things from this phrase alone.
The Thai word sabaay can be translated as meaning ‘comfortable’. Though, it does have a slightly stronger meaning .
The word dii (ดี), on the other hand, means good.
Now for a little extra lesson, let’s talk about question words in Thai. You probably already noticed the word mǎy (ไหม) at the end of the phrase. This is used to signify that the phrase is a question.
In Thai, these question words are always located at the end of the sentence instead of the beginning, which we are used to in English.
With that said, this phrase is often said with either khráp (ครับ) or khá (คะ) at the end.
Males: Sabaay dii mǎy khráp? (สบายดีไหมครับ)
Females: Sabaay dii mǎy khá? (สบายดีไหมคะ)
These are the polite Thai words that can make your words sound more polite and respectful. They are not completely necessary to add when asking someone how they are, but it is a good thing to add in. You should definitely remember these if you learn Thai, as they are pretty important.
It can be weird to adjust if you speak a language that does not use them, but it should feel more natural over time.
How To Reply When Someone Asks How Are You In Thai
Okay, now we know how to say ‘how are you’ in Thai, but how do we reply? It is actually very simple – you just say the exact phrase back to them but remove the mǎy (ไหม) so that it is no longer a question:
Sabaay dii (สบายดี)
Again, you do not need to use the polite word when you say this, but if the person is kind enough to ask how you are or use the word when asking, then you should probably be polite to them back.
Males: Sabaay dii khráp (สบายดีครับ)
Females: Sabaay dii khá (สบายดีคะ)
It is not uncommon to remove Thai pronouns from the sentence if it is evident from the context. However, some people may use the pronoun, which will go at the beginning of the sentence.
What about if you are not feeling good? Once again, we will be taking a part of the question and removing both the question word and the word for good. Then it is just a case of adding the negative word to the beginning:
Mây sabaay (ไม่สบาย)
The word mây (ไม่) here is not to be confused with the question word mǎy (ไหม) from earlier. This one means no or not and is placed before a verb to make it a negative. In this case, it would mean ‘not good.’
Of course, once you have answered, you can ask the same question back. Another way you can answer is by saying, ‘and you?’. There are actually several different ways to go about this, but probably the most common way is to say lɛ́ɛw khun lâ (แล้วคุณล่ะ). This is much more informal and sounds more natural too.
A Typical Greeting Conversation In Thai
Now that we have the basics down, let’s take a look at a (very) basic conversation in Thai so you can see how to use this phrase.
A: Sawàtdii khâ (สวัสดีค่ะ) – Hello
B: Sawàtdii khráp (สวัสดีครับ) – Hello
A: Sabaay dii mǎy khá? (สบายดีไหมค่ะ) – How are you?
B: Phǒm sabaay dii khráp lɛ́ɛw khun lâ khráp? (ผมสบายดีครับ แล้วคุณล่ะครับ) – I am good. And you?
A: Chǎn sabaay dii khâ khɔ̀ɔpkhun khâ (ฉันสบายดีค่ะ ขอบคุณค่ะ) – I am good. Thank you.
Not too tricky, right? Once you learn the phrase ‘how are you’ In Thai, you should be able to remember the different answers, as they all take elements from the initial question.
How Do You Say ‘How Are You’ In Thai?
The phrase to say ‘how are you’ in Thai is sabaay dii mǎy (สบายดีไหม) . Typically, for extra politeness, you add khráp/khâ (ครับ/ค่ะ) to the end of this phrase.
Related Vocabulary
Below, you’ll find related vocabulary to supplement your knowledge of how to say ‘how are you’ in Thai.
If you want to learn about Thai phrases, greetings, and more, make sure to check out the Ling app!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Do You Greet In Thai?
A typical Thai greeting is sà wàt dii (สวัสดี), meaning ‘hello’. It’s applicable in many, if not all, situations. Thais typically add the politeness articles khráp/khâ (ครับ/ค่ะ) after sà wàt dii (สวัสดี) as a courtesy.
2. How Do You Say ‘How Are You’ In Casual Thai?
The casual way of saying ‘how are you’ in Thai is bpen ngai bâang (เป็นไงบ้าง). This can be translated as the Thai equivalent to the English ‘how is it going’?
3. What Does ‘Khob Khun Khrap’ Mean In Thai?
‘Khob khun khrap’, or kɔ̀ɔp kun khráp (ขอบคุณครับ) means ‘thank you’ in Thai. The word ‘kɔ̀ɔp kun‘ (ขอบคุณ) means ‘thank you’, and khráp (ครับ) is the masculine politeness article.
See How Your Loved Ones Are Doing
Now that you are armed with one of the most common Thai phrases, you will likely be using sabaay dii mǎy (สบายดีไหม) on a near-daily basis. You should be better set to have deeper conversations with other Thai speakers.
More than just a greeting, the ability to ask ‘how are you’ in Thai helps to show that you care about others. Whether you are prepared for the answer is another question. Try it out the next time you are meeting with one of your Thai friends, and see how things are going with them.
