Thai Numbers And Counting: #1 Best Guide To Teach You!

Thai numbers-ling-app-thai numeral system

Knowing Thai numbers and counting before visiting Thailand will give you an advantage while negotiating with locals. Want to save money with every purchase you make? Keep reading!

Don’t worry if numbers make you nervous; we won’t be teaching you to calculate! Instead, we’ll be delighted to show you how the Thais count. 

Knowing Thai numbers will be handy for any Thai enthusiast, whether trying to buy a bus ticket, find some fruit at the market, or find your way around town

For example, if someone tells you to walk for “หนึ่งกิโลเมตร (nʉ̀ng gì-loo-mêet),” you’ll know that they mean “one kilometer.”

Now is the time for some light entertainment. Are you all set? Okay, let’s get moving!

Thai Numbers At A Glance

Let’s get into the most intriguing bit of language first! Do you know Thai uses its unique numeral alphabet, apart from Arabic numerals? Check out the Thai numerals we’ve written in the following table.

English NumeralsThai Numerals
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0

Since 1292 (or 1835 B.C.), the Thai numerals on the Ram Khamhaeng inscription were first discovered.

Like its namesake, it was created by Ram Khamhaeng or Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng Maharat. He ruled the Sukhothai Kingdom from 1279 until 1298 as the third monarch of the Phra Ruang dynasty.

When Do The Locals Use Thai Numbers?

Thai people use Arabic numerals daily, so you might have little chance to see original Thai numbers. But, if you learn Thai to an advanced level, you’ll see Thai numbers and more complex language and sentences, especially in official papers or government documents.  

In addition, you can usually see these numbers on the temple’s whiteboard alongside notices of upcoming religious events or at a rural school and train station. Thais advocate for the widespread use of Arabic numerals to eliminate potential confusion. 

Thai writing might be a manageable challenge, but you should start working on counting and pronouncing them immediately, so read on!

Thai Numbers-arabic numbers

How To Read A Number In Thai?

Here are the basics of Thai numerical digits from 1 to 10.

EnglishThaiTranscriptionPronunciation
Zeroศูนย์Sǔun
Oneหนึ่งNʉ̀ng
TwoสองSɔ̌ɔng
ThreeสามSǎam
Fourสี่Sìi
Fiveห้าHâa
SixหกHòk
Sevenเจ็ดJèt
EightแปดBpɛ̀ɛt
Nineเก้าGâao
TenสิบSìp

The Rule Of Reading Thai Numerals

Alright, before we begin Thai number counting and reading, we’d like to teach you a new word for “1” that will be used for numbers that come after the number ten, which are 11 to 91.

  • One – เอ็ด (èt)

Let’s see the examples below!

EnglishThaiTranscriptionPronunciation
1 (one)หนึ่งNʉ̀ng
11 (eleven)สิบเอ็ดSìp èt
21 (twenty one)ยี่สิบเอ็ดYîi sìp èt
31 (thirty one)สามสิบเอ็ดSǎam sìp èt
41 (forty one)สี่สิบเอ็ดSìi sìp èt
51 (fifty one)ห้าสิบเอ็ดHâa sìp èt
61 (sixty one)หกสิบเอ็ดHòk sìp èt
71 (seventy one)เจ็ดสิบเอ็ดJèt sìp èt
81 (eighty one)แปดสิบเอ็ดBpɛ̀ɛt sìp èt
91 (ninety one)เก้าสิบเอ็ดGâo sìp èt
101 (one hundred and one)หนึ่งร้อยหนึ่งNʉ̀ng rɔ́ɔi nʉ̀ng
111 (one hundred eleven)หนึ่งร้อยสิบเอ็ดNʉ̀ng rɔ́ɔi sìp èt
2,001 (one thousand one)สองพันหนึ่งSɔ̌ɔng pan nʉ̀ng
2,121 (one thousand one hundred twenty one)สองพันหนึ่งร้อยยี่สิบเอ็ดSɔ̌ɔng pan nʉ̀ng rɔ́ɔi yîi sìp èt

How To Read A Number That Has Many Digits?

You’re about to see a more extended digit in a number. Are you prepared? If yes, let’s get some practice together!

EnglishThaiPronunciationSound
100 (hundred)หนึ่งร้อยNʉ̀ng rɔ́ɔi
1,000 (thousand)หนึ่งพันNʉ̀ng pan
10,000 (ten thousand)หนึ่งหมื่นNʉ̀ng mʉ̀ʉn
100,000 (hundred thousand)หนึ่งแสนNʉ̀ng sɛ̌ɛn
1,000,000 (one million)หนึ่งล้าน Nʉ̀ng láan
1,000,000,000 (thousand million)หนึ่งพันล้านNʉ̀ng pan láan
234,560 (two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty)สองแสนสามหมื่นสี่พันห้าร้อยหกสิบSɔ̌ɔng sɛ̌ɛn sǎam mʉ̀ʉn sìi pan hâa rɔ́ɔi hòk sìp
1,234,561 (one million, two hundred thirty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-one)หนึ่งล้านสองแสนสามหมื่นสี่พันห้าร้อยหกสิบเอ็ดNʉ̀ng láan sɔ̌ɔng sɛ̌ɛn sǎam mʉ̀ʉn sìi pan hâa rɔ́ɔi hòk sìp èt
Thai Numbers-decimal numbers

How To Read Decimal Number In Thai

You must remember one word below to be fluent in Thai decimal numbers.

  • Dot/point – จุด (jùt)

Specifically, the numbers preceding and after the point will be interpreted differently. Alright, now it’s time to look at some examples and get some practice!

Arabic NumbersThaiTranscriptionPronunciation
1.02หนึ่งจุดศูนย์สองNʉ̀ng jùt sǔun sɔ̌ɔng
10.22สิบจุดสองสองNìp jùt sɔ̌ɔng sɔ̌ɔng
100.38หนึ่งร้อยจุดสามแปดNʉ̀ng rɔ́ɔi jùt sǎam bpɛ̀ɛt
1,000.658หนึ่งร้อยจุดหกห้าแปดNʉ̀ng rɔ́ɔi jùt hòk hâa bpɛ̀ɛt
1,550.20658หนึ่งพันห้าร้อยห้าสิบจุดสองศูนย์หกห้าแปดNʉ̀ng pan hâa rɔ́ɔi hâa sìp jùt sɔ̌ɔng sǔun hòk hâa bpɛ̀ɛt

How To Read Fractions In Thai

In this case, you need only one vocabulary to comprehend how to read fractions in Thai.

  • Fraction – เศษส่วน (sèet-sùan)

The words เศษ (sèet) and ส่วน (sùan) will be used when reading fractions in Thai. Come on, let’s take a look at some examples and practice!

EnglishThaiTranscriptionPronunciation
1/2 (one-half)เศษหนึ่งส่วนสองSèet nʉ̀ng sùan sɔ̌ɔng
1/3 (one-third)เศษหนึ่งส่วนสามSèet nʉ̀ng sùan sǎam
3/4 (three-fourths)เศษสามส่วนสี่Sèet sǎam sùan sìi
6/8 (six-eighths)เศษหกส่วนแปดSà sà hèek sùan bpɛ̀ɛt

How To Read House Numbers In Thai

Without the correct number and postcode, you risk losing your package. In Thai, two important words are used when reading ordinal numbers: 

  • Number – เลขที่ (lêek tîi)
  • Slash – ทับ (táp)

Address Numbers And Postcodes

Let’s check it out and get some practice with the rules for reading address digits and postcodes.

EnglishThaiTranscriptionPronunciation
Address number 123/456บ้านเลขที่ 123/456Bâan lêek tîi nʉ̀ng sɔ̌ɔng sǎam táp sìi hâa hòk
Address number 100/300บ้านเลขที่ 100/300Bâan lêek tîi nʉ̀ng sǔun sǔun táp sǎam sǔun sǔun
Postcode 10600หมายเลขไปรษณีย์ 10600Mǎai lêek bpai rót nii nʉ̀ng sǔun hòk sǔun sǔun
Postcode 123456หมายเลขไปรษณีย์ 123456Mǎai lêek bpai rót nii nʉ̀ng sɔ̌ɔng sǎam sìi hâa hòk

In Summary

So, now when you buy fruit at the local market and they say “แตงโม หนึ่ง ลูก หนึ่งร้อย บาท (dtɛɛng moo nʉ̀ng lûuk nueng roi bàat),” you then understand that it means “a watermelon is one hundred baht.”

The ability to converse fluently in Thai numbers will serve you well not just in understanding the natives but also in negotiating down the prices of goods in the local marketplace in Thailand.

The Thai language has so many complicated but exciting words to learn.

So, if you’re motivated to learn more, let’s use the Ling app!

Learn Thai With The Ling App

Using the Ling app in your Thai language study can add a new dimension of fun. We know that people will experience many situations in their everyday lives. 

Therefore we meet their desires by offering diverse vocabulary and topics. Use our sophisticated chatbot, Ling, to practice pronunciation and fill in your lexicon.

Most Thai learners chose the Ling app to help them succeed, so why not join them? Download the Ling app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store now, and prepare to be fluent in Thai soon!

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