Have you imagined visiting your Thai friends in Thailand and blowing their minds with your newfound knowledge of Thai jokes? Wouldn’t that be fantastic?!
If you enjoy Thai food as much as we do, you may be tempted to look for a Thai joke (โจ๊ก, jóok) recipe online. However, we’re not here to teach you how to prepare Thai Joke, the tasty Thai congee for breakfast; instead, we want to teach you how to make Thai people laugh with Thai jokes (ตลก, dtà lòk)!
You’ll feel like you’ve advanced to the next level of your Thai conversational skills if you can make them laugh because Thais love people who have a great sense of humor. Our goal is to encourage you to study Thai jokes to impress your friend the next time you visit Thailand, and being able to make a random person burst out laughing is a bonus!
Let’s explore some funny Thai jokes to share with our friends.
The Best Thai Jokes To Make Locals Laugh
There are many local dialect-themed jokes in Thai culture; therefore, it might be location-specific. On the other hand, you’ll be able to communicate with anyone in Thailand simply by learning the “official language,” or central language, which people in major cities like Bangkok use. Even Thai kids will get these jokes.
This blog will expose you to some of the most popular Thai jokes using wordplay, phonology, and spoonerism. Let’s get rolling!
Thai Puns And Wordplay
The Thai people enjoy playing with words, and here we proudly present a sample of hilarious Thai jokes. Find out how many you can correctly guess!
1. ประเทศอะไร ไม่สามารถดูทีวีได้ (Bprà Têet à Rai Mâi Sǎa Mâat Duu Tii Wii Dâi)
English translation: Which nation doesn’t have access to television?
The answer is “จอดำ (jɔɔ dam),” which means screen off. Your listeners will quickly catch on to the humor and figure out that you meant “Jordan” but intentionally mispronounced the name.
Fun fact: when a TV in Thailand loses its signal, and the screen goes black, the term “จอดำ (jɔɔ dam)” is used to describe the problem.
จอดำ (jɔɔ dam)
2. จังหวัดอะไรร้อนหลัง (Jang Wàt à Rai Rɔ́ɔn Lǎng)
English translation: Which Thai province is concerned about burning a back?
The answer is “นอนทับบุหรี่ (nɔɔn táp bù rìi),” which means lying on a cigarette. Your listeners will quickly catch on to the humor and figure out that you meant “นนทบุรี (non tá bù rii),” which means Nonthaburi, the province name in Thailand.
นอนทับบุหรี่ (nɔɔn táp bù rìi)
นนทบุรี (non tá bù rii)
3. ประเทศอะไร ใส่ของได้เยอะ (Bprà Têet à Rai Sài Kɔ̌ɔng Dâi Yə́)
English translation: What country can contain many items?
The answer is “ตะกร้า (dtà grâa),” which means a basket. It’s a play on the word “Qatar,” the country’s name, from gaa dtâa to dtà grâa.
ตะกร้า (dtà grâa)
4. สัตว์อะไร ร้องไห้แค่เดือนเดียว (Sàt à Rai Rɔ́ɔng Hâi Kɛ̂ɛ Dʉan Diao)
English translation: What kind of animal has a one-month crying period?
The answer is “กุ้งตุลาร้องไห้ (gûng dtù laa rɔ́ɔng hâi),” which is incorrectly pronounced from the word “กุ้งกุลาร้องไห้ (gûng gù laa rɔ́ɔng hâi),” means a type of Thai shrimp. The word ตุลา (dtù laa) is shortened from the Thai month’s name ตุลาคม (dtù laa kom). Further, the word กุ้ง (gûng) means a shrimp, and the word ร้องไห้ (rɔ́ɔng hâi) means to cry.
กุ้งตุลาร้องไห้ (gûng dtù laa rɔ́ɔng hâi)
กุ้งกุลาร้องไห้ (gûng gù laa rɔ́ɔng hâi)
ตุลาคม (dtù laa kom)
กุ้ง (gûng)
ร้องไห้ (rɔ́ɔng hâi)
Jokes Based On Thai Phonetics
You’ll need to put a lot of time into Thai phonetics if you want to understand and respond appropriately to these jokes because they include linguistic tricks. However, we guarantee it has a lot of fun!
1. ประเทศอะไร เห็นชัดจากที่ไกล (Bprà Têet à Rai Hěn Chát Jàak Tîi Glai)
English translation: Which country can we see from a distance?
The answer is “เด่นมาก (dèn mâak),” which means very outstanding. Your listeners will quickly catch on to the humor and figure out that you meant “Denmark” but intentionally played with its pronunciation.
เด่นมาก (dèn mâak)
2. ประเทศอะไร ไม่ใส่เสื้อผ้า (Bprà Têet à Rai Mâi Sài Sʉ̂a Pâa)
English translation: Which nation doesn’t wear clothing?
The answer is “โป๊แลนด์ (bpóo lɛɛn),” which is mispronounced from the word “โปแลนด์ (bpoo lɛɛn),” meaning “Poland.”
The word โป๊ (bpóo) means naked, which plays with the word โป (bpoo) in the name of the country.
โป๊แลนด์ (bpóo lɛɛn)
โปแลนด์ (bpoo lɛɛn)
โป๊ (bpóo)
3. งูตกลงไปในถังขยะ งูจะฉกอะไร (Nguu Dtòk Long Bpai Nai Tǎng Kà Yá Nguu Jà Chòk à Rai)
English translation: What will the snake bite if it falls into the trash?
The answer is “ฉกกะปก (chòk gà bpòk),” which is incorrectly pronounced from the word “สกปรก (sòk gà bpròk).”
ฉกกะปก (chòk gà bpòk)
สกปรก (sòk gà bpròk)
4. ระหว่างห้องน้ำชายกับห้องน้ำหญิง อันไหนเหม็นกว่ากัน (Rá Wàang Hɔ̂ɔng Náam Chaai Gàp Hɔ̂ɔng Náam Yǐng An Nǎi Měn Gwàa Gan)
English translation: Which male and female restrooms have the stinkiest smell?
The answer is “วู้! เหม็น (wúu měn),” which is exaggeratedly pronounced from the English word “women.” The word วู้ (wúu) is an interjection, and the word เหม็น (měn) means smelly.
This is a classic phrase for Thai men to ask a Thai woman as a joke.
วู้! เหม็น (wúu měn)
5. ทำไมรถไฟถึงวิ่งช้า (Tam Mai Rót Fai Tʉ̌ng Wîng Cháa)
English translation: Is there a reason why the train is moving so slowly?
The answer is “ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่าง (tʉ̌ng gɔ̂ɔ châng mâi tʉ̌ng gɔ̂ɔ châng),” which is a deviation from the train’s motion sound of “ฉึกกะฉัก ฉึกกะฉัก (chʉ̀k gà chàk chʉ̀k gà chàk).”
The word ช่าง (châng ) is the short version of ช่างมันเถอะ (châng man tə̀), which means “forget it.”
ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่าง (tʉ̌ng gɔ̂ɔ châng mâi tʉ̌ng gɔ̂ɔ châng)
ฉึกกะฉัก ฉึกกะฉัก (chʉ̀k gà chàk chʉ̀k gà chàk)
ช่างมันเถอะ (châng man tə̀)
6. สัตว์อะไรช้าที่สุด (Sàt à Rai Cháa Tîi Sùt)
English translation: What is the slowest animal?
The answer is “ก็ลีลา (gɔ̂ɔ lii laa),” a play of the word “กอริลล่า (gɔɔ rin lâa),” which is a Gorillas is English. The word ลีลา (lii laa) literally means dance, but it’s also used to describe someone who takes so much time to finish something.
ก็ลีลา (gɔ̂ɔ lii laa)
กอริลล่า (gɔɔ rin lâa)
7. สัตว์อะไรเป็นระเบียบ (Sàt à Rai Bpen Rá Bìap)
English translation: What kind of animal is tidy?
The answer is “เรียงผ้า (riang pâa),” a play on the word “เลียงผา (liang pǎa),” which is a mountain Goat is English. The word เรียง (riang) means to organize or arrange, and the word ผ้า (pâa) means cloth.
เรียงผ้า (riang pâa)
เลียงผา (liang pǎa)
Thai Vocabulary For Jokes
There are various Thai terms for humor that you should learn.
Is There A Thai Joke You Have Heard Before?
You can use these Thai jokes as a reference whenever you hear a humorous conversation or watch a comedic scene in Thai movies and TV shows. We hope you learn a lot from this article about how to make Thais laugh, and you shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t understand any of the jokes.
Because the humor in that culture is so inextricably bound up with the norms and customs of that society, understanding it is a significant undertaking but absolutely fun!
Want to expand your knowledge of the Thai language and culture beyond these hilarious jokes? Then we’re capable of offering the top app available!
Learn Thai With The Ling App
Learn Thai like a pro with the support of the Ling app! We provide a broad range of words and phrases useful in everyday life and beyond. The Ling app allows you to study whenever it fits your busy schedule through your smartphone or computer.
In addition, we want all Thai language students to have a good time while learning, which is why we provide a diverse range of entertaining resources—from games to sophisticated chatbots—to facilitate this purpose.
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!
