Wherever you go, there is always the unfortunate possibility for something to go wrong. This is true whether you are at home or abroad, so when you are looking for travel phrases to learn, you should consider some of these. While Thailand is usually safe, you may find yourself in an emergency situation that will require you to ask for assistance. English may also work but being able to say it in Thai may be more beneficial and help things move along better. For that reason, I wanted to go over with you today some Thai phrases for emergencies.
Calling For Help In Thai
Help is probably the word you will need if you find yourself in immediate danger. In Thai, help is ‘chuai duai’ (ช่วยด้วย). Saying this is sure to get the attention of people nearby. Interestingly, ‘chuai’ (ช่วย) by itself means ‘to help’ while the ‘duai’ (ด้วย) part of the phrase is actually a particle that makes the sentence a request.
Stop can also be a good word to use and luckily it is easy to remember. Stop in Thai is ‘yut’ (หยุด). Then, to say watch out, you can say ‘ra wang’ (ระวัง). These can both be thought of examples of imperative verbs. When it comes to Thai phrases in emergencies, these will come in useful.
What About When You Are Sick?
There may also be some situations where you specifically need medical attention. First, when you want to let people know you are ill, you should say ‘pom/chan boo ay’ (ผม/ฉันป่วย), which means I am ill, depending if you are male or female. To say ‘call a doctor’, you can use the phrase ‘chuai too ha moor’ (ช่วย โทรหา หมอ).
To really let people know that it is an emergency, you can just say it outright by using ‘man pen het chukchern’ (มันเป็นเหตุฉุกเฉิน).
Who To Talk To In An Emergency
Like anywhere else, there are dedicated numbers to call for police, known as ‘dtam ruat’ (ตำรวจ) in Thai, fire brigade, called ‘satani dap plerng; (สถานีดับเพลิง), and the hospital, referred to as the ‘roong pa yaa baan’ (โรงพยาบาล).
Depending on where you live or what the issue is, many buildings have a person or group of people known as the juristic person (also referred to in Thai as ‘nitibukhun’ (นิติบุคคล), who may be able to help.
On top of this, Thailand also has many tourist police available. They are generally better at speaking English and can be found in the major tourist areas around the country.
Staying Safe During An Emergency In Thailand
As safe as Thailand or any other country is, bad things can happen. I hope that everyone can travel and visit with no issues, but sometimes you will need to know Thai phrases for emergencies. These are especially useful if you need assistance from people nearby who may not speak English very well. Even just knowing the word for help should be good enough.
If you are interested in learning more Thai, try using the Ling Thai app. You can practice for a few minutes each day. Over time, you will learn more and become more confident in speaking the language.