The Thai Calendar: The #1 Guide For Travelers

Thai calendar in black text with yellow background and backdrop of person writing on calendar

Have you ever been stopped in the street by someone asking for the date?

With mobile phones becoming so popular, it is not so common anymore, but there is no better feeling than helping out a stranger.

Now, imagine what happens while you are traveling abroad. That would probably feel even better!

The Thai calendar can be pretty confusing at first glance, though. While locals are unlikely to stop to ask you in the streets, there are still many situations where you can help them out.

Knowing calendar dates can also help you plan your trips accordingly. Especially at tourist attractions which don’t have English information provided.

Read on as we take a closer look at the Thai calendar.

Thai Calendar: Saying The Dates In Thai

Saying the date is not much different than saying the numbers.

All you’ve got to do is use the phrase wan tîi (วันที่), which literally means “the day that”, and then say the number of the day you’re referring to after it!

So if you want to say “1st March”, it would be wan tîi nʉ̀ng mii naa kom (วันที่ 1 มีนาคม), which literally means “the day that is 1st, March”.

It’s that simple! And here’s how you’d refer to other days:

EnglishThaiPronunciationSound
First (Day)วันที่หนึ่งwan tîi nʉ̀ng
Second (Day)วันที่สองwan tîi sɔ̌ɔng
Third (Day)วันที่สามwan tîi sǎam
Fourth (Day)วันที่สี่wan tîi sìi
Fifth (Day)วันที่ห้าwan tîi hâa

All right, let’s test your knowledge: by this logic, what would 30th March be?

If your answer is wan tîi sǎam sìp mii naa kom (วันที่ สามสิบ มีนาคม), then you’re on the right track! Thankfully, this isn’t too hard to grasp.

Business people checking calendar on desk.

The Days Of The Week In Thai

The days of the week are probably the most important part of the calendar. Whenever you’re making plans, you’d need to know the equivalent dates of the week.

Take a look below for the names and some context on what they mean!

Monday

To start, we will look at Monday. The way to say Monday in Thai is wan jan (วันจันทร์). the wan (วัน) part of the word means day, as you will see as we continue down this list.

Unlike in English however, the day part actually goes at the beginning of the name rather than the end.

When you break it down like that, it reduces the number of new words you need to learn, which is always helpful.

So, I imagine you are asking whether the other part of the word has any special meaning. Well, actually, it does.

Each day of the week is named after something. In this case, jan (จันทร์) is actually named after the Moon. Interesting, right?

Tuesday

Next up is Tuesday. To say Tuesday in Thai, you use wan ang kaan (วันอังคาร). If it helps to remember, the second day of the week has two syllables -‘ang’ and ‘kaan’.

To note on Thai pronunciation, it doesn’t quite rhyme with Monday as the kaan part is extended a bit more when spoken.

The second day of the week follows the same pattern as before when it comes to the translation. That is because ang kaan (อังคาร) is the name for Mars.

Now you start to see that the days of the week in Thai are named after planets. More specifically, they are named after the zodiac signs.

Wednesday

Now on to Wednesday, which in Thai is wan pút (วันพุธ). So far, we have had the Moon and Mars. So what is up next? Well the pút (พุธ) part of the name is named after Mercury.

Thursday

Now Thursday is the odd one out here. Not only is the word significantly longer, it is also given a less formal shortened version too.

Thursday in Thai is wan prʉ́ hàt sà bɔɔ dii (วันพฤหัสบดี). Obviously, that is quite a mouthful, which is why you will more commonly hear it referred to as wan prʉ́ hàt (วันพฤหัส) which is much easier to say.

The meaning of prʉ́ hàt sà bɔɔ dii (พฤหัสบดี) is Jupiter. As the biggest planet, it is natural that it has the biggest name, I guess.

Friday

Friday in Thai is wan sùk (วันศุกร์). The word sùk (ศุกร์) actually means Venus and is yet again from the zodiac.

Saturday And Sunday

Now, we move on to the weekend, where we can explore Thai drinking culture! Just kidding!

But, if you want to say Saturday in Thai, you would use wan sǎo (วันเสาร์). Sǎo (เสาร์) is the word meaning Saturn.

For Sunday, you would use wan aa tít (วันอาทิตย์).

Interestingly, as you will discover below, aa tít is actually one of the words that means week in Thai. This may be linked to the fact that aa tít (อาทิตย์) actually means Sun.

Silver alarm clock on wooden table.

Thai Week Vocabulary In Thai

Seven days is equal to a week, which in Thai is aa tít (อาทิตย์) or, more formally, sàp daa (สัปดาห์).

Similarly, to say next week, you can use either aa tít nâa (อาทิตย์หน้า) or sàp daa nâa (สัปดาห์หน้า).

However, when you want to say weekend, only sùt sàp daa (สุดสัปดาห์) would be used.

Finally, there is a weekday, which is completely different. Weekday in Thai is wan tam má daa (วันธรรมดา).

What Are The Thai Months?

So then, what about the months in Thai? Or as they say in Thai, dʉan (เดือน). Let’s check these Thai months vocabulary:

EnglishPronunciationThaiAbbreviationSound
Januarymók gà raa komมกราคมม.ค.
Februarygum paa panกุมภาพันธ์ก.พ.
Marchmii naa komมีนาคมมี.ค.
Aprilmee sǎa yonเมษายนเม.ย.
Mayprʉ́t sà paa komพฤษภาคมพ.ค.
Junemí tù naa yonมิถุนายนมิ.ย.
Julygà rá gà daa komกรกฎาคมก.ค.
Augustsǐng hǎa komสิงหาคมส.ค.
Septembergan yaa yonกันยายนก.ย.
Octoberdtù laa komตุลาคมต.ค.
Novemberprʉ́t sà jì gaa yonพฤศจิกายนพ.ย.
Decembertan waa komธันวาคมธ.ค.

Did you notice any pattern here? At first glance, it does seem to appear quite random, but if you look closer you should see how the naming works. 

The pattern is that all the months that have 31 days end with kom (คม) and those with 30 days end with yon (ยน).

Then there is February, which is the odd one out and ends in pan (พันธ์). It is worth mentioning that the months are named after the Zodiac signs.

August is named after a lion or Leo, for example.

Abbreviations may be used as the month names can be quite long. Having a shorthand way of Thai writing can help keep things brief. 

Finally, there is the year in Thai. Let’s learn more about Thai vocabulary with the Thai calendar system.

The Thai Calendar System

One thing that can be particularly confusing when in Thailand is seeing the year written as 2568. First of all, don’t worry. You did not travel to the future!

In Thailand, they often use the solar calendar in official contexts.

In the West and other countries, it is the lunar calendar that is generally used. I all comes down to some maths when working out what each should be.

Ultimately, to figure out the ‘Gregorian calendar’ date, it is just a case of subtracting 543 years from the Thai date.

For example, the current year, according to the Thai calendar system, is 2568.

2568 take away 543 would be 2025, the current year according to the Gregorian calendar. That is all it takes. 

Pretty much everyone will recognize either system, so there is little need to worry about adjusting how you write it unless you are told otherwise.

As for saying the year in Thai, it is just a case of using the regular number system.

How Do You Say Calendar In Thai?

If you want to say calendar in Thai, it’s bpà dtì tin (ปฏิทิน) .

On the other hand, the Thai word for date is wan tîi (วันที่) .

Meanwhile, if you want to say time in Thai, it’s wee laa (เวลา) .

Tips On Using The Thai Calendar

When learning and using the Thai calendar for the first time, there can be some confusion.

That’s why we’ve prepared some tips for you on culture and practical usage of the calendar below:

  1. Many dates in Thailand are shown in the buddhist calendar. That’s why it’s always useful to memorize the number 543. Subtracting the 543 from the Buddhist Era (Thai) calendar gives you the current Gregorian calendar date. If you’re using online resources to check Thai dates or plan for holidays, a VPN with a free trial can help you access region-specific websites that might be unavailable in your location. This way, you can explore Thai cultural sites and official calendars without restrictions.
  2. The days of the week have their own significance in religion and society. You may see that on certain days, people wear certain colors. These colors actually correspond to the Hindu god associated with that day. For example, Monday is associated with the color red.
  3. Dates in Thai are written in the day-month-year format. Practice saying them out loud too, so you can accurately communicate dates if the need arises.
  4. Unit 19 of the Ling App’s Thai course introduces you to days, months, and other words related to time. Practicing vocabulary with language learning apps is convenient, and can help you prepare for trips to Thailand.
  5. Prepare for major Thai festivals using the Thai calendar. Songkran, or Thai new year, is the most important festival, and usually falls in the middle of April on the Gregorian calendar. Many Thai festivals and public holidays follow the Thai Buddhist calendar, so plan accordingly!

Using these tips above, you’ll improve your Thai skills, as well as appreciate the cultural importance of the Thai calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Thai Calendar

1. How Does The Thai Calendar Work?

As mentioned earlier, the Thai calendar is based on the Thai solar calendar. It started its count when Buddha attained parinibbāna.

Hence, its date is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. This system is also called the Buddhist calendar system.

Most of the Thai calendar nowadays is still used in printed calendars and some Thai birth certificates.

However, Thailand uses two main calendar systems, the Gregorian and Thai Solar Calendar. So, anyone can opt to choose the Gregorian calendar system if needed.

2. What Year Is It In Thailand Now?

Today, it is the year 2568 BE in Thailand. The Thai calendar works by adding 543 years to the current Gregorian calendar.

But don’t worry, if you’re working in Thailand or want to spend the New Year and greet your Thai friends a Happy New Year, you can still say that on January 1.

3. When Is Thailand’s New Year?

Did you know that Thailand celebrates a different time for the new year than the Georgian calendar? For Thailand, the Thai New Year happens during Songkran.

This special holiday is the most celebrated Thai calendar event. So don’t miss out on this opportunity if you plan to visit Thailand soon!

Never Miss A Date Again!

Date and time are both very important concepts in any language. It really helps to build context about things you are talking about and add more detail.

Knowing dates is one of the building blocks for fluency in a language.

Also, there are situations where it can be very helpful to understand vocabulary relating to date and time in Thai.

Maybe if someone is telling you when and where you will be meeting or the time for an appointment at immigration, or telling an important date for a festival or holiday.

Thankfully, there is little extra to learn hereafter learning the numbers, it is just a case of not mixing these up!

Learn More About Thai Language And Culture

Now that you know the important cultural, practical, and religious significance of the Thai calendar, why not go beyond and learn more about Thailand through the Thai language?

A great way to learn Thai language is to use one of the many language learning apps, like the Ling app.

As we’ve mentioned before, unit 19 of the Thai language course on the Ling app introduces in detail the Thai months, days, and other related words related to time.

To add, units 9-12 are great if you’re preparing for a trip to Thailand, as they have lessons on essential travel phrases.

Whether you’re preparing for a trip, wanting to talk to locals, or just learning for fun, the Ling app is a great way to start doing so at your own pace!

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