Thai Phrases for Travellers

You can get through Bangkok in English. A few words of Thai help in the places where English runs out: markets, street stalls, taxis and small restaurants. This page lists phrases that are useful to a visitor, with the Thai script so that you can show it to someone.

Romanisation of Thai varies from sign to sign and book to book (khop khun and khob khun are the same words), and we leave out tone marks. The Thai script is the reliable form: point to it if your pronunciation fails.

Be polite: khrap and kha

Thai speakers end polite sentences with a particle: ครับ (khrap) if the speaker is male and ค่ะ (kha) if the speaker is female. It is the easiest way to sound courteous. Say it after "hello", "thank you" and after most requests.

The basics

Shopping and paying

Eating

Mai sai… means "don't put in…" and works with any ingredient. For vegetarian eating, see vegetarian and Jain food in Bangkok; for allergies, a written note in Thai is safer than a spoken request, as our street food guide explains.

Getting around

Showing the Thai name of your hotel or destination on your phone is often easier than saying it. See the BTS and MRT guide for station names.

Directions

Say pai followed by the name of your destination, and show the Thai name on your phone as well.

Signs worth recognising

Ham thai rup (no photography) is the sign most likely to matter in temples and palaces; see the Grand Palace for the rules there.

Numbers

Tips

• Tones matter in Thai, so a word can be misunderstood if it is pronounced differently. Showing the script avoids the problem.
• Smile and point. Menus with pictures are common, and pointing is fine.
• Learn five and use them: sawasdee khrap/kha, khop khun, thao rai, mai phet and mai pen rai.

• Bangkok Travel GuideThe practical layer under every Bangkok trip: how to arrive, how to move, how to pay and how not to get caught out. Entry rules link to official sources, because they change.
• Bangkok Food GuideBangkok rewards curiosity more than reservations. This is the overview: what to eat, how ordering works, and which part of the city to go to for which kind of meal.