The Thai Language

Now that you have been exposed to the basics of the Thai language, here are some guidelines to help you learn Thai:

• Sawadee is a greeting that can be used for just about any purpose. Sawadee says "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon," and "Good Evening" in Thailand, depending on when you use it.
• It you are male, it is proper to end your sentences with Khrab. The female equivalent is Kha. These Khrab and Kha can also be used to say "yes" in a polite way. They should also follow Sawadee.
• There are many different ways to say "I" in Thai. For everyday conversation between equals, Chan is used for males and Dichan for females. Rao can be used between close friends. Other pronouns for "I" are used in special circumstances using relating to royalty or religion.
• There are probably just as many ways to say "you." When in doubt, use Kun because it is the most common and can be with just about anyone. Tahn should be used when addressing someone of a higher status like a judge or Buddhist monk. Finally, Ter is an informal version of Kun and can be used with friends.
• Most of the Thai phrases taught on this site will use english to approximate the Thai pronounciation. Because this is not a perfect proccess, you might want to look over the following letter combinations:
  
  • KH = K as in KENYA
    (example: Khaosan Road, a famous road in Bangkok)
    
  • NG is pronounced as in SING
    (example: NGOO, Thai word for snake)
    
  • PH = P as in PEACE not PH as in PHONE
    (example: Phuket, world-renowned island in Southern Thailand)
    
  • V is pronounced as W
    (example: Vietnam is pronounced by Thais as Wietnam.)