There is nothing more useful than a pocket of handy phrases for you to start off conversing in Thai. For beginner Thai learners, the best way to start off learning conversational Thai is to memorize the “Thai way” of expressing yourself and constantly practice your Thai conversation skills with someone who speaks Thai.
Thai is a very fluid language with bare minimum grammar patterns so there’s no such thing as a “grammar book” for you to study. I really started picking up Thai speaking when I got thrown into the deep end – I went to Thailand for my student exchange programme after studying bare minimum Thai and was forced to converse in Thai daily – ranging from for simple things such as ordering food right up to complex issues such as settling my accommodation woes 😲 You can check out my journey to learn Thai speaking under my About page. But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it helped me master basic Thai conversations quickly.
Do also note that for Thai Speaking, correct pronunciation of the 5 Thai tones is of utmost importance. A wrong tonal pronunciation will mean a totally different word. 🤯 You will only get the hang of the 5 Thai tones by constantly hearing and speaking Thai. If you practice regularly, it is likely you can pick up basic Thai conversations (such as introducing yourself) within 10 days! You can use the sample phrases below as your starting point.
Enjoy learning, rian hai sanook sanook na kha~ 🥳
5 Basic Thai Greetings for Beginners😇
Please note:
- 🧑🏻Guys usually end their sentences with “khrap / krub” [different ways to pronounce ครับ]. For girls 👩🏻, polite sentences end off with “kha / ka” (ค่ะ, falling tone) and polite questions end off with kha (คะ, high tone).
See blog post here on when to use khrap, kha and other ending particles. - “I” for guys is phom (ผม, rising tone) 🧑🏻. “I” for girls is more complicated – but most of the time you wouldn’t go wrong with chan (ฉัน, rising tone) 👩🏻.
Check out my blog post here on the many different ways to say “I” in Thai
- For simplicity, all conversation below will be using female terms (i.e. “chan” for I, “ka”) for ending particle. For guys, please replace “chan” with “phom” and “ka” with “krap”.
- Hallo 👋, what is your name? My name is [name]
Sawatdii ka สวัสดี ค่ะ
Khun chue arai ka? คุณชื่ออะไร คะ
Chan chue [name] ka ฉัน ชื่อ [name] ค่ะ
Click here to learn what sawatdii means and how to use it
- How are you? I’m fine, thank you. 🙏
Khun sabaay dee mai ka? คุณสบายดีไหม คะ
Chan sabaay dee ka. Khoop khun ka ฉัน สบายดี ค่ะ ขอบคุณ ค่ะ
- Nice to meet you 👊
Yin dee thii dai ru cak na ka ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักนะ คะ
- Welcome [to a place] 🏠
Yin dee ton rap na ka ยินดีต้อนรับนะ ค่ะ - I am [occupation] 👨🏻⚕️👨🏻✈️
Chan pben [occupation] ka ฉัน เป็น [occupation] ค่ะ
Get help with learning to read, write and text in Thai today! 🥰
9 Other Basic Thai Phrases for Beginners😎
Please note: For simplicity, all conversation below will be using female terms (i.e. “chan” for I, “ka”) for ending particle. For guys, please replace “chan” with “phom” and “ka” with “krap”.
1. I like 😋 / dislike 😰 [something]
Chan choop / mai choop [something] ka ฉัน ชอบ / ไม่ชอบ [something] ค่ะ
2. I want / do not want [verb] 🙏
Chan yaak / mai yaak [something] ka ฉัน อยาก / ไม่อยาก [something] ค่ะ
3. I want / do not want [noun] 🙏
Chan aw / mai aw [something] ka ฉัน เอา / ไม่เอา [something] ค่ะ
4. Where is [XX]❓
[XX] yuu thii nai ka [XX] อยู่ที่ไหน คะ
5. What is [XX] ❓
[XX] kheu arai ka [XX] คืออะไร คะ
6. Yes 👌🏼 / No ❌
chai / mai chai ใช่ / ไม่ใช่
7. [XX] is expensive. Can you please lower the price? 💸
[XX] pheng na lot noy dai mai ka [XX] แพงนะ ลดหน่อยได้ไหม คะ
8. You are very beautiful / handsome 😘
khun suay / lor maak คุณสวย / หล่อมาก 😘😘
9. I love you ❤️
chan / phom ruk khun ฉัน / ผม รักคุณ ❤️❤️.
Check this detailed post on how exactly to say I love You in Thai.
About the author – see the About page for more information
Joanne Tan is an aspiring polyglot and has so far mastered English, Chinese and Thai languages. She first started learning Thai in 2015 before staying in Bangkok for 5 months, and then continued studying Thai up to Advanced Levels at the National University of Singapore. In 2017, Joanne was awarded ‘Advanced Thai Proficiency’ by the Sirindhorn Thai Language Institute of Chulalongkorn University. Today, Joanne freelances as a Thai language teacher in Singapore and helps her Thai friends actively promote Thai culture.
