Bonus: simple Thai
Enough Thai to order, shop and say thank you.
The words from the Learn Thai bonus on the channel, in one place. No grammar, no alphabet, no tones to memorise: the phrases you actually use at a stall, a market and a Thai table, with a Listen button so you hear them said.
Your device has no Thai voice installed, so Listen is off. On iPhone: Settings, Accessibility, Spoken Content, Voices, Thai. On Android: Settings, Text-to-speech, install Thai.
Being polite
Tip: Men end sentences with "khrap", women with "kha". It turns anything into a polite request.
| Thai | Say it | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| สวัสดี | sawat-dee | Hello / goodbye | |
| ขอบคุณ | khop khun | Thank you | |
| ครับ / ค่ะ | khrap / kha | Polite ending (men / women) | |
| ไม่เป็นไร | mai pen rai | No problem, never mind | |
| ขอโทษ | khor thot | Sorry / excuse me | |
| ใช่ / ไม่ใช่ | chai / mai chai | Yes / no |
Ordering food
Tip: "Khor" plus the dish name plus "noi khrap" orders anything politely. Say the heat level before they ask.
| Thai | Say it | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ขอ … หน่อย | khor … noi | May I have …, please | |
| เผ็ดน้อย | phet noi | A little spicy | |
| ไม่เผ็ด | mai phet | Not spicy | |
| เผ็ดมาก | phet mak | Very spicy | |
| ไม่ใส่น้ำตาล | mai sai nam tan | No sugar | |
| ไม่ใส่ผงชูรส | mai sai phong chu rot | No MSG | |
| ไม่ใส่ผักชี | mai sai phak chee | No cilantro | |
| กินเจ / มังสวิรัติ | kin jay / mang-sa-wi-rat | Vegan / vegetarian | |
| อร่อยมาก | aroi mak | Very delicious | |
| เช็คบิล / เก็บตังค์ | check bin / kep tang | The bill, please | |
| น้ำเปล่า | nam plao | Plain water | |
| น้ำแข็ง | nam khaeng | Ice |
Talking about taste
Tip: The four flavours every Thai cook balances. "Jued" is the word for food that needs fixing.
| Thai | Say it | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| เค็ม | khem | Salty | |
| เปรี้ยว | priao | Sour | |
| หวาน | waan | Sweet | |
| เผ็ด | phet | Spicy, hot | |
| ขม | khom | Bitter | |
| จืด | jued | Bland, needs seasoning | |
| หอม | hom | Fragrant (the highest praise) | |
| กลมกล่อม | klom klom | Well balanced, rounded |
In the kitchen and at the market
Tip: The words on the labels and the ones you shout across a market stall.
| Thai | Say it | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| น้ำปลา | nam pla | Fish sauce | |
| น้ำตาลปี๊บ | nam tan peep | Palm sugar | |
| กะทิ | ka-thi | Coconut milk | |
| ข่า | kha | Galangal | |
| ตะไคร้ | ta-khrai | Lemongrass | |
| ใบมะกรูด | bai ma-krut | Makrut lime leaves | |
| พริก | phrik | Chili | |
| กระเทียม | kra-thiam | Garlic | |
| มะนาว | ma-nao | Lime | |
| ข้าว / ข้าวเหนียว | khao / khao niao | Rice / sticky rice | |
| ไก่ / หมู / กุ้ง | kai / moo / kung | Chicken / pork / shrimp | |
| เท่าไหร่ | thao rai | How much? | |
| ครก | khrok | Mortar | |
| กระทะ | kra-tha | Wok, pan |
Numbers
Tip: Enough for prices. 25 is "yee-sip haa", 150 is "roi haa-sip". Baht is "baht".
| Thai | Say it | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| หนึ่ง สอง สาม สี่ ห้า | neung, song, saam, see, haa | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| หก เจ็ด แปด เก้า สิบ | hok, jet, paet, kao, sip | 6 7 8 9 10 | |
| ยี่สิบ | yee-sip | 20 | |
| ร้อย | roi | 100 | |
| บาท | baht | Baht (the currency) | |
| ลดหน่อยได้ไหม | lot noi dai mai | Can you lower the price a little? |
Watch the bonus episodes
Every recipe video on the channel ends with one or two of these phrases. The playlist collects them.
Open on YouTubeWant to go further?
Twenty phrases get you through a market. For real conversations, short audio lessons work better than apps that teach you the alphabet first.
Start learning Thai