Nong Chang the baby elephant

How to say hello and thank you in Thai

The first ten Thai phrases most families learn, with a sound button for each. Tap to hear it, or tap the turtle to hear it slowly.

Greetings and polite phrases

Tap the speaker to hear each word, or the turtle to hear it slowly.

Sawasdee means hello and goodbye

สวัสดี (sa-wàt-dii) works at any time of day, for both hello and goodbye. You will often see it written “sawasdee” or “sawatdee”.

Add khráp or khâ to sound polite

Thai speakers end polite sentences with a word that depends on who is speaking, not who they are talking to. Men and boys say ครับ (khráp). Women and girls say ค่ะ (khâ).

So a man says “sa-wàt-dii khráp” and “khɔ̀ɔp-khun khráp”, and a woman says “sa-wàt-dii khâ” and “khɔ̀ɔp-khun khâ”. Leaving it off can sound abrupt.

The wai greeting

When greeting someone, Thai people often press their palms together at chest height and bow slightly. This is the wai. Younger people wai older people first, and the older person usually returns it with a smile or a nod.

Mâi pen rai: the phrase you'll hear everywhere

ไม่เป็นไร (mâi-pen-rai) means “no worries”, “never mind” or “it's fine”. People say it after someone apologises, when you thank them, or when something small goes wrong.

Keep going with Nong Chang

These words come from our free Thai course for families: 6 levels of short lessons, audio for every word, speaking practice and a kids' mode.

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