Thai · ภาษาไทย · Thai script
Greetings in Thai: สวัสดี with ครับ or ค่ะ, thank you and the wai
The all-purpose greeting in Thai is สวัสดี (sawatdi), hello and goodbye in one word, finished with a polite particle: ครับ (khrap) when a man speaks, ค่ะ (kha) when a woman does. Said face to face it usually comes with the wai, palms pressed together and a slight bow.
Thai greetings and polite phrases with RTGS, IPA and register
The register column says who a Thai form suits. Polite forms work with strangers, colleagues and elders; colloquial ones with friends and family. Where Wiktionary limits a word to speakers of equal or lower status, the note says so.
| English | Thai | IPA | Romanisation | Register | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello and goodbye | |||||
| hello; goodbye | สวัสดี | /sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩.diː˧/ | sawatdi | neutral | any time of day; also on the phone |
| hello (man speaking) | สวัสดีครับ | sawatdi khrap | polite | ครับ ends a man's polite sentence | |
| hello (woman speaking) | สวัสดีค่ะ | sawatdi kha | polite | ค่ะ ends a woman's polite statement | |
| good morning | อรุณสวัสดิ์ | /ʔa˨˩.run˧.sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩/ | arun sawat | formal | dawn + prosperity |
| good night | ราตรีสวัสดิ์ | /raː˧.triː˧.sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩/ | ratri sawat | formal | night + prosperity |
| goodbye | ลาก่อน | /laː˧.kɔːn˨˩/ | la kon | neutral | only the person leaving says it |
| bye-bye | บ๊ายบาย | /baːj˦˥.baːj˧/ | bai bai | colloquial | from English; childish in tone |
| Polite particles | |||||
| polite particle (men) | ครับ | /kʰrap̚˦˥/ | khrap | polite | from ขอรับ, I receive |
| polite particle (women), statements | ค่ะ | /kʰaʔ˥˩/ | kha | polite | also yes, I see |
| polite particle (women), questions | คะ | /kʰaʔ˦˥/ | kha | polite | high tone, ends a question |
| Phrases that follow | |||||
| how are you? | สบายดีไหม | sabai di mai | neutral | are you well, or not? | |
| I am well | สบายดี | /sa˨˩.baːj˧.diː˧/ | sabai di | neutral | comfortable + good |
| thank you | ขอบคุณ | /kʰɔːp̚˨˩.kʰun˧/ | khop khun | polite | to equals or juniors |
| thank you (respectful) | ขอบพระคุณ | /kʰɔːp̚˨˩.pʰra˦˥.kʰun˧/ | khop phra khun | formal | to equals or seniors |
| thanks | ขอบใจ | /kʰɔːp̚˨˩.t͡ɕaj˧/ | khop chai | colloquial | to equals or juniors |
| sorry; excuse me | ขอโทษ | /kʰɔː˩˩˦.tʰoːt̚˥˩/ | kho thot | polite | formal: ขออภัย |
| the wai greeting | ไหว้ | /waːj˥˩/ | wai | gesture | palms together, slight bow |
RTGS (Royal Institute romanisation), IPA, meanings and status notes: Wiktionary entries for each word; RTGS is written here without the syllable hyphens Wiktionary uses. Rows without IPA are combinations of words whose own entries are linked through the single rows. Wai etiquette: Wikipedia, Wai (gesture).
สวัสดี: a greeting coined in the 1930s
For a word every visitor to Thailand learns on the first day, สวัสดี is surprisingly young. The Wikipedia article on the greeting credits its coinage, in the mid-1930s, to Phraya Upakit Silapasan of Chulalongkorn University, and Wiktionary dates the first record of the everyday greeting to 1933 and its first official use to 1943. The government of Plaek Phibunsongkhram promoted it in the early 1940s, as part of the cultural edicts of the time.
The word itself is old. It comes from Sanskrit svasti, well-being or good fortune, and before the 1930s Thai used it only as a formal opening in inscriptions, wishing the reader prosperity. Wiktionary still lists the noun sense, well-being, as elegant usage.
Of all the greetings in Thai, สวัสดี is the easiest for a beginner, for two reasons. It does not change with the time of day, so one word serves morning, afternoon and evening, and it works for both arrival and departure. It also answers the phone. Thai does have dedicated morning and night greetings built on the same root, อรุณสวัสดิ์ and ราตรีสวัสดิ์, but they sound formal and written; Wiktionary also lists the plainer สวัสดีตอนเช้า, sawatdi in the morning.
ครับ and ค่ะ: the polite particles that end Thai greetings
The particle at the end of greetings in Thai says who is speaking and how politely. Men add ครับ (khrap), which Wiktionary derives from ขอรับ, a humble phrase meaning roughly I receive your request. Women add ค่ะ (kha) to a statement and คะ, also romanised kha, to a question. The two women's forms differ only in tone, falling for the statement and high for the question, and only the tone mark tells them apart in writing.
The particle depends on the speaker, not on the listener. A man greeting a woman still says สวัสดีครับ, and a woman greeting a man says สวัสดีค่ะ.
In casual speech the particles bend. Wiktionary lists a whole family of alternative spellings for ครับ, among them คับ, ค้าบ, งับ and ฮับ, each a looser rendering of the same word. Wiktionary also notes that ค่ะ and คะ were formerly used by noblemen and are now used mostly by women, a history that explains why the particles follow the speaker.
The wai: the gesture that goes with the greeting
In person, สวัสดี usually comes with the wai, ไหว้. The Wikipedia article on the gesture describes it as a slight bow with the palms pressed together, and it gives the one rule of degree: the higher the hands are held in relation to the face and the lower the bow, the more respect the person making the wai shows.
Two further points from the same article help visitors. A wai offered as a sign of respect should always be returned, even if only as well as full hands allow. And visitors unfamiliar with the custom should not wai someone younger than themselves except to return their wai; the younger person goes first. A wai from a shop assistant greeting customers is a different case, usually answered with a smile or a nod.
Monks are greeted differently in words as well. Wiktionary notes that a priest is greeted with นมัสการ and answers with เจริญพร, a blessing, instead of สวัสดี.
Thank you, sorry and goodbye: status in every word
Thanking, like most greetings in Thai, involves a choice of level. ขอบคุณ (khop khun) is the everyday thank you, and Wiktionary specifies that it is used towards people of equal or lower status. To someone senior, or to show deep respect, the form is ขอบพระคุณ (khop phra khun), with พระ, holy, inserted. Among friends the colloquial ขอบใจ (khop chai) does the job. With ครับ or ค่ะ added, ขอบคุณครับ and ขอบคุณค่ะ are the forms a visitor will use most.
Apology works the same way. ขอโทษ (kho thot), sorry or excuse me, is built from ขอ, to ask for, and โทษ, punishment, and suits equals and juniors; Wiktionary ranks ขออภัย and ขอประทานอภัย above it in formality.
Goodbye is mostly สวัสดี again. ลาก่อน (la kon) also means goodbye, but Wiktionary restricts it to the person who is leaving. Friends say บ๊ายบาย, borrowed from English bye-bye; its first syllable carries mai tri, ๊, one of the four Thai tone marks, which gives the high tone heard in the IPA.
| Thai | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| สวัสดีครับ / สวัสดีค่ะ | sawatdi khrap / sawatdi kha | Hello. / Hello. |
| สบายดีไหมคะ | sabai di mai kha | How are you? (woman asking) |
| สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ | sabai di khrap, khop khun khrap | I'm well, thank you. (man answering) |
| ขอโทษค่ะ | kho thot kha | Excuse me. (woman speaking) |
| ราตรีสวัสดิ์ | ratri sawat | Good night. |
A slash marks a change of speaker. The particle ไหม turns a statement into a question.
Questions about greetings in Thai
How do you say hello in Thai?
สวัสดี, sawatdi, followed by ครับ (khrap) if you are a man or ค่ะ (kha) if you are a woman. The same word works at any time of day and as goodbye.
When do you use ครับ and when ค่ะ?
By the speaker's gender: men end polite sentences with ครับ, women with ค่ะ in statements and คะ in questions. The listener's gender does not matter.
How do you say thank you in Thai?
ขอบคุณ, khop khun, plus ครับ or ค่ะ. To a senior person use ขอบพระคุณ; among friends ขอบใจ.
Should I return a wai?
Yes. A wai offered as a sign of respect should be returned. Visitors should not start a wai with someone younger; let them wai first.
How do you say goodbye in Thai?
Usually สวัสดี again. ลาก่อน (la kon) also means goodbye but is said only by the person leaving; friends say บ๊ายบาย, bye-bye.