Say Hello in the Thai Language
Also known by its historical name Siamese, Thai is the official language of Thailand. It has several dialects spoken across the country, all of which differ from one another with subtle differences in the consonants and tones used. However, since Thai is a relatively tonal language, meanings of words tend to change based on the tone used. So, it’s important to note the tones carefully before using certain words. Thai also has several loan words from languages including but not limited to Chinese, Sanskrit, Portuguese, and so on.
| English: | Hello (boy) | Hello (girl) | My name is (boy) | My name is (girl) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation: | sa-wat DEE Krahp | sa-wat DEE kah | pom chew | dee-chan chew |
Thai also requires distinguishing between genders while speaking. So, it’s important to use the right form of a greeting based on your gender. The most acceptable ways to say hello in Thai are sa-wat DEE Krahp if you are male and sa-wat DEE kah if you are female. You can use the same greetings to say goodbye to people. To say bye more formally though, use laagorn Krahp/kah, again varying them based on your gender.
Thai Alphabet
This link provides information about the basics of the Thai alphabet:
Learning Thai
Here are some resources that will help you learn more than just how to say hello in Thai:
- A Profile of the Thai Language
- Learning Thai from Songs
- Thai Dialect in Thai with some translations and audio
- NASA: Voyager Audio Greeting in Thai
- Thai in Thailand conversational videos in Thai with translations
Thai Culture
These links delve into many aspects of the Thai culture:
- Guide to Thai Culture, Customs, Business Practices & Etiquette
- Thai Regional Folktales in Thai
- Thai Poetry with Audio in Thai
- CIA World Factbook: Thailand
- Country Study of Thailand
- Thailand: International Travel
- Thailand – Encyclopedia.com
Who Can You Talk To?
There are over 60.7 million people who speak Thai all over the world with most speakers in Singapore, Thailand, and the United States of America. Now, you can say hello in Thai to more than 60.7 million people!* *Source: Ethnologue: Thai – (Register for free to access.)
Say Hello to the World was created by Lorri Mon.
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