Thai Language
Learning the Thai language is not easy. I can get by in Spanish and used to be able carry on in Italian quite well, I can count to ten in French and Japanese (thanks, karate!) and generally feel like “I’m good” at languages. Until I met Thai. Unlike the Romance languages, Thai is tonal, meaning it’s much more like singing which I’m terrible at! The tone of the word you’re saying changes it’s meaning. And unlike English, your voice going up at the end of a sentence does not automatically make it a question!
My favorite spot to eat around the corner from my apartment didn’t look like a place to eat at all. After walking by several times, I finally got the courage to go in and explore. The women who owned the place ended up being friends. The old lady, who I started calling Khun Yai or “grandma,” didn’t speak a word of English but we had long conversations in charades, simplified English*, and my nid noi (little bit) Thai. She always had a smile on her face and really, I’d eat whatever she cooked even if it wasn’t what I intended. She loved hugs and grandmotherly pats on the back. Her daughter was better at English and would translate for us sometimes, she said Grandma loved that I called her Khun Yai.
*Simplifying your English is very helpful for communication and understanding. Speak in present tense, ditch a lot of the little words, and speak slowly. Instead of, “I was going to go to the store to buy an umbrella when it suddenly started raining,” try, “I go to store to buy umbrella – then, raining!” You’re more likely to get your point across. And some things, like sarcasm, just do not translate.
A few key phrases are good to help you get by. I suggest the Thai podcast to get somewhat of an ear for the language. Asian languages are much closer to singing, as the tones of one word make it mean different things. Kow is rice, but can also be a meal, white, and news depending on the pronunciation and placement in a sentence! Have no fear. Thais in the service industry know some English. Unfortunately, there is no app to take a picture of written Thai and translate it into English. However, make sure you have a translation app loaded on your phone. You can always speak into the phone and have it play back in Thai, they can speak Thai and have it said in English. It’s not perfect, but that’s how I got a blown breaker fixed in my apartment and replaced the hard drive in my computer. Pretty cool!
Key Thai Phrases and Words
Here’s what you should know. Thai is underlined with American pronunciations explained in parentheses (not super concerned with the tones here).
- Ka (rhymes with bra but a little more drawn out) and khap (rhymes with hop). Females add Ka to the end of everything, males add Khap. How are you, ka? How much does that cost, khap? No thanks, ka. Yes please, khap. Even saying, “Yes, ka” is acceptable. It shows respect and good manners.
- Hello/Goodbye. Sawadee ka /khap (sah – WAH – dee). Hello and goodbye, always sawadee ka, and sawadee khap.
- Thank you. Khap khun ka/khap (cop coon). Used with a little head nod is nice, like a mini wei.
- Please. Prod ka/khap (prod rhymes with load). But honestly, I never learned or used this word. Ka/khap functions as your polite additive for almost any situation.
- No. Mai ka/khap (my). Mai is complicated! See level two for more info…
- Yes. Chai ka/khap (ch- as in chair and eye, like chai spice tea). You can also just say ka/khap to mean a polite yes. Thais understand English yes and no, so “Yes, ka” is fine!
- Sorry. Khor tort ka/khap (the r’s are both very light almost non existent). Bumped into someone, Khor tort ka.
- Toilet. Huang naam ka/khap (huang rhymes with bong). Thais don’t say restroom or bathroom, it’s just toilet. This will get you pointed in the right direction.
- Mai pen lai ka/khap – A common saying literally meaning “nevermind,” but used more like the American “no worries,” Spanish “no hay problema.” It’s not a thing, don’t worry about it. There’s been a mix up, you didn’t get what you ordered, you’re not communicating well – mai pen lai and a smile! It’s fine! You may also hear and see “mai ben rai” or “mai pen lai.”
- I don’t understand. Mai ko jai ka/khap (my ko jai rhymes with fly). Also said with a smile!
- How do you say… Khun puud yung rai…
- Farang (fah-lang). You will hear this word often. Generally it’s used to refer to a foreigner or tourist or European descent (read: white), and not always in a bad way. It’s also the same word for guava fruit which has pale pink flesh inside, hence European descent. Thais get a real kick out of a farang buying a farang!
That is a brief and non-nuanced intro to the Thai language. If language isn’t your thing, at least add ka/khap to your sentences. And I’m sure you can manage sawadee ka/khap! But if you can, check out the posts on Thai Language Beyond Basics for numbers and useful shopping phrases, as well as the Thai Language for Food – yum!
Pro tip: Download a translator app before you leave home. I recommend Google Translate but you do you! You will not be able to take a picture of text and have it translated. I hope some programmer is working on that! Let me know if you find one that works – I found several that absolutely did not!
