Communicating in Thailand: Phrases, Particles, and Apps Teachers Use
Five Phrases Beat Perfect Tones. Add Khrap or Kha
From our office in Ban Lum, I tell new teachers the same thing every year: you don't need perfect tones to get on well here. Five phrases, khrap or kha on the end, and a smile will do more than a month with a textbook. The Thai alphabet can come later.
Speak first. Script later. Learn five phrases: sawatdee (hello), khop khun (thank you), mai pen rai (no problem), mai phet (not spicy) and kin khao rue yang? (have you eaten yet?). Add khrap (men) or kha (women) to the end and you'll sound polite even with shaky tones. Use the Google Translate camera (a Google tool, not KET's) for menus and signs, but check names and school notices with a colleague. If people laugh when you try, it's usually kindness, not mockery.
01: Speak First, Script Later
Effort and politeness count for more than perfect tones. When you're ready to read, start with our Thai alphabet guide.
"In 20 years in Sukhothai, I've watched teachers with ten words of Thai get on better than teachers with a grammar book. Say sabai dee mai? to the security guard and aroi mak! to the lady at the noodle stall, and add khrap or kha. People notice the effort straight away. Tones take time; politeness doesn't."Matthew John : Co-Founder & Operations Manager, KET
Khrap and Kha 🌸
Add khrap (ครับ) if you're a man or kha (ค่ะ) if you're a woman to greetings, thanks and answers. You don't need it on every sentence, but using it often makes you sound polite.
Mai Pen Rai 🌿
Mai pen rai (ไม่เป็นไร) means "no problem", "never mind" or "it's fine". You'll hear it when something goes wrong. It's a good phrase to use back: stay calm and move on.
Kin Khao Rue Yang? 🍲
Kin khao rue yang? (กินข้าวหรือยัง) means "Have you eaten yet?". Colleagues ask it to be friendly, much like "How are you?". Answer kin laeo (กินแล้ว, I've eaten) or yang (ยัง, not yet).
🛠️ How to Start Speaking Thai as a New Teacher
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Add Khrap or Kha
End greetings, thanks and answers with khrap (ครับ) if you're a man or kha (ค่ะ) if you're a woman. It makes what you say sound polite.
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Learn Five Phrases First
Start with sawatdee (hello), khop khun (thank you), mai pen rai (no problem), mai phet (not spicy) and kin khao rue yang? (have you eaten yet?). Use them every day.
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Practise Ten Minutes a Day
Use a phrase app, or ask a Thai colleague to say a phrase and copy them. Speak first; the Thai alphabet can come later.
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Use the Camera for Menus
Point the Google Translate camera (a Google tool, not KET's) at menus and signs to get the gist, and ask a Thai colleague when names, tones or school notices matter.
02: Apps for Spoken Thai
Independent apps, not KET's. Ten minutes a day beats a weekend cram. Check current features and prices.
Speekeo
Built around spoken Thai: short daily sessions of everyday phrases, shown in transliteration, Thai script or both.
Speaking FirstLing
Short, game-style lessons with native-speaker audio, from a company started in Chiang Mai.
Short LessonsNemo Thai
Audio phrases to listen to and repeat, handy for tuning your ear to Thai tones.
Listen and RepeatPocket Thai Master
Step-by-step lessons on grammar, tones and Thai culture, by Evan Winget. At the time of writing it's on the Apple App Store but no longer on Google Play.
Lessons and Grammar
03: Camera Translation: Good for Menus
Google Translate and Google Lens are Google tools, not KET's. Good for the gist; check anything important with a person.
Camera Mode
Point the Google Translate camera at a menu, packet or sign and you'll get the gist. Decorative Thai fonts and handwritten boards can confuse it.
Conversation Mode
At a clinic or the post office, the two-way voice mode can help. Keep your English short and simple, one sentence at a time.
Names and Tones Need a Person
Apps often get people's names, place names and tones wrong. For names, school notices and anything about money or dates, ask a Thai colleague.
04: Everyday Thai Phrases
For school, the market and meals. Women use ค่ะ (kha) in statements and คะ (kha, higher tone) in questions. More in our 100 Thai words list and Thai food post.
👋 Greetings and Everyday Phrases
| English | Thai | Say It |
|---|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye | สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ | sawatdee khrap/kha |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณครับ/ค่ะ | khop khun khrap/kha |
| How are you? | สบายดีไหมครับ/คะ | sabai dee mai khrap/kha? |
| I'm fine | สบายดีครับ/ค่ะ | sabai dee khrap/kha |
| Have you eaten yet? | กินข้าวหรือยัง | kin khao rue yang? |
| Excuse me / Sorry | ขอโทษครับ/ค่ะ | khor thot khrap/kha |
| No problem / Never mind | ไม่เป็นไรครับ/ค่ะ | mai pen rai khrap/kha |
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →
🍜 Food, Markets and Street Stalls
| English | Thai | Say It |
|---|---|---|
| Very tasty! | อร่อยมากครับ/ค่ะ | aroi mak khrap/kha |
| Not spicy | ไม่เผ็ดครับ/ค่ะ | mai phet khrap/kha |
| A little spicy | เผ็ดนิดหน่อยครับ/ค่ะ | phet nit noi khrap/kha |
| The bill, please | เช็คบิล / เก็บตังค์ครับ/ค่ะ | check bin / kep tang khrap/kha |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหนครับ/คะ | hong nam yu thi nai khrap/kha? |
| How much is this? | อันนี้เท่าไหร่ครับ/คะ | an nee thao rai khrap/kha? |
| Can you lower the price a little? | ลดได้ไหมครับ/คะ | lot dai mai khrap/kha? |
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →
05: Dos and Don'ts at School and Around Town
Small habits that keep things smooth with colleagues and neighbours.
✅ Do
- Use khrap or kha: it softens what you say.
- Wai back: when someone wais you, return it. Our Wai guide explains how high to hold your hands.
- Keep calm (jai yen, ใจเย็น): sort out misunderstandings quietly and with a smile.
- Use titles: call colleagues Kru (ครู) or Ajarn (อาจารย์) with their first name.
- Take your shoes off: before going into a Thai home and some school rooms.
❌ Don't
- Raise your voice: getting angry in public makes everyone lose face and makes problems harder to fix.
- Touch anyone's head: the head is seen as the highest part of the body.
- Point your feet: feet are the lowest part; don't point them at people or at Buddha images.
- Step on money: Thai banknotes and coins carry the King's image.
- Joke about the Royal Family or religion: be respectful in what you say and post.
Many Thai students won't answer in front of the class or say they don't understand. Part of this is kreng jai (เกรงใจ): not wanting to trouble the teacher or stand out. It isn't rudeness. Let them try in pairs first, praise the attempt, and don't put one student on the spot. And if people laugh when you speak Thai, it's usually kindness or embarrassment, not mockery.
Speaking Thai Questions
Do I need to read Thai to speak it?
No. Speak first, script later. Start with spoken phrases and khrap or kha. If you stay longer, learning the Thai alphabet helps with signs and tones, and our Thai alphabet guide is a good place to start.
What are khrap and kha?
They are polite words you add to the end of a sentence. Men say khrap (ครับ) and women say kha (ค่ะ). Adding them to greetings, thanks and answers makes you sound polite and friendly.
Which apps help with spoken Thai?
Options include Speekeo (spoken phrases), Ling (short lessons with native-speaker audio), Nemo Thai (audio phrases to listen to and repeat) and Pocket Thai Master (grammar and culture lessons; on the Apple App Store, no longer on Google Play). They are independent apps, not KET's, so check current features and prices.
How good is the Google Translate camera for Thai?
Google Translate's camera (a Google tool, not KET's) is good for getting the gist of menus, packets and signs. Thai is written without spaces between words and some fonts are decorative, so check names, prices and school notices with a Thai colleague.
What does kin khao rue yang mean?
Kin khao rue yang? (กินข้าวหรือยัง) means "Have you eaten yet?". It's a friendly way of asking how you are, and colleagues often ask it around lunchtime. Answer kin laeo (กินแล้ว, I've eaten) or yang (ยัง, not yet).
Why do Thai people laugh when I speak Thai?
Usually it's kindness, surprise or a little embarrassment, not mockery. A wrong tone can change a word's meaning, and a laugh is a polite way to smooth it over. Smile, try again and keep going.
Matthew John
Co-Founder & Operations ManagerI'm Matthew, co-founder of Kids English Thailand. I've lived in Thailand for 20 years and work from our office in Ban Lum, Sukhothai. Since 2009 we have placed over 1,500 teachers in Thai schools, and the ones who settle fastest try a few words of Thai on day one.
