Useful Thai phrases for travelling in Bangkok

How to read these phrases

Thai is a tonal language: one syllable said with five different melodies changes meaning. The pronunciation given here is simplified and does not mark tones; say it naturally and context will help the listener. Do not hesitate to show the Thai script: it is better than a badly pronounced word.

Two small words make all the politeness. At the end of a sentence a man adds khrap, a woman adds kha. They can also be used alone to mean "yes, fine" or "pardon?". A "hello" without khrap or kha sounds curt; with it, it sounds polite. To refer to themselves, a man says phom ("I"), a woman chan.

Basic politeness

"Mai pen rai" is the country's most famous expression: it answers thanks, apologies and mishaps. Say it with a smile. The accompanying gesture is the wai, palms together in front of the chest with a slight bow of the head; a visitor is not obliged to do it, and a smile is enough. More gestures in our guide to etiquette in Thailand.

At the market and for haggling

Haggling is the norm in clothes and crafts markets like Chatuchak market, Pratunam or Sampeng Lane, not in malls or fresh-produce markets where prices are displayed, like Khlong Toei or Or Tor Kor. Stay smiling: you ask for a reduction, you do not demand it. If the seller refuses, thank them and move on to the next stall.

Taxi, tuk-tuk and boat

For a taxi, the safest is still to show the address in Thai on your phone, or to use Grab. All the ways of getting around are detailed in getting around Bangkok. For boats on the Chao Phraya, it is usually enough to tell the conductor the name of your destination pier.

At the restaurant and the stall

"Mai phet" is the most useful phrase for European palates: street food can be very hot, even when the dish looks harmless. You will find the dishes to try in our guide to street food in Bangkok.

Where are the toilets?

Hong nam yu thi nai (ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหน) is the phrase to know. On doors, ชาย (chai) means men and หญิง (ying) women. The guide to toilets in Bangkok explains how they work.

Numbers

From 11 to 19, the unit comes after "sip" (sip et for 11, sip song for 12). For the tens, the digit goes before "sip": yi sip for 20 (not "song sip"), sam sip for 30, si sip for 40. For hundreds, nueng roi is 100 and song roi 200; nueng phan is 1,000. In practice, sellers often show the price on a calculator or write it down: count on your fingers and the calculator if the numbers escape you.

Going further

A phrasebook on your phone and a translation app that reads Thai characters will help you with menus and signs. Find the basics in our guide to a first trip to Bangkok.