How to make everyday greetings in Thailand
Hi everybody,
I bet you all know how to greet in Thai and how to respond to that. However, I would like to repeat it again for the newbies:) Let’s see an example conversation. (please continue reading until the end of the article then you may learn something new:)
Example greeting conversation
Tony : สวัสดีครับ /Sà-wàt-dii kráp/ (hello)
Jenny : สวัสดีค่ะ /Sà-wàt-dii kâ/ (hello)
Tony : สบายดีไหมครับ /Sà-baai-dii mái kráp/ (How are you?)
Jenny : สบายดีค่ะ คุณล่ะคะ /Sà-baai-dii kâ. Kun là ká/ (I am fine, and you?)
Tony : สบายดีครับ /Sà-baai-dii kráp/ ( I am fine)
Above is an example of basic conversation among foreigners. They using the western custom. But usually Thai People do not ask “how are you?” (Thai:สบายดีไหม /Sà-baai-dii mái/) with people who they talk to everyday because they can see that the person they are talking to is fine (guess from appearance). Base on Thai custom, the Thais think that eating is the most important thing for everyone. If people were hungry, they would not feel well, right? So, the most common question that Thais ask when seeing each other is “have you eaten anything yet?” (Thai:กินข้าว(หรือ)ยัง /gin kâao (rʉ̌ʉ) yang/)
Example greeting conversation between two Thai close friends 🙂
(Two friends see each other for the first time of the day)
Joy : ดีจ้า /dii jâa/
(hi)
Ying: จ้า /jâa/
(yes!)
Joy : กินข้าวยังหญิง /gin kâao yang/
(have you eaten yet?)
Ying: กินแล้ว จอยล่ะ /gin lԑ́ԑo, Joy lâ/
(I have already eaten, and you?)
Joy : กินแล้วจ้า หญิงจะไปไหน /gin lԑ́ԑo jâa, Yǐng jà bpai nǎi/
( I have already eaten. Where are you going?)
Ying: จะไปซื้อของ ไปด้วยกันไหม /jà bpai sʉ́ʉ-kͻ̌ͻng, Yǐng bpai dûai-gan mái/
(I am going to go shopping. Do you want to join?)
Joy: ไปไม่ได้จ้า เรามีนัดกับแฟน /bpai mâi dâai jâa, rao mii nát gàp fԑԑn/
(No, I do not. I cannot go with you, I will have a date with my boyfriend.)
Ying: อ่อ ขอให้สนุกนะ /ͻ̀ͻ, kͻ̌ͻ hâi sà-nùk ná/
(Ah, I hope you will be having fun.)
Joy : ขอบใจจ้า เหมือนกันนะ เจอกันๆ /kͻ̀ͻp-jai jâa, mʉ̌an-gan ná, jəə-gan-jəə-gan/
(Thanks, you too. See you!)
Ying: จ้า เจอกัน /jâa jəə-gan/
(Yes, see you)
From above conversation you may notice that the particle used is not kâ/ká (Thai: ค่ะ/คะ) but they use
jâ/jâa (Thai:จ้ะ/จ้า); the particle are used among friends. They are less formal than kâ/ká (Thai: ค่ะ/คะ) while the particle jâ/jâa (Thai:จ้ะ/จ้า) are soft and cute. And Thai people normally call friend’s name instead of using kun (Thai:คุณ) means you. Furthermore, most of Thai would say their name or the word rao (Thai:เรา) means I instead of using chán (Thai: ฉัน) which is too formal.
Hope this is useful for you!
Fai
Thai Language Teacher
