Greetings, Introducing, and Say Bye in Thai in real life!

Note: If you want to hear the real voice I recommend you to enter Google Translator.

Hello guys, when we want to greet someone or say HI to someone in Thai. Basically, we will say these phrases:

"สวัสดีครับ [Sah-Wahd-Dee Krub]" (for Male)

"สวัสดีค่ะ [Sah-Wahd-Dee Kah]" (for Female)

I’d say those are in a polite way you should follow that actually. However, today I’m going to teach you deeper about the way how to greet someone in Thai (In real Thai life. ). in the following below:

 

Say Hi/Hello

Most native Thai speakers will say:

 "หวัดดีครับ [Wahd-Dee Krub]"

I will cut the word "ค่ะ" because I’m a man. (Just kidding), but I think we knew already. It’s a sex indicator.

 

Okay let’s emphasize more into each word.

"หวัดดี [Wahd-Dee]" is "สวัสดี [Sah-Wahd-Dee]".

You can say this to every one of Thais and they can recognize immediately, "Oh wow, like native man speaks."

Let’s follow up on me.

"เฮ้ หวัดดี [Hey Wahd-Dee]"

"หวัดดี เพื่อน [Wahd-Dee Puh-Ah-N]" means Hi friend/dude.

You can mix them up, "เฮ้ หวัดดี เพื่อน"

Note: Only be used to someone you have close relationship. Not recommended to use with someone new to you. You might be considered as "ไม่มีมารยาท or มารยาทไม่ดี [Mai Me Mah-lah-Yahd or Mah-lah-Yahd Mai D]". They all mean you have a bad manner.

For more polite,

"หวัดดีครับ [Wahd-Dee Krub]", that’s all. Now you can say this to Thais.

Plus, for kidding your Thai friends. หวัด is a cold/flu and ดี is good. So it’s a good cold/flu. 555 (ha ha ha). 

 

How are you?

This thing is getting strange to Thais to ask each other, "How are you?" But it’s traditional to foreigners. I don’t know either why. When Thais see each other, they will mostly ask "Where did you go? [1]", "คุณไปไหนมา [Khun Pai Nai Mah]".

Anyway, if you do, that’s not strange actually. Some Thais ask "How are you?" as well. So let’s make it right.

[1] Note: In Thai we don’t have the past/present/future sentence structures.

 

"How are you?" can mean many Thai sentences. (Even in English also has many ways to say too. ).

Let’s see some example

"คุณสบายดีไหม or สบายดีไหม [Khun Sah-Bye D Mai? or Sah-Bye D Mai?]"

"คุณเป็นอย่างไรบ้าง or เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง  [Khun Pen Yahng-Lai Bahng? or Pen Yahng-Lai Bahng?]"

I cut the word "คุณ" which is a subject of the sentence. It’s okay if you know there is someone you’re talking to. No need to put the word "คุณ".

 

For more polite, easily to do, just put the word ครับ or ค่ะ.

E.g. คุณสบายดีไหมครับ, คุณเป็นอย่างไรบ้างครับ

 

Now let’s optimize our previous sentences…

สบายดีไหม turned into บายดีไหม or บายดีมั้ย is read "Bye D Mai?".  

Both are the same sound.

เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง turned into เป็นไงบ้าง is read "Pen Ngai Bahng?"

Both phrases บายดีไหม and เป็นไงบ้าง are informal ways to speak. You shouldn’t use it in your academic way, this is only for speaking.

Note: The word "มั้ย [Mai]" is an informal word.

 

For more polite, easily to do, just put the word ครับ or ค่ะ.

E.g. บายดีไหมครับ, เป็นไงบ้างครับ

 

Plus, for you guys who likes more and more surprising phrases, here it is.

"เป็นไงบ้างวะ [Pen Ngai Bahng Wah?]"

It’s one of "How are you?" If you notice, you will see the word "วะ" which implies to rudeness of speaking or writing. Mostly when Thais are angry will put the word "วะ" to the end of every sentence to express that they are being in a bad mood.

In term of speaking with your friends it shows that how much relationship you have with your friends. I mean you got to say to the ones who you think you’re so close in relation to them.

Be reminded. Don’t speak to elder Thais or gangsters or bullies. I don’t want to be the cause of that bad. 555 

 

Introducing yourself.

Let’s begin with telling your name.

"ฉันชื่อจอห์นครับ [Chahn Chuh John Krub]".

จอห์น is your name. So it’s "My name is John" or "I am John".

For example, if your name is Michael, so you say "ฉันชื่อไมเคิลครับ [Chahn Chuh Michael Krub]".

Alternative way to say, I have a cool sentence for you, but pretty rude to speak, and the same, you only speak this to your friends.

"กูชื่อจอห์น or กูจอห์น [Goo Chuh John or Goo John]".

กู [Goo] is the subject of "I" or "Me" and a rude word.

You can also put the word ครับ/ค่ะ at the end of the sentence, if you want. (Just like doing irony.)

 

Who are you?

 "Who are you?, คุณเป็นใคร [Khun Pen Krai]". Very very direct meaning. It makes sense in meaning. But in Thai you can’t ask that guy that "คุณเป็นใคร". No no "ไม่ได้นะครับ [Mai Dai Nah Krub]" you can’t. It’s so rude.

And how to make more polite, just put the word "ครับ" the same. For the question sentence we can put this instead also "หรอครับ [Law Krub]". It will emphasize your sentence that you really want to know.

So it’s finally "คุณเป็นใครหรอครับ [Khun Pen Krai Law Krub]".

Next, if you want to ask them for a name.

"คุณชื่ออะไรครับ [Khun Chuh Ah-Lai Krub]"

It’s "What’s your name?".

 

I have funny sentence for you.

"มึงเป็นใครวะ [Muh-ng Pen Krai Wah?]", It’s another way to ask someone to want to know about their identity (Like "Who the hell are you?"). 555 But you shouldn’t do it, it will cause harm to you. Reserved for your friends. 

Another one, "มึงคิดว่ามึงเป็นใครวะ [Muh-ng Kid Waah Muh-ng Pen Krai Wah?]".

"Who the hell do you think who you are?"

มึง [Muh-ng] is the subject of "You" and a rude word.

 

Who’s that guy?

When you’re talking to someone and you see his/her friend, then you ask them "Who is that person?". You can ask them in Thai like this.

Starting with politeness:

"นั่นใครครับ [Nun Krai Krub?]"

Who’s that?

"เขาเป็นใครครับ [Kao Pen Krai Krub?]"

Who’s he/she?

Or you can use the word "คือ [Khuh]" instead of "เป็น [Pen]".

"เขาคือใครครับ [Kao Khuh Krai Krub]"

 

For rudeness, in Thai it’s very easy. You just change "ครับ/ค่ะ" to "วะ".

 

Say Bye.

We can say Bye like everywhere in the world, it makes sense. You can say "Bye-Bye".

Or you can say like greeting when seeing together "สวัสดีครับ".

In Thai, "สวัสดี" we can use for both greeting and saying good bye.

If you open the dictionary for "Good Bye", it will translate for you that "ลาก่อน [Lah Gawn]". It’ correct, but the word "ลาก่อน" in Thai it has more sad feeling like we’re going to be separated forever.

 

Next one when we say "See you again (Next time, tomorrow…)". Most of the time, Thais don’t say this. Anyway, there are some Thais say.

So you might have heard.

"แล้วพบกันใหม่ [Laeo Poab Gun Mai]"

See you.

"แล้วพบกันใหม่อีกครั้ง [Laeo Poab Gun Mai E-g Krung]"

See you again.

"แล้วพบกันใหม่ครั้งหน้า [Laeo Poab Gun Mai Krung Nah]"

See you next time.

"แล้วพบกันใหม่พรุ่งนี้ [Laeo Poab Gun Mai Proong Nee]"

See you tomorrow.

 

In teenage language (You know they like to speak short, even adults can’t understand them sometimes. )

You might put this word "เออ [Er]", for example:

"เออ เจอกัน [Er--  Jer Gun]"

Uh.. See you.

"เออ เดี๋ยวเจอกัน [Er—Deo Jer Gun]"

Uh.. We will see each other again.

 

Lastly of this section, funny stuff for you. Take this sentence.

"เดี๋ยวมึงเจอกู [Deo Muh-ng Jer Goo]"

It doesn’t mean "You will see me soon." It means "You will have trouble with me." 555 

If you hear it, avoid that bad guy.

 

Consequently, in Thai to make the sentence polite we will basically put the word "ครับ/ค่ะ" at the end of the sentence. This is the correct way to do it and it works in every sentence, just put "ครับ/ค่ะ". For more polite, you can use "นะครับ/นะค่ะ [Nah Krub/Nah Kah]".

The other dark side, like I mentioned the word "มึง [Muh-ng]" is "You with both subject and object" and "กู [Goo]" is "I for a subject and Me for an object".

Be careful when using those, for sure please avoid those.