30 Thai phrases for travellers (the ones that actually help)

Most "30 phrases for tourists" lists are written by people who don't speak Thai. The phrases are technically right but tonally wrong, or so formal that no Thai person actually says them, or so phrasebook-flavoured that you can pronounce them but can't deviate by a word. This list is different — these are the phrases that get used, in roughly the situations where you'll need them, with the polite particles and tone notes that matter.

A note on romanisation: tone marks matter more than the spelling. Pay attention to them (rising, falling, etc.) over the syllables. A wrong tone makes a different word.

Greetings (4)

1. sa-wat-dee krap / ka (สวัสดีครับ / ค่ะ) — Hello / Good day. Krap if you're male, ka if female. The polite particle is non-optional. With a slight wai (palms together at chest) for older people.
2. khop khun krap / ka (ขอบคุณครับ / ค่ะ) — Thank you. Same particle rules. For extra warmth: khop khun maak — "thank you very much".
3. mai bpen rai (ไม่เป็นไร) — "no problem / you're welcome / it's nothing". The most Thai phrase there is. Use it for "you're welcome", as an apology-deflector ("oh it's fine"), or as a "never mind, forget it". It does enormous emotional work.
4. kor thot krap / ka (ขอโทษครับ / ค่ะ) — Sorry / Excuse me. Both apologising and getting-someone's-attention. Kor thot krap to flag down a taxi, kor thot na ka (softer) to apologise for bumping into someone.

Politeness particles (3)

5. krap (ครับ) — male polite particle. End every sentence with this in any transactional context. Lower your voice slightly when you say it.
6. ka (ค่ะ) — female polite particle for statements. Falling tone.
7. kha (คะ) — female polite particle for questions. High-rising tone. The difference between ka and kha matters; statement-with-question-tone sounds confused or challenging.

Pointing at things (3)

8. nee (นี่) — "this / this one". Point and say "nee" — works at every market stall.
9. nan (นั่น) — "that / that one". Slightly further away.
10. ao nee (เอานี่) — "I'll take this". When pointing at the thing you want.

Numbers and money (3)

11. thaorai (เท่าไหร่) — "how much?". The single most-used question in Thailand. Nee thaorai krap? = "how much for this?". Drop krap/ka in casual contexts but never with shopkeepers older than you.
12. paeng (แพง) — "expensive". Useful for soft haggling. Paeng with a slightly drawn-out tone communicates "that's more than I expected" without being rude.
13. lot dai mai (ลดได้ไหม) — "can you reduce it / discount?". The polite haggle. Don't expect huge reductions outside actual markets, but it's culturally normal at flea markets and tourist stalls.

Food and drinks (5)

14. mai phet (ไม่เผ็ด) — "not spicy". Phet means spicy; mai phet means not spicy. Use this BEFORE the food arrives, not after. Thai medium-spice is a typical Westerner's "very spicy".
15. phet nit-noi (เผ็ดนิดหน่อย) — "a little bit spicy". The compromise position when you can handle some heat but not Thai-level.
16. a-roi maak (อร่อยมาก) — "very tasty". Pay this compliment to anyone who feeds you. It's a relationship-builder.
17. khao plao (ข้าวเปล่า) — "plain rice / white rice". Thai meals usually come with rice; sometimes you have to ask explicitly.
18. naam dteum (น้ำดื่ม) / naam plao (น้ำเปล่า) — "drinking water" / "plain water". Restaurants will sometimes bring sparkling or sweet drinks if you just say naam — be specific.

Directions and movement (4)

19. yuu thee nai (อยู่ที่ไหน) — "where is it?". Universal location query. Hong naam yuu thee nai krap = "where's the bathroom?".
20. bpai (ไป) — "go". Pair with a place: bpai BTS Asok to a taxi driver = "go to BTS Asok".
21. trong bpai (ตรงไป) — "straight ahead". Useful when someone gives you directions in a stream of words and trong bpai is the only one you catch — at least you know roughly which way.
22. tee-nee jot (ที่นี่จอด) — "stop here". To a taxi or motorbike driver. Jot tee-nee also works.

Getting help (4)

23. chuay duay krap / ka (ช่วยด้วย) — "help / help me!". For emergencies. The verb chuay (help) is also the polite imperative — see below.
24. chuay phuut chaa-chaa (ช่วยพูดช้าๆ) — "please speak slowly". Chuay + verb = "please verb". You'll use this constantly. Pair with kor thot krap — "sorry, please speak slowly".
25. mai khao jai (ไม่เข้าใจ) — "I don't understand". Acceptable in any context. Add khap/ka for politeness.
26. phuut angkrit dai mai (พูดอังกฤษได้ไหม) — "do you speak English?". The fallback when a conversation is going sideways. Many Thai people in tourist areas have some English; in non-tourist areas, expect a "nit-noi" (a little) or a direct mai dai (can't).

Time and meetings (4)

27. gee mong (กี่โมง) — "what time?". Gee mong on its own asks the current time; nat gee mong (นัดกี่โมง) asks "what time was the appointment".
28. proong nee (พรุ่งนี้) — "tomorrow". Wan nee is "today", muea-waan-nee is "yesterday".
29. chao (เช้า) / bai (บ่าย) / yen (เย็น) — "morning / afternoon / evening". Thai people partition the day differently from Western 24-hour-clock thinking; these chunks matter for meetings.
30. diaw koy waa gan (เดี๋ยวค่อยว่ากัน) — "we'll see / let's talk about it later". The polite Thai non-commitment when you don't want to commit to a time but don't want to refuse outright. Useful for the inevitable "want to come to my friend's bar later?" social pressure. Diaw duu eek tee (เดี๋ยวดูอีกที — "let's see again in a bit") works too in casual contexts.

What this list isn't

Three honest things to flag.

Phrasebook ceiling. These 30 will get you through a week as a tourist. They will not get you through a month. The reason is that real conversation deviates — a Thai person will respond to your phrasebook line with something not in your phrasebook, and you'll be stuck. The phrasebook is a hammer; everything looks like the same nail until it doesn't.

Tones. Each of these phrases has correct tones that matter. mai with a falling tone means "no/not"; mai with a rising tone is the question marker; mai with a high tone is "wood / silk". Get the tones wrong and the same Thai letters mean something else. We have a longer write-up on Thai tones.

Politeness layers. Beyond krap / ka, Thai politeness goes deep — pronouns, age-deference, softeners. We covered the layered version in how to be polite in Thai. The 30 phrases above are the surface; if you're staying longer than a few weeks, learn the layers underneath.

If you want to go beyond phrasebook Thai — same words, infinite combinations — the first 100 words approach is the next read. After that, sign in and start the deck.