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100 Essential Thai Words for Beginners

A first Thai conversation needs only a few words: สวัสดี (hello), ขอบคุณ (thank you), น้ำ (water) and กิน (to eat). Below are 100 beginner words in 9 groups — greetings & basics, people & family, everyday verbs, describing words, colors, numbers, time, food & drink and home — each with its English meaning and its pronunciation in Latin letters.

Key takeaways

  • Thai is written in the Thai script, so every word below has its pronunciation beside it in Latin letters. For example, สวัสดี is read “sawatdi”.
  • You can already count to three: หนึ่ง (one), สอง (two) and สาม (three).
  • The longest word here is เด็กผู้หญิง (girl).
Golden Buddha statues in a temple gallery in Bangkok

Greetings & basics

16 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
helloสวัสดีsawatdiinterjection
goodbyeลาก่อนla koninterjection
yesใช่chaiinterjection
noไม่maiinterjection
pleaseกรุณาkarunainterjection
thank youขอบคุณkhop khuninterjection
sorryขอโทษkho thotinterjection
andและlaeconjunction
butแต่taeconjunction
orหรือrueconjunction
becauseเพราะphroconjunction
hereที่นี่thi niadverb
thereที่นั่นthinanadverb
alwaysเสมอsamoeadverb
neverไม่เคยmai khoeiadverb
togetherด้วยกันduai kanadverb

People & family

14 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
manผู้ชายphu chainoun
womanผู้หญิงphuyingnoun
boyเด็กผู้ชายdek phuchainoun
girlเด็กผู้หญิงdek phuyingnoun
friendเพื่อนphueannoun
motherแม่maenoun
fatherพ่อphonoun
brotherพี่ชายphi chainoun
sisterน้องสาวnong saonoun
sonลูกชายluk chainoun
daughterลูกสาวluk saonoun
childลูกluknoun
husbandสามีsaminoun
wifeภรรยาphanrayanoun

Everyday verbs

16 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
to beเป็นpenverb
to haveมีmiverb
to doทำthamverb
to goไปpaiverb
to comeมาmaverb
to eatกินkinverb
to drinkดื่มduemverb
to wantอยากได้yak daiverb
to needต้องการtongkanverb
to knowรู้ruverb
to speakพูดphutverb
to readอ่านanverb
to writeเขียนkhianverb
to listenฟังfangverb
to workทำงานthamnganverb
to buyซื้อsueverb

Describing words

10 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
goodดีdiadjective
badเลวleoadjective
newใหม่maiadjective
oldแก่kaeadjective
youngอายุน้อยayu noiadjective
tallสูงsungadjective
shortเตี้ยtiaadjective
niceอัธยาศัยดีatthayasai diadjective
kindใจดีchaidiadjective
shyขี้อายkhi aiadjective

Colors

8 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
redสีแดงsi daengadjective
blueสีน้ำเงินsi namngoenadjective
greenสีเขียวsi khiaoadjective
yellowสีเหลืองsi lueangadjective
blackสีดำsi damadjective
whiteสีขาวsi khaoadjective
orangeสีส้มsi somadjective
purpleสีม่วงsi muangadjective

Numbers

12 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
oneหนึ่งnuengnumber
twoสองsongnumber
threeสามsamnumber
fourสี่sinumber
fiveห้าhanumber
sixหกhoknumber
sevenเจ็ดchetnumber
eightแปดpaetnumber
nineเก้าkaonumber
tenสิบsipnumber
zeroศูนย์sunnumber
twentyยี่สิบyi sipnumber

Time

10 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
todayวันนี้wanniadverb
tomorrowพรุ่งนี้phrung niadverb
yesterdayเมื่อวานmueawanadverb
morningตอนเช้าton chaonoun
afternoonตอนบ่ายton bainoun
eveningตอนเย็นton yennoun
nightกลางคืนklang khuennoun
dayวันwannoun
weekสัปดาห์sapdanoun
monthเดือนdueannoun

Food & drink

10 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
waterน้ำnamnoun
coffeeกาแฟkafaenoun
teaชาchanoun
milkนมnomnoun
breadขนมปังkhanompangnoun
cheeseชีสchisnoun
fruitผลไม้phonlamainoun
appleแอปเปิลaeppoennoun
eggไข่khainoun
riceข้าวkhaonoun

Home

4 words
EnglishThaiPronunciationType
houseบ้านbannoun
doorประตูpratunoun
windowหน้าต่างnatangnoun
bedเตียงtiangnoun

Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0

Learn these Thai words for good

Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch

A list is where learning starts, not where it ends. Watch Your Language puts Thai words like these on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, so you see a few every time you check the time, and it schedules the repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.

You can add your own words too, from a photo, a page of notes or a spreadsheet.

Download on the App Store

Keep going with Thai

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Thai for beginners questions

What are the first Thai words to learn?

Start with the words you use every day: greetings, numbers, the days and times, food, family and a handful of verbs. For Thai that means words like สวัสดี (hello), ขอบคุณ (thank you), น้ำ (water) and กิน (to eat). The list above groups 100 of them by topic.

Do I need to learn the Thai script before these words?

You can start without it: Thai is written in the Thai script, and every word here has a pronunciation in Latin letters beside it so you can sound it out. Learning the script soon after is still worth it, because real signs, menus and messages are not romanised. Treat the Latin-letter pronunciation as a guide to the sound, and listen to the language as well.

Is 100 words enough to speak Thai?

No. This is a starting set: enough to greet people, count, talk about time, name food and family, and say what you want or need. Conversation needs more words, and above all hearing and using them. Treat the list as the first step, then add words from topics you care about.

How do I remember these Thai words?

Read a few at a time, say them out loud, and come back to them on a schedule rather than once. Watch Your Language puts words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting more often.

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