> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thailandtripos.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 160+ Thai Words I Wish I Knew Sooner - URL: https://www.thailandtripos.com/160-thai-words-i-wish-i-knew-sooner/ - Published: 2026-02-16T09:40:49.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-19T07:59:50.000Z - Description: Master essential Thai words, slang, and numbers. Bypass tourist traps, avoid scams, and speak like a pro with this ultimate phrase guide. - Author: Tim Thorer - Tags: Language & Culture Worried about getting scammed or lost in Thailand because you don’t speak the language? After helping thousands travel Thailand like pros, I’m convinced—just a handful of Thai words will save you time, money, and keep scammers guessing. In this guide, I’ll hand you my list of essential words I wish I knew before my first trip. Let’s beat confusion, skip tourist traps, and travel like locals Because: It's truly crazy: Even in tourist hotspots, Thais speak almost no English. So it's up to you to overcome the language barrier and to 10x the entertainment value of your Thailand trip. But don't worry, you don't have to learn the whole language. I'll show you all the words and expressions I hear, read and use every day – and can't live without. Numbers, colors, everyday scenarios. Human interaction, traits, compliments, slang. And I'll explain their meaning in **English**, **German**, and **Spanish** so my entire audience can follow along. By the end, you'll be smarter than 99% of other farangs. And you'll not only have a much more pleasant trip. You'll also signal to Thai Scammers that they can't rip you off because they don’t know how much you really understand. *Check out my* [*Thai Phrase Beginner Books Bundle*](https://tim-travel-taste-shop.fourthwall.com/products/thai-english-beginner-bundle?ref=thailandtripos.com)*.* ### Let’s start with the basics I’m not talking about Farang (white foreigner), sawatdee kap (hello), sabai di mai (Are you comfortable?), or kop khun kap (Thank you). #### Everyday Life ****Pom (male) & Chan (Female):** I, ich, yo. ****Khun:** You, du, tu. ****Alai:** What? Was? Que? ****Khun Chue alai?** What’s your name? Wie heißt du? Como te llamas. Answer: Pom Chue Tim. ****Gin khao mai?** That’s the real thai version of „How are you?“ It means: Have you eaten yet? ****Tao rai and Ki Baht?** How much? Wie viel kostet das? Quanto cuesta? ****A Yu Tao Rai:** How old are you? Wie alt bist du? Quantos anos tiene? ****Mai mee:** Don’t have. Habe ich nicht. No tengo. ****Dai:** Can, das geht, Puedes. ****Mai dai!** Cannot. Kann nicht. no puedo. ****Mai pen rai:** Doesn’t matter. Macht nix. No importa. ****Pa:** Let’s go. Gehen wir. Vamos. Pbai means go. ****Chin lor?** Really? Echt? Verdad? Answer: chin chin. True True. ****Chop:** Like, mögen, gustar. ****Legow:** and, und, y. ****Tini:** Where, wo, donde. ****Wanni:** Today, Heute, hoy ****Muea wanni:** Yesterday, gestern, ayer. ****Prueng ni:** Tomorrow, morgen, manana ****Duen Len:** Walk, gehen, ir. ****Ab nam:** Shower, Dusche, ducha. ****Rot fai:** Train, Zug, tren. #### Some Slang Words ****Oooo:** Interesting, aha, interesante ****Err:** Agree, hm, aceptar ****Uuui:** Oops. oha, ups ****Oy:** Ouch or Oh. Expresses Pain, surprise, disappointment, annoyance, mild protest. ****Ting Tong:** Crazy, Bekloppt, loca ****Ron ja tai yu leaw:** The heat is killing me, Was ne Hitze, que calor! #### Restaurant/Market/Bar ****Gin:** Eat. Essen: Comer. ****Duem:** Drink. Trinken. Beber. ****Lia:** Lick, Lecken, lamer. ****Ao:** that’s how you order. Means: i take/I want. ich nehme. tomo. By the Way: Tell the Tuk Tuk drivers and street scammers: ****Mai Ao kap:** I don’t want. ****Ahaan:** Food. Essen. Comida ****Raan ahaan:** Restaurant. Restaurant. Restorante. ****Talad:** Market, Markt, Mercado. ****Baan:** Many restaurants bear this name. Baan Esarn Muangyos for example. Means: Home. Haus. Casa. ****Nam:** Water. Wasser. Aqua. ****Nam Keng:** literally: Hard Ice. Means: Ice Cube. Eiswürfel. Cubitos de hielo. ****Hong Nam:** Room with Water. Means: Toilet. WC. Bano. ****Aloi:** Delicious! Lecker! delicioso (Dialect northeast: Saep ily. Dialect North: Lam Kanad) ****Chok dee:** Cheers. Prost. Salud. (Alternative: Chon Gaew (hit the glasses. Gläser aneinanderstoßen. Chocar vasos juntos) ****Lawd:** Straw, Strohhalm, pajita. ****Chawn:** Spoon, Löffel, cuchara ****Check bin:** Check please, Die Rechnung bitte, La Quenta por favor. ****Talay:** Seafood, Meeresfrüchte, Mariscos ****Hiew:** Hungry, hungrig, hambriento *Check out my* [*Thai Bar Conversation Guide.*](https://www.thailandtripos.com/ploy-book-thai-bar-convo-guide/) #### Animals ****Moo:** Pig, Schwein, Cerdo ****Nuea:** Beef, Rind, Vaca ****Gai:** Chicken, Huhn, Pollo ****Kai:** Egg, Ei, Huevo ****Pet:** Duck, Ente, Pato ****Pla:** Fish, Fisch, Pescado. Fish Sauce: Nam pla ****Pla Mueg:** Squid, Tintenfisch, Calamar ****Hoi:** Clam, Muschel, Almeja ****Goong:** Shrimp, Schrimp, Gamba ****Poo:** Crab, Krabbe, Cangrejo. Also exists as fermented version: Bu para. ****Talay:** Seafood, Meeresfrüchte, Mariscos ****Chang:** Elephant, elefant, elefante. ****Sing:** Lion, Löwe, Leon. Sounds familiar? Yes the beer brands are named after animals. The brand ****Leo** (leopard) too. Now you know that you said Chang beer wrong all the time. #### More Food & Dishes ****Khao:** Rice, Reis, Arroz ****Prik:** Chili, Chilischote, Aji Picante ****Namdtan:** Sugar/Sweet, Zucker, azucar ****Kratiam:** Garlic, Knoblauch, Ajo. ****Sen:** Rice Noodle. Reisnudel. fideos de arroz ****Ba Mee:** Egg Noodle, Eiernudel, fideos de huevo ****Somtam:** Papaya Salad, Papaya-Salat, ensalada de papaya But weirdly: ****Malago:** Papaya ****Som:** Orange. Orange, Naranja. ****Tom:** Soup. Suppe, Sopa. ****Yam:** Salad: Salat. Ensalada. ****Larb:** Minced, gehackt, picada. ****Pad:** stir-fry. Pfannengerührt, Salteado (Pad Thai, Pad Kra Pao) ****Kra Pao:** Holy Basil, indisches Basilikum, albahaca morada ****Taeng-Kwa:** Cucumber, Gurke, Pepino ****Appen:** Apple, Apfel, Manzana. ****Manao:** Lemon, Zitrone, limon. Exists also as Nam Manao: Lime Juice. ****Sapalot:** Pineapple, Ananas, Pina. ****Ma Muang:** Mango, Mango, Mango ****Dtaeng Moo:** Watermelon, Wassermelone, Sandia ****Gluay:** Banana, Banane, Banana ****Maprau:** Coconut, Kokosnuss, Coco ****Farang:** Guava, Guave, Guayaba #### Attributes & Adjectives ****Hiew:** Hungry, hungrig, hambriento ****Suay (only for women):** Beautiful. Schön. Hermosa. In northern Thailand: Ngam kanad. ****Lor:** Handsome, hübsch, guapo ****Narak:** Cute. Süß/niedlich. Linda. Remember: Khun narak jang loey. Why are you so cute? ****Chalat:** Clever, schlau, inteligente ****Pet:** Spicy, scharf, picante ****Lek & Noi:** Both mean little and small. Klein, pequena. By thew way: Nidnoi means a bit. like a bit spicy. Pet nidnoi. ****Yai:** Big, groß, grande. ****Dee:** Good, gut, bien. ****Yen:** Cold, kalt, frio. ****Ron:** Hot, heiß, caliente. ****Keng:** Hard. Hart. Duro. You remember? nam keng? Hard water, ice cubes. ****Paeng:** Expensive, teuer, cara. ****Tuuk:** Cheap, billig, barata. Remember: Tuk tuk is never cheap. ****Chepp:** Painful/ithurts, aua, duele. ****Sabai:** Relaxed, bequem, relajado ****Sanook:** funny, lustig, divertido ****Mao:** Drunk, betrunken, embriagado If you want to say that someone or something is not big, not spicy, not cold. Add a Mai. ****Mai dee**. ****Mai Sabai**, ****Mai sanook**. ****Mai mao**. And if you want to say that someone or something is very smart, very good, very drunk. add a mak at the end. or even two! ****Mao mak mak!** #### Anatomy & Human Interaction ****Rak:** Love, liebe, amor. ****Chup:** Kiss, Kuss, beso ****Naa:** Face, gesicht, cara ****Yim:** Smile, Lächeln, sonrisa ****Pom:** Hair, Haare, cabello ****Thong:** Stomach, bauch, barriga ****Nom:** chest, Brust, pecho. (Nom Bom: Silicone) ****Duut:** Butt. Po. Culo. ****Bumbui:** Chubby, pummelig, Regordete ****Uan:** Fat, dick, gordo ****Dai Yuu:** Sure. sicher. Si claro ****Yut:** Stop, Halt, detener ****Pee:** Older sibling, große(r) Bruder/Schwester, Hermano Mayor ****Nong:** Younger sibling, kleiner bruder, hermano mas joven ****Su su:** Keep fighting, Nicht aufgeben, Sigue luchando ****Reu Reu:** Hurry up, Schneller, mas rapido ****Cha Cha:** Slow down, Langsamer, mas lenta ****Tchakachi:** Ticklish, kitzlig, cosquilloso ****Lo Len:** Joking, Scherz, bromas ****Hom:** Smells good, Riecht gut, huele bien ****Men:** Smells bad, stinkt, apesta #### Some Colors ****Si khao:** white, weiß, blanco ****Si daeng:** red, rot, rojo ****Si lueang:** yellow, gelb, amarilla ****Si faa:** Blue, blau, azul ****Si kiao:** green, grün, verde ****Si dam:** black, schwarz, negro ****Si namdtan:** brown, braun, marron ****Si chom-puu:** pink, pink, rosa ****Si som:** Orange, orange, naranja #### Some numbers 0 ****Sung:** zero, null, zero 1 ****Nueng:** One, eins, uno 2 ****Song:** two, zwei, dos 3 ****Sam:** three, drei, tres 4 ****Si:** four, vier, quatro 5 ****Ha:** five, fünf, cinco 6 ****Hok:** six, sechs, seis 7 ****Jet:** seven, sieben, siete 8 ****Bet:** eight, acht, ocho 9 ****Gao:** nine, neun, nueve 10 ****Sip:** ten, zehn, diez 11 ****Sip-et:** eleven, elf, once 12 ****Sip-song:** twelve, zwölf, doce. **P.S.* Get access my ready-to-book* [*Thailand itineraries and maps.*](https://www.thailandtripos.com/#/portal/signup/69911f50870ccc00082cec2a/monthly)