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.
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.
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.
