สวัสดี (sawasdee) is the universal Thai greeting — good for hello and goodbye, morning and night. Politeness particles matter in Thai: men end sentences with ครับ (khrap), women with ค่ะ (kha). Here are the first words every visitor should know.
| Thai | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| สวัสดี | sà-wàt-dii | Hello / Goodbye |
| สวัสดีครับ | sà-wàt-dii khráp | Hello (male speaker)Men always end with ครับ for politeness |
| สวัสดีค่ะ | sà-wàt-dii khâ | Hello (female speaker)Women use ค่ะ for statements |
| ขอบคุณ | kòp-kun | Thank you |
| ขอโทษ | kŏr-tôht | Sorry / Excuse me |
| ไม่เป็นไร | mâi-bpen-rai | You're welcome / No problem |
สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) means both 'hello' AND 'goodbye'! It's always appropriate and polite. Add ครับ (khráp) if you're male or ค่ะ (khâ) if you're female.
สวัสดี - Formal, always works ลาก่อน - Formal 'goodbye for now' ไปก่อนนะ - Casual 'I'm heading off' บาย - Very casual (from English 'bye')
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