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Thai language: Basic Politeness
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Today I want to talk about basic politeness in Thai.
In Thai the word for polite or good manners is soopab and impolite is mai soopab.
If you want to be soopab (and I’m sure you do) then you’ll want to know the following language rules in Thai:
Krab & Kaa
Thai is like other asian languages, and unlike English, because you have to add a word to the end of sentences to be polite.
The word doesn’t really mean anything, but if you don’t use it, you are probably being impolite. I can’t really explain why you say the word… it’s just good manners. It’s part of showing respect.
Men add the word “krab”
Women add the word “kaa”
So, if I want to ask you your name, I need three words:
cheu = your name
arai = asks the question “what?”
krab = being polite
Cheu arai krab = What is your name?
If you want to ask me if I’m hungry, you would ask Hue mai krab?
I would answer either:
Hue krab = Yes, I’m hungry; or
Mai hue krab = No, I’m not hungry
If my girlfriend calls me on the phone and wants to know where I am, she’ll ask me Yoo teenai kaa?
If I’m at home, I would answer Yoo tee baan krab.
If I’m at work, I would answer Yoo tee taamgnaan krab.
Yes and No
The formal words for yes and no in Thai are:
Chai = yes
Mai Chai = no
So, if a girl asked me if I have an older sister, she would ask Mee peesaow mai kaa?
and I would answer either
Chai, mee peesaow krab = Yes, I have an older sister; or
Mai Chai, mai mee peesaow krab = No, I don’t have an older sister.
The same girl could ask me if I have a telephone: Mee torasap mai kaa?
and I would answer either
Chai, mee torasap krab = Yes, I have a telephone; or
Mai Chai, mai mee torasap krab = No, I don’t have a telephone.
Of course, just like English, I can get away with answering just ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
In addition, in Thai, if my answer is ‘yes’ or ‘okay’ or ’sure’… basically any type of positive agreement, I can simply say “krab” (if I am a man) or “kaa” (if I am a woman).
So, If I ask several friend if they smoke cigarettes, they might answer in the following ways:
Chai kaa= yes
Krab = yes
Mai chai krab= no
Kaa = yes
Listening to a girl talking on her mobile phone, you might hear her say the word “kaa” five or ten times in a row. She is simply acknowledging that she hears and understands, or that she agrees with what the person on the phone is saying. It’s the equivalent of saying in English: “sure…. uh-huh…. yes….I see…. okay… yeah sure… okay… yes… right…”
But what you’ll hear from the Thai girl will be “kaa… kaa… kaa… kaa… kaa… kaa… kaa… kaa… kaa…”
So when you are talking to Thai people, remember to add krab or kaa (depending on your gender) to your sentences whenever you speak, or risk being impolite.
And remember that the words krab and kaa also provide a simple easy way to be polite and substitute for a whole range of words (like yes, sure, okay, I understand, uh-huh, right, etc).
And remember that when you want to say no, you say mai chai krab or mai chai kaa.
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