Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| อรุณสวัสดิ์ | à-run-sà-wàt | /ʔa˨˩.run˧.sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩/ |
| สวัสดี | sà-wàt-dii | /sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩.diː˧/ |
The phrase is used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning. While อรุณสวัสดิ์ is a specific way to say good morning, the much more common and versatile greeting used at any time of day is สวัสดี, which means hello or goodbye.
What does it mean word for word?
The word อรุณสวัสดิ์ is derived from the word อรุณ (à-run), which literally refers to the dawn or the first light of day.
Which one should you use?
อรุณสวัสดิ์ specifically means good morning, whereas สวัสดี is the standard, versatile greeting used in most everyday situations regardless of the time of day.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
อรุณสวัสดิ์ is a formal way to say good morning used in written communications or official situations. It is rarely used in casual daily conversation between friends. Conversely, สวัสดี is the standard greeting for most everyday situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make either greeting polite, you should add ครับ (kráp) if you are male or ค่ะ (kâ) if you are female at the end of the phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is à-run-sà-wàt.
When do people say it?
In Thai culture, it is customary to greet others with a wai, which involves placing palms together in a prayer-like gesture and bowing the head.
Did you know?
- The root of สวัสดี comes from the Sanskrit word 'svasti', which is also the origin of the sacred symbol known in English as the 'swastika', meaning 'well-being'.
- While สวัสดี is now a universal greeting, it was coined in the early 20th century by a Thai linguist and officially adopted by the government in 1932.
- Thai people often replace formal greetings like สวัสดี with the question กินข้าวหรือยัง (kin khao reu yang), which means 'Have you eaten yet?'
Examples in context
- อรุณสวัสดิ์ ทอมGood morning, Tom.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use อรุณสวัสดิ์ when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #8719810 by pastelite, translation #2549163 by CK
- อรุณสวัสดิ์ครับคุณครูarun sawat khrap khun khruGood morning, teacher.
- อรุณสวัสดิ์ค่ะทุกคนarun sawat kha thuk khonGood morning, everyone.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues meet at the office elevator.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatอรุณสวัสดิ์ครับพิมลArun sawat khrap PhimonGood morning, Phimon.
- พิมล Pimonอรุณสวัสดิ์ค่ะธีรภัทรArun sawat kha ThiraphatGood morning, Thiraphat.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatวันนี้ดูสดชื่นจังนะครับWan ni du sot chuen chang na khrapYou look very refreshed today.
- พิมล Pimonขอบคุณค่ะ พอดีได้นอนเต็มอิ่มKhop khun kha phodi dai non tem imThank you, I got plenty of sleep.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries อรุณสวัสดิ์, สวัสดี, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries สวัสดี, อรุณสวัสดิ์, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
