สวัสดี สบายดีไหม
sawatdi, sabai di mai/sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩.diː˧ sa˨˩.baːj˧.diː˧.maj˩˩˦/word by word
The English phrase "hello how are you" is translated into Thai as สวัสดี สบายดีไหม (sawatdi, sabai di mai).
This phrase is a common greeting used to initiate a conversation and inquire about another person's well-being. The first part, สวัสดี, can mean both "hello" and "goodbye".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Chiang Mai, you may hear the regional variation Sabai dii bo? used to ask how someone is doing.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make your greeting polite, you should add a polite particle to the end of the sentence: use ครับ (khrap) if you are male or ค่ะ (kha) if you are female.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩.diː˧ sa˨˩.baːj˧.diː˧.maj˩˩˦/. In romanization, it is written as sawatdi, sabai di mai. It consists of 6 syllables.
When do people say it?
When someone asks you how you are using sabai di mai, a common response is สบายดี, meaning "I am well".
Did you know?
- While สวัสดี is the standard greeting, Thai people often skip it with friends and instead ask กินข้าวหรือยัง, which means 'Have you eaten yet?'
- The word สวัสดี was not always a daily greeting. It was officially coined and introduced into common usage in the 1930s to modernize the Thai language.
- To be truly polite when saying สวัสดี, you should accompany the phrase with a 'Wai', a gesture of pressing your palms together near your chest.
Example conversation
Two friends meeting at a coffee shop.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinสวัสดี สบายดีไหมคะ ชลสิทธิ์sawatdee sabaidee mai kha ChonsitHello, how are you, Chonsit?
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitสบายดีครับ แล้วสิรินทร์ล่ะครับsabaidee khrap laew Sirin la khrapI'm fine. And how about you, Sirin?
- สิรินทร์ Sirinสบายดีค่ะ ขอบคุณนะคะsabaidee kha khob khun na khaI'm doing well, thank you.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitดีจังเลยครับdee jang loey khrapThat's great.
