สวัสดีค่ะ
sà-wàt-dii khâpolite, female speaker
A woman says สวัสดีค่ะ (sà-wàt-dii khâ) for hello in Thai. The ending ค่ะ (khâ) is the polite particle used by female speakers. It is also called หวัดดีค่ะ (wàt-dii khâ).
Meaning: greeting (interjection)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| สวัสดีค่ะ | sà-wàt-dii khâ | polite, female speaker |
| หวัดดีค่ะ | wàt-dii khâ | casual, female speaker |
Say it with a slight bow and your palms together in a wai. The same word works for hello at any time of day.
Which one should you use?
Men end the greeting with ครับ (khráp) instead. The particle depends on the speaker, not on the person you greet.
How does it change in a sentence?
In a question, women use คะ (khá) with a high tone, as in สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-baai dii mǎi khá), "how are you?"
Did you know?
- The word สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) was promoted as the standard Thai greeting in the 1940s and comes from Sanskrit.
Examples in context
- สวัสดีค่ะ คุณครูsà-wàt-dii khâ khun khruuHello, teacher.
- หวัดดีค่ะ ไปไหนมาwàt-dii khâ pai nǎi maaHi, where have you been?
- สวัสดีค่ะ ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักค่ะsà-wàt-dii khâ yin-dii thîi dâai rúu-jàk khâHello, nice to meet you.
Example conversation
Nok greets her new colleague Somchai at the office in Bangkok.
- Nokสวัสดีค่ะ คุณสมชายsà-wàt-dii khâ khun sǒm-chaaiHello, Mr. Somchai.
- Somchaiสวัสดีครับ คุณนกsà-wàt-dii khráp khun nókHello, Ms. Nok.
- Nokยินดีที่ได้รู้จักค่ะyin-dii thîi dâai rúu-jàk khâNice to meet you.
