สวัสดี
sà-wàt-diistandard
To greet a woman in Thai, say สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) and add ครับ (khráp) if you are a man or ค่ะ (khâ) if you are a woman. It is also called สวัสดีครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp) and สวัสดีค่ะ (sà-wàt-dii khâ).
Meaning: greeting (interjection)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| สวัสดี | sà-wàt-dii | standard |
| สวัสดีครับ | sà-wàt-dii khráp | male speaker |
| สวัสดีค่ะ | sà-wàt-dii khâ | female speaker |
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use the full สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) with a polite ending for a woman who is older, senior or new to you. You can put คุณ (khun) and her name after it.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for hello is the same for women and men. Only the polite ending changes, and it follows the speaker, not the person you greet.
When do people say it?
Thais often greet with a wai, pressing the palms together near the chest. It goes together with the spoken hello, and the younger or junior person usually begins.
Did you know?
- สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) comes from Sanskrit and is used at any time of day, for both hello and goodbye.
Examples in context
- สวัสดีครับ คุณครูsà-wàt-dii khráp khun khruuHello, teacher. (a man speaking)
- สวัสดีค่ะ คุณป้าsà-wàt-dii khâ khun bpâaHello, auntie. (a woman speaking)
- สวัสดี สบายดีไหมsà-wàt-dii sà-baai dii máiHello, are you well?
Example conversation
Somchai greets his colleague Malee at the office in the morning.
- Somchaiสวัสดีครับ คุณมาลีsà-wàt-dii khráp khun maa-liiHello, Khun Malee.
- Maleeสวัสดีค่ะ คุณสมชายsà-wàt-dii khâ khun sǒm-chaaiHello, Khun Somchai.
- Somchaiสบายดีไหมครับsà-baai dii mái khrápAre you well?
- Maleeสบายดีค่ะ ขอบคุณค่ะsà-baai dii khâ khɔ̀ɔp khun khâI am well, thank you.
