Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| สวัสดี | sà-wàt-dii | /sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩.diː˧/ | |
| สวัสดีครับ | sà-wàt-dii | ||
| สวัสดีค่ะ | sà-wàt-dii | ||
| หวัดดี | wàt-dii | /wat̚˨˩.diː˧/ | alternative form |
Sawatdee (krap/ka) is the most common and versatile word for saying hello in Thai. Depending on your gender, you will often add a polite particle to the end of the word to complete the greeting.
What does it mean word for word?
The word สวัสดี is derived from Sanskrit/Pali roots meaning well-being or prosperity.
Which one should you use?
สวัสดี is the standard form. The forms สวัสดีครับ and สวัสดีค่ะ include gender-specific particles to make the greeting polite. The form หวัดดี is a shortened version used in casual settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To be polite, male speakers use สวัสดีครับ and female speakers use สวัสดีค่ะ. The shortened form หวัดดี is informal and functions similarly to 'hi' in English.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express politeness, male speakers add the particle ครับ (khráp) to the end of the greeting, resulting in สวัสดีครับ. Female speakers add the particle ค่ะ (khâ) to the end, resulting in สวัสดีค่ะ.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is sà-wàt-dii. The word has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- Thai people rarely use สวัสดี when greeting close friends or siblings, preferring to ask 'Have you eaten yet?' instead.
- สวัสดี is a relatively modern invention, officially introduced as a national greeting in the 1930s to standardize Thai speech.
- While สวัสดี is used for 'hello', it is also the standard word for 'goodbye' in Thai.
Examples in context
- สวัสดี!Hello!This sentence shows a basic greeting.Tatoeba #7784257 by pastelite, translation #373330 by CK
- สวัสดีทอมHello, Tom.This sentence demonstrates using the greeting with a name.Tatoeba #7784255 by pastelite, translation #54604 by Zifre
- พูดสวัสดีSay hello.This sentence uses the greeting as a verb phrase.Tatoeba #7878975 by pastelite, translation #2111563 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nicha and Witthawat meet at a cafe in the morning.
- ณิชา Nichaสวัสดีค่ะ วิทวัสsawatdee kha, witthawatHello, Witthawat.
- วิทวัส Witthawatสวัสดีครับ ณิชาsawatdee krap, nichaHello, Nicha.
- ณิชา Nichaวันนี้เป็นอย่างไรบ้างคะwannee pen yang rai bang khaHow are you today?
- วิทวัส Witthawatสบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับsabai dee krap, khop khun krapI am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries สวัสดี, หวัดดี, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
