อยาก
yàak/jaːk̚˨˩/
The Thai phrase for 'I would like' is อยาก (yàak).
อยาก is used to express a desire or a wish to do something. It must be followed by a verb. You cannot use อยาก followed directly by a noun to express wanting an object.
Which one should you use?
อยาก is used for expressing a personal desire or a wish. In contrast, ต้องการ is a more formal way to express a need or a requirement. Additionally, if you want to say you would like to have or get an object, use อยากได้ instead of just อยาก.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express a sense of intention or to make the phrase sound more formal, similar to 'would like to' instead of 'want to', you can add จะ (jà) after อยาก to form อยากจะ. For objects, use อยากได้ to mean 'would like to have' or 'want to get'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is yàak.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use อยาก followed by a noun to mean 'want a [noun]'. To express wanting an object, use อยากได้ instead.
Did you know?
- The word อยาก is actually a linguistic descendant of the word for 'hungry'.
- Even though 'I would like' sounds polite in English, using just อยาก in Thai can sound quite blunt or childish if not paired with polite particles.
- The Thai word อยาก has many 'cousins' across Southeast Asia, such as the Lao word ຢາກ, which are nearly identical in sound and meaning.
Examples in context
- ฉันอยากไปที่คอนเสิร์ตกับคุณI would like to go to the concert with you.This sentence shows how to use อยาก to express a desire to go somewhere.Tatoeba #8670326 by pastelite, translation #17620 by Zifre
- อยากได้กาแฟหน่อยI would like a little coffee.
- ฉันอยากกินอาหารไทยchan yak kin a-han thaiI would like to eat Thai food.
- ผมอยากพักผ่อนที่บ้านphom yak phak-phon thi banI would like to rest at home.
Example conversation
At a restaurant, deciding what to order.
- พิมล Pimonคุณอยากกินอะไรคะ?khun yak kin a-rai kha?What would you like to eat?
- ธนกฤต Thanakritผมอยากกินผัดไทยครับphom yak kin phat thai khrapI would like to eat Pad Thai.
- พิมล Pimonได้ค่ะ เดี๋ยวสั่งให้เลยdai kha, diao sang hai loeiOkay, I will order it for you now.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritขอบคุณครับkhop khun khrapThank you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry อยาก, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries อยาก, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
