Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| อรุณสวัสดิ์ | à-run-sà-wàt | /ʔa˨˩.run˧.sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩/ |
| สวัสดี | sà-wàt-dii | /sa˨˩.wat̚˨˩.diː˧/ |
Thai speakers use these phrases when seeing someone for the first time in the morning. While อรุณสวัสดิ์ specifically refers to the morning, the more versatile สวัสดี is used to say hello at any time of day, including the morning.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal greeting อรุณสวัสดิ์ contains the word อรุณ, which means "dawn" or "early morning light".
Which one should you use?
อรุณสวัสดิ์ is a specific greeting for the morning, whereas สวัสดี is a much more common and versatile way to say "hello" at any time of the day.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
อรุณสวัสดิ์ is a formal greeting often found in literature, news broadcasts or very polite settings, making it less common in casual daily conversation. In contrast, สวัสดี is used in much more common, everyday situations. For an informal way to say "good morning", you can use หวัดดีตอนเช้า.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make your greeting polite, you should add the polite particle ครับ (kráp) if you are male or ค่ะ (kâ) if you are female to the end of the phrase. For example, a male can use the formal phrase สวัสดีตอนเช้าครับ and a female can use สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ.
How do you pronounce it?
à-run-sà-wàt
Did you know?
- The phrase สวัสดี is actually a modern invention from the 1930s. It was officially adopted as the national greeting to replace older, more fragmented ways of saying hello.
- When saying สวัสดี or อรุณสวัสดิ์, Thai people often perform the 'wai' gesture by pressing their palms together in a prayer-like position.
- Thai speakers use สวัสดี not only for 'hello' but also for 'goodbye'.
Examples in context
- อรุณสวัสดิ์ ทอมGood morning, Tom.This sentence is useful for practicing the form อรุณสวัสดิ์.Tatoeba #8719810 by pastelite, translation #2549163 by CK
- อรุณสวัสดิ์ค่ะคุณแม่arun sawat kha khun maeGood morning, mother.
- อรุณสวัสดิ์ครับทุกคนarun sawat khrap thuk khonGood morning, everyone.
- 1 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues meet at the office elevator.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanอรุณสวัสดิ์ค่ะ คุณชลสิทธิ์arun sawat kha khun chonlasitGood morning, Mr. Chonlasit.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitอรุณสวัสดิ์ครับ คุณกนกวรรณarun sawat krap khun kanokwanGood morning, Ms. Kanokwan.
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanวันนี้อากาศดีจังเลยนะคะwan ni akat di chang loei na khaThe weather is very nice today.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitใช่ครับ อากาศสดชื่นมากchai krap akat sot chuen makYes, it is very refreshing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries อรุณสวัสดิ์, สวัสดี, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
