How to Say "Pardon Me" in Thai

ขอโทษ

kɔ̌ɔ-tôot/kʰɔː˩˩˦.tʰoːt̚˥˩/

The English phrase "pardon me" is translated into Thai as ขอโทษ (kɔ̌ɔ-tôot).

The phrase ขอโทษ is used both to apologize for a mistake and to get someone's attention, serving a similar function to "excuse me" in English.

Meaning: sorry, as an apology (phrase)

What does it mean word for word?

Literally, ขอโทษ means "to ask for forgiveness", where ขอ means "to ask for" and โทษ means "punishment or fault".

The romanization is kɔ̌ɔ-tôot.

When someone uses ขอโทษ to apologize, the most common response you will hear is ไม่เป็นไร, which means "it's okay" or "no problem".

The word โทษ used in ขอโทษ is a loanword from Pali and Sanskrit, reflecting the heavy influence of Indian languages on Thai legal and moral concepts.
When using ขอโทษ to get a stranger's attention, it is common to accompany the phrase with a slight 'wai', the traditional Thai gesture of pressing your palms together.
In very formal settings or when speaking to royalty, a different word for apology is used, as ขอโทษ is considered too casual for the highest social tiers.

ขอโทษครับ/ค่ะ ฉันขอถามคำถามหน่อยได้ไหมครับ/ค่ะ?
Excuse me, may I ask you a question?
ขอโทษนะ ผมต้องผ่านไปหน่อยนะ
Pardon me, I need to get through.
ขออภัยครับ/ค่ะ ผมชนคุณโดยไม่ได้ตั้งใจ
I'm sorry, I accidentally bumped into you.
ขอโทษที่มาสายครับ
kho thot thi ma sai khrap
Sorry for being late.
ขอโทษนะคะที่ทำของเสีย
kho thot na kha thi tham khong sia
Pardon me for breaking your things.
ขอโทษจริงๆ ครับ
kho thot ching ching khrap
I am truly sorry.

Sirin accidentally bumps into Chonlasit at a cafe.

สิรินทร์ Sirin

ขอโทษค่ะ ฉันไม่ได้ตั้งใจ
kho thot kha chan mai dai tang chai
Pardon me, I didn't mean to.
ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasit

ไม่เป็นไรครับ
mai pen rai khrap
It is okay.
สิรินทร์ Sirin

คุณไม่เป็นอะไรใช่ไหมคะ
khun mai pen arai chai mai kha
Are you alright?
ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasit

สบายดีครับ ไม่ต้องกังวลนะ
sabai di khrap mai tong kang won na
I am fine, please don't worry.

Sources

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