คุณชื่ออะไร
khun chue arai
คุณชื่ออะไร (khun chue arai) is the Thai way to say "what is your name?"
This phrase is a common and standard way to ask someone for their name in Thai.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of khun (you), chue (name/to be named) and arai (what).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can make the question more casual and relaxed by using Chue arai? or by dropping the pronoun khun, resulting in ชื่ออะไร.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question sound polite and natural, you should add a gender particle at the end. A male speaker should add ครับ (khrap) and a female speaker should add ค่ะ (kha). In Thai, it is more common and polite to include these particles than it is in English.
How do you pronounce it?
khun chue arai
Did you know?
- When answering the question, a Thai person will often provide a nickname instead of their legal name, as the formal name is often reserved for official documents.
- In very casual settings, Thais might avoid using the pronoun คุณ (khun) entirely and instead use a kinship term like 'older brother' พี่ (phi) or 'younger sibling' น้อง (nong) to ask a name.
- In high-society or royal contexts, the word ชื่อ (chue) is replaced by a completely different royal term to ask a name, as standard language is considered inappropriate.
Examples in context
- คุณชื่ออะไรครับkhun chue arai khrapWhat is your name?
- ขอโทษครับ คุณชื่ออะไรkho thot khrap, khun chue araiExcuse me, what is your name?
Example conversation
Teerapat meets Pimol for the first time at a cafe.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatสวัสดีครับ คุณชื่ออะไรครับsawasdee khrap, khun chue arai khrapHello, what is your name?
- พิมล Pimonพิมลค่ะ แล้วคุณชื่ออะไรคะpimol kha, laew khun chue arai khaI am Pimol. And what is your name?
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatผมชื่อธีรภัทรครับphom chue teeraphat khrapMy name is Teerapat.
- พิมล Pimonยินดีที่ได้รู้จักค่ะคุณธีรภัทรyindee thee dai rujak kha khun teeraphatNice to meet you, Teerapat.
