เมื่อไหร่
mʉ̂ʉa-rài/mɯa̯˥˩.raj˨˩/
In Thai, the word for the interrogative 'when' is เมื่อไหร่ (mʉ̂ʉa-rài).
เมื่อไหร่ is used to ask a question about a point in time. Its usage remains consistent across Thailand.
Meaning: as soon as, at the time that (conj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word เมื่อไหร่ is a combination of เมื่อ, meaning 'when' or 'at the time that' and ไหร่, an interrogative particle meaning 'what' or 'which'.
Which one should you use?
While เมื่อไหร่ is used to ask questions about time, the word เมื่อ alone functions as a conjunction used to connect clauses, such as 'when I was young'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal situations, such as written language or formal announcements, you should use the version เมื่อใด.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask about multiple occurrences or a series of times, you can add บ้าง after the word to form เมื่อไหร่บ้าง.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced mʉ̂ʉa-rài. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In formal royal language, known as 'Rachasap', specialized vocabulary replaces common time words like เมื่อ, as ordinary words are considered too plain for the monarchy.
- While เมื่อไหร่ asks 'when', adding the word เมื่อไหร่ to the end of a statement can turn a claim into a skeptical challenge, effectively meaning 'since when?'
- The component ไหร่ is actually a phonetic variation of อะไร, which means 'what', meaning the phrase literally asks 'at what time'.
Examples in context
- คุณจะไปเมื่อไหร่?When will you leave?This example is useful for asking when someone will leave using เมื่อไหร่.Tatoeba #7878662 by pastelite, translation #66004 by CK
- มันเริ่มเมื่อไหร่?When does it begin?This example is useful for asking when something begins using เมื่อไหร่.Tatoeba #8692065 by pastelite, translation #42781 by CK
- เรากินได้เมื่อไหร่When can we eat?This example is useful for asking when an action can occur using เมื่อไหร่.Tatoeba #8692209 by pastelite, translation #322004 by CK
- เมื่อไรมาเล่นกันอีกนะ?When are we going to hang out again?
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Thanakrit and Nicha are planning a meeting.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritคุณว่างเมื่อไหร่ครับ?Khun wang muea-rai khrap?When are you free?
- ณิชา Nichaฉันว่างวันเสาร์นี้ค่ะChan wang wan sao ni kha.I am free this Saturday.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritแล้วเราจะเจอกันเมื่อไหร่ดี?Laew rao ja jeu kan muea-rai dee?Then when should we meet?
- ณิชา Nichaเจอกันตอนบ่ายสองนะคะJeu kan ton bai song na kha.Let's meet at two in the afternoon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry เมื่อไหร่, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
