ว้าว
waaw
The Thai word for 'wow' is ว้าว (waaw), which is a loanword from English.
Similar to its English counterpart, ว้าว is an interjection used to express sudden amazement, admiration or surprise.
Meaning: amazement (intj)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ว้าว is an informal interjection. It is most commonly used in casual conversations or among friends.
How do you pronounce it?
waaw
Did you know?
- Because it is an English loanword, using ว้าว can sometimes make a speaker sound more 'inter' or trendy, which is a common way for young Thais to signal social status.
- A Thai speaker might use a rising tone for ว้าว to sound more genuinely surprised, whereas a flat tone can make the word sound sarcastic or unimpressed.
- In very formal settings, expressing sudden amazement like ว้าว is often replaced by a polite silence or a soft ครับ (khrap) or ค่ะ (kha) to maintain 'kreng jai' or social deference.
Examples in context
- ว้าว!Wow!This example shows how to use the interjection ว้าว to express amazement.Tatoeba #7878663 by pastelite, translation #52027 by Zifre
- ว้าว! สวยมากเลยครับwâao! sǔay mâak loei krápWow! It is very beautiful.
- ว้าว! น่ากินจังเลยwâao! nâa kin jang loeiWow! That looks delicious.
Example conversation
Teerapat and Pimol are looking at a beautiful painting in an art gallery.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatว้าว! ภาพนี้สวยมากเลยครับwâao! pâap níi sǔay mâak loei krápWow! This painting is very beautiful.
- พิมล Pimonใช่ค่ะ สวยจริงๆchâi kâ. sǔay jing jingYes, it really is beautiful.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatคุณชอบแนวนี้ไหมครับkhun chôop naeo níi mǎi krápDo you like this style?
- พิมล Pimonชอบมากค่ะchôop mâak kâI like it very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wow” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
