ค่ะ
kâ/kʰaʔ˥˩/
In Thai, "yes please" is expressed using the polite particle ค่ะ (kâ).
The phrase is a polite way to accept an offer or agree to a request. While the particle ค่ะ can stand alone, it may feel too brief in many contexts. To sound more natural, you can add the verb เอา (to take/want) to say เอาค่ะ or เอาครับ.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kâ. The IPA is /kʰaʔ˥˩/.
Did you know?
- The word ค่ะ originates from the term for 'servant', specifically from historical phrases like พระเจ้าข้า meaning 'my lord'.
- While ค่ะ is used by women to be polite, men use the particle ครับ to achieve the same effect.
- In Northern Thai, the polite particle used to say 'yes' is actually a term for 'lord' rather than 'servant', acting as a linguistic mirror to the central Thai ค่ะ.
Example conversation
Sirin is being offered a glass of water by Thanakrit.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritรับน้ำดื่มไหมครับrap nam duem mai khrapWould you like some drinking water?
- สิรินทร์ Sirinรับค่ะ ขอบคุณมากค่ะrap kha khop khun mak khaYes please, thank you very much.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritรอสักครู่นะครับro sak khru na khrapPlease wait a moment.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinได้ค่ะdai khaOkay.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ค่ะ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ค่ะ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
