Thank You in Thai: 11 Ways to Express Gratitude

After you learn an initial greeting, one of the first things you should learn in your target language is how to express gratitude.

You’ve surely heard the saying, “a little goes a long way,” and that could not be more true for learning how to express appreciation in your target language. Native speakers will not only hear the words you speak but see the effort that you put into taking the time to learn how to say “thank you” in their native tongue.

In this article, I want to teach you the ins and outs of how to say thank you in Thai and the different ways that you can navigate this simple yet important exchange.

A note on Thai script

The Thai language has its own written alphabet and if you are serious about learning Thai, I suggest you learn to read as early on as possible. This will ensure that you are building good habits from the beginning with regard to reading and speaking correctly.

In this article, I will be providing a romanized spelling to help you to understand the correct way to pronounce the phrases. Many different ways have been used over the years to represent Thai words with English characters but I have found it is most effective to use English words that you are already familiar with to ensure the correct pronunciation. These will be used throughout the article.

If you are looking for additional resources to help you with learning Thai, here is a list of over 30 apps, podcasts, and books that can aid you in your journey.

1. “Thank you” in Thai – ขอบคุณ (cop coon)

In Thai, the two words ขอบคุณ (cop coon) mean, quite simply, “thank you.” The issue here however is that very rarely will you hear someone use this phrase. You might be wondering why I am bothering to teach it to you, but allow me to explain.

The Thai language contains several words called ending particles that can be used at the end of phrases or sentences to affect how polite or respectful a phrase comes across to a native speaker.

With that being said, the most common way to say thank you in Thai is actually…

2. Polite “Thank you” in Thai – ขอบคุณครับ (cop coon crap) or ขอบคุณค่ะ (cop coon caw)

In Thai, there are two common ending particles that you should use to make a sentence more polite or respectful to your listener. The ending particle is different for male and female speakers.

The ending particle for male speakers is ครับ (crap). The ending particle for female speakers is ค่ะ (caw). The ending particle is associated with the person speaking, not the person you are speaking to.

This means that if you are male, you will always use ครับ (crap) no matter who you are speaking to. Similarly, if you are female, you will always use ค่ะ (caw) no matter the gender of the person you are conversing with.

Using the appropriate ending particle after the phrase ขอบคุณ (cop coon) changes the feeling of the phrase completely and is a way to say thank you in Thai that you can safely use in just about any situation.

3. Extra polite “Thank you” in Thai –  ขอบคุณนะครับ (cop coon cah crap)  or ขอบคุณนะค่ะ (cop coon nah caw)

Showing respect to others is an extremely important part of Thai culture and this is reflected in the language. If you would like to show an extra level of respect and consideration to the person you are speaking with you can simply add the word นะ (nah) between ขอบคุณ (cop coon) and your respective ending particle ครับ (crap) or ค่ะ (caw).

ขอบคุณนะครับ (“cop coon nah crap” for male speakers) and ขอบคุณนะค่ะ (“cop coon nah caw” for female speakers) can also be used in just about any setting but is slightly more formal and would be less likely to be used amongst friends.

4. “Thank you very much” in Thai – ขอบคุณมากครับ (cop coon mock crap) or ขอบคุณมากค่ะ (cop coon mock caw)

If would like to express a higher level of gratitude but in a less formal way you can use the phrase ขอบคุณมากครับ (“cop coon mock crap” for male speakers)  or ขอบคุณมากค่ะ (“cop coon mock caw” for female speakers).

The word มาก means “a lot” and it is used in this phrase to express a higher level of gratitude to someone. This phrase would be considered respectful to all people you are speaking with while not feeling too formal. It will often be used amongst friends and family and you should feel free to use it as often as you like.

5. Extra polite “Thank you very much” in Thai – ขอบคุณมากนะครับ (cop coon mock nah cap) or ขอบคุณมากนะค่ะ (cop coon mock nah caw)

Similar to the #3 way to say thank you in Thai, adding the word นะ (nah) between ขอบคุณมาก (cop coon mock) and ครับ/ค่ะ (crap/caw) will add an extra layer of politeness while still expressing a high level of appreciation.

This phrase, ขอบคุณมากนะครับ (“cop coon mock nah crap” for male speakers)  ขอบคุณมากนะค่ะ (“cop coon mock nah caw” for female speakers) can be used respectfully with anyone and is a nice way to thank someone who perhaps you don’t know well.

6. Less polite “Thank you” in Thai – ขอบใจ (cop jai)

While showing respect to one another is an important part of the Thai culture and language, close friends and family members will often take liberties with one another and use another phrase to express gratitude.

This phrase is ขอบใจ (cop jai (rhyming with eye)). This is a more informal way to say “thank you” in Thai that would only be used amongst close friends or when you are speaking with someone younger than you. You do not need to add ครับ/ค่ะ (crap/caw) to the end of this phrase.

7. Less polite “Thank you” in Thai for female speakers – ขอบใจจ้า (cop coon jah)

The next way to say thank you in Thai is ขอบใจจ้า (cop coon jah). Similar to #6, this phrase is more informal and would only be used when speaking with close friends or someone who is younger than you.

While technically this phrase is not exclusively for female speakers, it tends to be used by women much more so than men.

8. “You’re welcome” or “No problem” in Thai – ไม่เป็นไร (my pen rye)

You could make the argument that ไม่เป็นไร (my pen rye) is the Swiss army knife of the Thai language. Literally translated into English it means, “It’s nothing” but it can be used in many situations.

Oftentimes when you thank someone in Thai they will respond with ไม่เป็นไร (my pen rye). In English, we might use the phrase, “no problem” or “no worries,” to say you’re welcome. In Thai, the equivalent response will often be ไม่เป็นไร (my pen rye).

You can use this phrase with anyone, it would be considered respectful towards all and you will no doubt score some points for using it as the locals do.

9.   “No, thank you” in Thai – ไม่เป็นไร (my pen rye)

Yes, ไม่เป็นไร (my pen rye) can also be used to say “no, thank you.”

It would often be considered rude in Thai to answer a question with a direct ไม่ (my) which means “no.” Instead, if you are not interested in what you are being offered you can politely decline with a simple ไม่เป็นไร (my pen rye).

This phrase can be used in almost all situations and will not embarrass the person you are speaking with.

10. “My pleasure” in Thai – ยินดีครับ (yin dee crap) or ยินดีค่ะ (yin dee caw)

If you are being thanked and would like the person you are speaking with to know that whatever you did for them was no trouble at all, you can use the phrase ยินดีครับ/ค่ะ (yin dee crap/caw).

This phrase literally translates to “pleasure” and implies that you were happy to help them out. You can use this phrase with everyone as a nice way to say, “you’re welcome.” It would not be considered overly formal and can be used in everyday conversation.

11. Showing gratitude through gestures in Thai – ไหว้ (why)

The ไหว้ (why) is a very common gesture in Thai culture where you place your hands together palm against palm and raise them to your face. It is often accompanied by a slight bow towards the person you are speaking with.

This gesture is most often used by Thais in greeting one another as a way to show respect to the person you are speaking with. You can also use this gesture when you are thanking someone with several of the more formal phrases listed above.

It would not be out of place to ไหว้ (why) towards someone when using the phrases ขอบคุณครับ (“cop coon crap” for male speakers) or ขอบคุณค่ะ (“cop coon caw” for female speakers). This would also include the phrases ขอบคุณมากครับ (“cop coon mock crap” for male speakers) and ขอบคุณมากค่ะ (“cop coon mock caw” for female speakers).

Wrap-up

There you have it, 11 ways to say thank you in Thai! While a lot of these phrases may seem similar, there is a subtle yet important difference between them.

If you take the time to learn them you will no doubt bring a smile to many a Thai person’s face. Use every opportunity you can to practice these phrases and you will be well on your way to learning to speak like a native.