English

In and out: ขึ้น, ลง and นั่ง

Transport in Thai is described with three verbs of the body. ขึ้น — to go up and to board: khuen rot me — get on the bus. Khuen bin is "take off", a word from the airport. For example: “ขึ้น รถ เมล์ ตรง หน้า” — Get on the bus straight ahead. A rule from the Thai course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

How it works

Transport in Thai is described with three verbs of the body. ขึ้น (кхын) — to go up and to board: khuen rot me — get on the bus. Khuen bin is "take off", a word from the airport.

Its pair is ลง (лонг) — to go down and to get off: long thi pai — get off at the stop. The driver asks long nai — where are you getting off? To settle in for the ride — นั่ง (нанг), to sit: nang rot fai — ride the train.

Two more companions of the road: พลาด (пхлаат) — to miss: phlat rot fai — miss the train. And เปลี่ยน (плиан) — to change: plian khueang — change planes, the familiar word from a transfer. The verb takes no forms — only what you do changes.

Table

In and out: ขึ้น, ลง and นั่ง
Where toWordReadingExample
boardขึ้นkhuenขึ้น รถ เมล์ — get on the bus
get offลงlongลง ที่ ป้าย — get off at the stop
ride sittingนั่งnangนั่ง รถ ไฟ — ride the train
missพลาดphlatพลาด รถ ไฟ — miss the train
change, transferเปลี่ยนplianเปลี่ยน เครื่อง — change planes

By example

  • ขึ้น รถ เมล์ ตรง หน้า
    кхын рот мэ тронг наа
    Get on the bus straight ahead
  • ผม ลง ที่ สถานี
    пхом лонг ти сатхании
    I get off at the station
  • นั่ง รถ ไฟ ไป ตลาด
    нанг рот фай пай талат
    Ride the train to the market

How the rule settles in your head

A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.

Frequently asked

In and out: how does it work in Thai?

Transport in Thai is described with three verbs of the body. ขึ้น — to go up and to board: khuen rot me — get on the bus. Khuen bin is "take off", a word from the airport.

What does it look like in a Thai example sentence?

“ขึ้น รถ เมล์ ตรง หน้า” (кхын рот мэ тронг наа) — Get on the bus straight ahead. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.

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