Pronouns in Thai
27 words in Thai on the topic “pronouns”: ผม — I, คุณ — you, พวก คุณ — you (plural), เขา — he.
27 words on the topic
- ผมпхомIThe "I" of a male speaker. A woman says dichan. In speech the pronoun is often dropped: the phrase is clear without it, and it goes in for emphasis — "as for ME"
- คุณкхунyouBoth informal you and polite you in one word — the distinction simply is not made here. It also goes before a name as a title: khun Mana, Mr Mana
- พวก คุณпхуак кхунyou (plural)Literally "group of you". The word phuak, "group", in front of a pronoun makes the plural — the verb stays unchanged
- เขาкхаоheUsed for a man and a woman alike: spoken Thai does not need to split he and she. Do not confuse it with khao, rice — a different tone
- เธอтхёshe"She" for your own or someone younger; about an older woman or a stranger people prefer the neutral khao. The same word is "you" between girlfriends
- เราраоweOne "we" for every case: you-and-me and us-without-you alike. The verb does not change after it
- เรา สอง คนрао сонг кхонthe two of usLiterally "we — two people". The classifier khon, "person", is obligatory: Thai never leaves a bare number. There is no special dual pronoun — only this phrase
- พวก เขาпхуак кхаоtheyLiterally "group he". The plural is assembled with the word "group" and in no other way: there are no endings and no conjugations
- ของ ฉันкхонг чанmy; mineLiterally "thing of me": khong follows the object, the owner stands before it. The female chan; men say khong phom — the grammar is the same
- ของ คุณкхонг кхунyour; yoursThe same turn with the polite khun — which is both informal and formal you. There is no separate "your": the owner is simply named after khong
- ของ เราкхонг раоour; ours"Thing of us": khong plus the familiar rao. No number, no case — the one turn for every kind of belonging
- ของ พวก คุณкхонг пхуак кхунyour (plural)Phuak assembles the plural: "thing of the group of you". "Their" is built the same way — khong phuak khao. There is no single word for your-plural
- ของ เขาкхонг кхаоhis, her, theirThai says "thing of khao" about a man and a woman alike; "of her" is khong thoe, "of them" — khong phuak khao. Who was meant is clear from the conversation
- ของ ตัว เองкхонг туа энгone's ownTua eng is "one's own body, oneself": the belonging bends back to the doer. "He loves his own house" — not someone else's and not yours
- เองэнгby oneself; on one's ownFollows the action: "the child eats by himself" — nobody feeds him. A live syllable of the middle class, an even tone
- ทั้งтхангall; the wholeStands before a word and takes all of it at once: "the whole day". The familiar thang mot, "entirely", is assembled from it
- แต่ละтэлаeachStands before a noun and takes it one by one: "each person eats rice". No classifier is needed after it
- อะไร ก็ ได้арай ко дайany; whateverLiterally "anything — fine": three short words you already know. This is how Thai answers a choice with no preference
- นี่нийthis (standing alone)It stands separately, by itself: "nii arai" — "what is this?". Do not confuse with nii — the same "this" but after a noun: "baan nii"
- นั้นнанthat (standing alone)The pair of nii: that, farther off. Standing alone it is "that over there"; after a noun — "to nan" — "that table". You know it from "thi nan"
- แบบ นี้бэп нийlike this; suchLiterally "of this pattern": baep is "pattern, cut". "I want one like this" — yak dai baep nii — is a phrase of words you already know
- อื่นыынother; anotherIt follows the noun: "khon uen" — "another person". The long sound holds — the short uk will be a different thing
- ไม่ เอา อะไร เลยмай ао арай лёйnone (I take nothing)Literally "take nothing at all": this is how one refuses every option at once. The familiar "nobody" — mai mi khrai — is assembled by the neighboring scheme
- ใคร บาง คนкхрай банг кхонsomeoneLiterally "who — a certain person": bang, "a certain", from the familiar "some people". The one knocking at the door is this someone
- อะไร สัก อย่างарай сак янгsomething (indefinite)Literally "something some-thing": sak softens the indefiniteness. Nearby lives bang yang — also "something"
- ไม่ มี ใคร เลยмай ми кхрай лёйno one at allThe familiar "nobody" — mai mi khrai — plus loei, "at all": no one whatsoever. The negation at the verb must be kept
- ไม่ มี อะไรмай ми арайnothingLiterally "there is nothing": mi, "there is", under negation. The question "is there anything?" gets this answer "no"
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
ผม (пхом) — I. The "I" of a male speaker. A woman says dichan. In speech the pronoun is often dropped: the phrase is clear without it, and it goes in for emphasis — "as for ME".
คุณ (кхун) — you. Both informal you and polite you in one word — the distinction simply is not made here. It also goes before a name as a title: khun Mana, Mr Mana.
พวก คุณ (пхуак кхун) — you (plural). Literally "group of you". The word phuak, "group", in front of a pronoun makes the plural — the verb stays unchanged.
เขา (кхао) — he. Used for a man and a woman alike: spoken Thai does not need to split he and she. Do not confuse it with khao, rice — a different tone.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Thai?
The "I" of a male speaker. A woman says dichan. In speech the pronoun is often dropped: the phrase is clear without it, and it goes in for emphasis — "as for ME"
- How do you say “they” in Thai?
Literally "group he". The plural is assembled with the word "group" and in no other way: there are no endings and no conjugations
- How do you say “by oneself; on one's own” in Thai?
Follows the action: "the child eats by himself" — nobody feeds him. A live syllable of the middle class, an even tone
- How do you say “other; another” in Thai?
It follows the noun: "khon uen" — "another person". The long sound holds — the short uk will be a different thing
- How do you say “you” in Thai?
Both informal you and polite you in one word — the distinction simply is not made here. It also goes before a name as a title: khun Mana, Mr Mana
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I” in Thai?
«ผม», read “пхом”. The "I" of a male speaker. A woman says dichan. In speech the pronoun is often dropped: the phrase is clear without it, and it goes in for emphasis — "as for ME". It is one of 27 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 27 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.