Asking the way in Thai
18 words in Thai on the topic “asking the way”: อยู่ ที่ไหน — where?, ที่ นี่ — here, ที่ นั่น — there, ขวา — to the right.
18 words on the topic
- อยู่ ที่ไหนю тинайwhere?Literally "is located where". One thinai at the end of a phrase turns anything into a question: raan khaafae yu thinai — "the coffeehouse is where?"
- ที่ นี่ти нийhereLiterally "place this". The Thai row "place + pointer" works everywhere: there is thi nan, where is thinai
- ที่ นั่นти нанthereThe pair of "here": only the pointer changes. There is no separate word "to there" in this pair — the direction is said by a verb and an adverb
- ขวาкхваto the rightOne word, "right"; "turn right" is said with the verb liao in front. For a turn Thai says "bend", not "go"
- ซ้ายсайto the leftThe pair of "right". It argues with the word "to mourn" in tone alone: "left" rises, and on the road you can hear it
- ตรง ไปтронг пайstraight aheadLiterally "evenly go": the two words hold together as one. In signs and in spoken answers it is the first phrase of any route
- ใกล้клайnear; closeThe initial sign is the rare "in twenty words" one. It argues by ear with glai, "far": "near" falls, "far" is mid
- ไกลглайfarThe pair of "near", and the difference is the tone and the first letter only. The booster is the familiar mak: glai mak — "very far"
- เดิน ไป อย่างไรдён пай янграйhow do I get there?Literally "on foot go how": yangrai is the polite "how", you heard it in khun pen yangrai. Where exactly — put the place at the end
- ไป ถึงпай тхынгto get to; to reachPai, "go", plus theung, "as far as": to get as far as the very place. You heard this theung in ma theung laeo — "already arrived"
- อีก ฝั่ง ถนนик фанг тханонon the other sideLiterally "the other bank of the street": fang, "side, bank", you know from the river. The pharmacy across the road means on the other side
- เดิน ไม่ ไกลдён май глайa short walk awayLiterally "on foot not far": nearness Thai measures in walking, not in steps. To say doen mai glai is to promise you will get there without a car
- หลัง หัว เลี้ยวланг хуа лиаоaround the corner; behind the bendHua liao, "the bend", you know; lang — "behind", the one in lang ban, "behind the house". Around the corner means you cannot see it, but it is close
- ทาง ซ้าย ของтаанг сай кхонгto the left ofLiterally "the way of the left side of something": sai, "left", you know, and khong ties it to the point of reference. What to count from — put after
- ทาง ขวา ของтаанг кхва кхонгto the right ofThe pair of "to the left of" from this lesson: khwaa is "right". The same word order, only the side is different
- ตรง กลาง พอดีтронг клаанг подиright in the middleTrong klaang, "the middle", you know, and phodi is "exactly": right in the middle is the exact middle. The bare klaang you saw in the word "midst"
- หัว เลี้ยว หน้าхуа лиао нааthe next turnHua liao, "the bend", you know; naa — "in front", the one in naa ban, "in front of the house". The next turn is the one you are driving toward
- ระหว่าง ทางраваанг таангon the wayLiterally "between the road": rawaang — "between, during" — you saw it in "undergoing change". On the way means along with the road
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.
- ร้าน กาแฟ อยู่ ที่ไหน?ран кафэ ю тинай?Where is the coffeehouse?
- ร้าน กาแฟ อยู่ ที่ นี่ран кафэ ю ти нийThe coffeehouse is here
- ร้าน อาหาร อยู่ ที่ นั่นран ахан ю ти нанThe restaurant is over there
- เลี้ยว ขวาлиао кхваTurn right, please
- เลี้ยว ซ้ายлиао сайTurn left, please
- ตรง ไป เลยтронг пай лёйGo straight, please
What is worth knowing about these words
อยู่ ที่ไหน (ю тинай) — where? Literally "is located where". One thinai at the end of a phrase turns anything into a question: raan khaafae yu thinai — "the coffeehouse is where?"
ที่ นี่ (ти ний) — here. Literally "place this". The Thai row "place + pointer" works everywhere: there is thi nan, where is thinai.
ที่ นั่น (ти нан) — there. The pair of "here": only the pointer changes. There is no separate word "to there" in this pair — the direction is said by a verb and an adverb.
ขวา (кхва) — to the right. One word, "right"; "turn right" is said with the verb liao in front. For a turn Thai says "bend", not "go".
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “where?” in Thai?
Literally "is located where". One thinai at the end of a phrase turns anything into a question: raan khaafae yu thinai — "the coffeehouse is where?"
- How do you say “far” in Thai?
The pair of "near", and the difference is the tone and the first letter only. The booster is the familiar mak: glai mak — "very far"
- How do you say “to the right of” in Thai?
The pair of "to the left of" from this lesson: khwaa is "right". The same word order, only the side is different
- How do you say “to the right” in Thai?
One word, "right"; "turn right" is said with the verb liao in front. For a turn Thai says "bend", not "go"
- How do you say “on the other side” in Thai?
Literally "the other bank of the street": fang, "side, bank", you know from the river. The pharmacy across the road means on the other side
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Right, left, straight on, how far. You ask the way rarely — and always at the moment when there is no time to work it out.
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 “where?” in Thai?
«อยู่ ที่ไหน», read “ю тинай”. Literally "is located where". One thinai at the end of a phrase turns anything into a question: raan khaafae yu thinai — "the coffeehouse is where?" It is one of 18 words in the set “asking the way” — the rest are in the table above.
How many direction words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 18 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.