Transport in Thai
14 words in Thai on the topic “transport”: รถ เมล์ — bus, รถ ไฟ — train, สถานี — station; terminal, แท็กซี่ — taxi.
14 words on the topic
- รถ เมล์рот мэbusLiterally "carriage-vehicle": rot is any vehicle, and it sits inside "train" and "taxi" too. The Bangkok city bus, without air conditioning, is the cheapest of all
- รถ ไฟрот файtrainLiterally "fire carriage" — the same rot as in the bus. Trains in Thailand are slow and loved: the night sleeper to the north is an attraction
- สถานีсатханиstation; terminal"Station": the railway terminal, the bus one, and the police station — the prefix will say whose it is. Rot fai sathanii — "train station"
- แท็กซี่тэксиtaxiEnglish taxi. Hailed with a raised hand, but it is more honest to say kho thaeksi — "I ask for a taxi": the polite request opens doors faster
- ป้ายпаайstop; bus stopBoth the sign and the stop — one word: you know "rot me pai" whole. The tone falls, the syllable is live
- ผู้ โดย สารпхуу дои саанpassengerLiterally "traveling person": phuu lifts the word to a human being at large, as in "receiver"
- ที่ นั่งти нангseatLiterally "place of sitting": both words you know. You saw "window seat" — the seat by the window
- ราว จับраао джапhandrail; grab barLiterally "bar for gripping": jap is the familiar "catch". One holds it when the bus pulls away
- ผู้ ตรวจ ตั๋วпхуу труат туаticket inspector; conductorLiterally "person checking the tickets": truay, "to check", you saw in "check the passport"
- ค่า โดย สารкхаа дои саанfareLiterally "price of the trip": khaa is the familiar root of "cost", as in the repair cost
- แน่น ขนัดнэн кханатpacked; crammed fullThe familiar naen, "tight", plus khanat, "fast": tight tight. This is what one says of a packed bus and a crowd
- ที่ ว่างти ваангfree seat; spaceLiterally "place free": waang you know from "free". A seat or a place in the car — one word for both
- เครื่อง ขาย ตั๋วкхрыанг кхаай туаticket machineLiterally "machine selling tickets": all three words have been before. The ticket is the familiar tua
- ดีเลย์дилэйdelayA borrowing from English delay: about flights and buses one says exactly this. In Thai it is "runs slow", which you know
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.
- รถ เมล์ อยู่ ที่ไหน?рот мэ ю тинай?Where is the bus?
- รถ ไฟ หก โมงрот фай хок монгThe six o'clock train
- สถานี อยู่ ที่ไหน?сатхани ю тинай?Where is the station?
- ขอ แท็กซี่ หนึ่ง คันкхо тэкси нынг кханOne taxi (one car)
- ป้าย รถ เมล์ อยู่ ตรง ไหนпаай рот мэ ю тронг найWhere is the bus stop?
- รถ เมล์ มี ผู้ โดย สาร มากрот мэ ми пхуу дои саан макThere are many passengers on the bus
What is worth knowing about these words
รถ เมล์ (рот мэ) — bus. Literally "carriage-vehicle": rot is any vehicle, and it sits inside "train" and "taxi" too. The Bangkok city bus, without air conditioning, is the cheapest of all.
รถ ไฟ (рот фай) — train. Literally "fire carriage" — the same rot as in the bus. Trains in Thailand are slow and loved: the night sleeper to the north is an attraction.
สถานี (сатхани) — station; terminal. "Station": the railway terminal, the bus one, and the police station — the prefix will say whose it is. Rot fai sathanii — "train station".
แท็กซี่ (тэкси) — taxi. English taxi. Hailed with a raised hand, but it is more honest to say kho thaeksi — "I ask for a taxi": the polite request opens doors faster.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “bus” in Thai?
Literally "carriage-vehicle": rot is any vehicle, and it sits inside "train" and "taxi" too. The Bangkok city bus, without air conditioning, is the cheapest of all
- How do you say “passenger” in Thai?
Literally "traveling person": phuu lifts the word to a human being at large, as in "receiver"
- How do you say “packed; crammed full” in Thai?
The familiar naen, "tight", plus khanat, "fast": tight tight. This is what one says of a packed bus and a crowd
- How do you say “train” in Thai?
Literally "fire carriage" — the same rot as in the bus. Trains in Thailand are slow and loved: the night sleeper to the north is an attraction
- How do you say “seat” in Thai?
Literally "place of sitting": both words you know. You saw "window seat" — the seat by the window
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
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 “bus” in Thai?
«รถ เมล์», read “рот мэ”. Literally "carriage-vehicle": rot is any vehicle, and it sits inside "train" and "taxi" too. The Bangkok city bus, without air conditioning, is the cheapest of all. It is one of 14 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 14 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.