Phrases that save you in Thai
17 words in Thai on the topic “phrases that save you”: ไม่ เข้าใจ — I don't understand, ช้าๆ — slowly, พูด อีกครั้ง — say it again, please, พูด ภาษา อังกฤษ ได้ ไหม? — do you speak English?
17 words on the topic
- ไม่ เข้าใจмай кхаочайI don't understandLiterally "not enter-understand": understanding "enters" in Thai. The negation mai goes before the verb and changes nothing else
- ช้าๆчачаslowlyThe curl ๆ means "repeat the previous word": cha-cha. The most useful word of the first week, together with the request "speak slowly"
- พูด อีกครั้งпхуыт иккхрангsay it again, pleaseLiterally "speak one more time". The politeness is carried by the final particle and a karuna in front — the word "please" itself is not in the phrase
- พูด ภาษา อังกฤษ ได้ ไหม?пхуыт пхаса ангкрит дай май?do you speak English?Literally "speak English language can or not?". "Can" (dai) and the question particle mai close the phrase — there is no question word at the front at all
- ช่วย ด้วยчуай дыайhelp!Literally "help, do!". A cry for help and at the same time the polite "be so kind" of requests: chuai plus a verb — "help do something"
- หลง ทางлонг таангI am lostLiterally "lost the way": the two words work as a pair. About yourself, say it with phom in front and khrap at the end — and they will show you the way
- ไม่ ทำ งานмай тхам нганnot working (of a device)Literally "does not do work" — about a fan, a lift, a lock. No word "appliance" is needed: Thai speaks of refusal with a verb
- รอ สัก ครู่ро сак кхрууwait a momentLiterally "wait an instant": khruu is a short while, not a minute. The particle sak softens the request
- เปิด ไม่ ได้пёт май дайI cannot open itLiterally "open not-can": "cannot do" is built with the verb plus mai dai. Who cannot — the deed makes clear
- รถ พยาบาลрот пхайабанambulanceLiterally "care vehicle" — the same rot as in train and bus. The ambulance number in Thailand is 1669
- ต้อง ไป หา หมอтонг пай ха моI need a doctorLiterally "must go seek a doctor": "need" Thai conveys through obligation. Ha is both "seek" and "go to"
- ระวังравангcareful; watch outBoth "careful" and "beware": rawang rot — "careful, car". It is also "gently" about things and feelings
- อันตรายантараиdangerA word from Sanskrit, bookish but alive in speech: "antaraai!" is the cry of "danger!". A person in danger is khon antaraai
- เรียก ตำรวจриак тамруатcall the policeLiterally "call the police": the same verb of calling as in calling the repairman. Tamruat, the police, is a word from Khmer
- พาสปอร์ต หายпааспоот хаайI lost my passportLiterally "the passport has vanished": about a loss Thai speaks without the word "lose" — the thing "disappears" by itself. Haai is both to vanish and to recover
- ไม่ สบายмай сабайI feel unwellLiterally "not comfortable" — the ordinary way to say one is unwell. The familiar sabai di, "fine", lives in the same root
- อย่า แตะйа тэdo not touchLiterally "do not touch": ya is the prohibitive "not", the one in "do not go" and "do not eat". To a child and to a hot pot — alike
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.
- ขอ โทษ ไม่ เข้าใจкхо тхот май кхаочайSorry, I don't understand
- อ่าน ช้าๆан чачаRead slowly
- กรุณา พูด อีกครั้งкаруна пхуыт иккхрангPlease repeat
- พูด ภาษา อังกฤษ ได้ ไหม ครับ?пхуыт пхаса ангкрит дай май кхрап?Do you speak English? (a man says it)
- ช่วย ด้วย ช่วย ด้วยчуай дыай чуай дыайHelp! Help!
- ผม หลง ทาง ครับпхом лонг таанг кхрапI am lost (a man says it)
What is worth knowing about these words
ไม่ เข้าใจ (май кхаочай) — I don't understand. Literally "not enter-understand": understanding "enters" in Thai. The negation mai goes before the verb and changes nothing else.
ช้าๆ (чача) — slowly. The curl ๆ means "repeat the previous word": cha-cha. The most useful word of the first week, together with the request "speak slowly".
พูด อีกครั้ง (пхуыт иккхранг) — say it again, please. Literally "speak one more time". The politeness is carried by the final particle and a karuna in front — the word "please" itself is not in the phrase.
พูด ภาษา อังกฤษ ได้ ไหม? (пхуыт пхаса ангкрит дай май?) — do you speak English? Literally "speak English language can or not?". "Can" (dai) and the question particle mai close the phrase — there is no question word at the front at all.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I don't understand” in Thai?
Literally "not enter-understand": understanding "enters" in Thai. The negation mai goes before the verb and changes nothing else
- How do you say “wait a moment” in Thai?
Literally "wait an instant": khruu is a short while, not a minute. The particle sak softens the request
- How do you say “I lost my passport” in Thai?
Literally "the passport has vanished": about a loss Thai speaks without the word "lose" — the thing "disappears" by itself. Haai is both to vanish and to recover
- How do you say “help!” in Thai?
Literally "help, do!". A cry for help and at the same time the polite "be so kind" of requests: chuai plus a verb — "help do something"
- How do you say “careful; watch out” in Thai?
Both "careful" and "beware": rawang rot — "careful, car". It is also "gently" about things and feelings
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
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 don't understand” in Thai?
«ไม่ เข้าใจ», read “май кхаочай”. Literally "not enter-understand": understanding "enters" in Thai. The negation mai goes before the verb and changes nothing else. It is one of 17 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 17 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.