How to Say Hello in Thai — สวัสดี Done Right (Audio)
สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) is hello in Thai — but the ending changes with the speaker. Hear it, get the krap/ka rule right, and learn the reply that makes Thais smile.
The word
Hello in Thai is สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) — three syllables, said with a smile that's practically part of the spelling. It works at any time of day: there's no separate "good morning / good evening" you're expected to juggle. One greeting, all day, everywhere from a temple to a 7-Eleven.
Literally, สวัสดี is an old blessing — "well-being" — which means every Thai hello is a tiny wish for the other person's welfare. Thai does this constantly: the everyday language has older, kinder machinery under the hood.
The part everyone gets wrong: the ending
Thai sentences end with a politeness particle, and it changes with the speaker (not the listener):
- Men say: สวัสดีครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp)
- Women say: สวัสดีค่ะ (sà-wàt-dii khâ)
That's the whole rule — your own gender, always, regardless of who you're greeting. The particle isn't optional decoration either; walking up to a stranger without one reads the way "hey." reads in a customer-service email. With it, you sound instantly, disproportionately considerate.
(Notice the tones while you're here: ครับ (khráp) rises sharply, ค่ะ (khâ) falls. If you can hear that difference, you've already started the tone system.)
The follow-up that makes people smile
The standard next beat is สบายดีไหม (sà-baai-dii mǎi) — "are you well?" — and the standard reply is simply สบายดี (sà-baai-dii) , "I'm well." Same word, question mark removed: ไหม (mǎi) is the little word that turns a statement into a question, so the answer is just the statement given back. Thai is full of these elegant symmetries.
A fair warning about success: greet one street vendor with a properly-toned สวัสดีครับ and you're likely to hear delighted praise of your Thai in return. Thailand grades on effort, with extravagant generosity. Enjoy it — then learn ขอบคุณ (khàwp-khun) , "thank you," because you'll need it immediately.
The wai (the hands thing)
The palms-together gesture — the wai — often accompanies a greeting, but as a visitor the rule of thumb is simple: return a wai you're given; don't stress about initiating. Thais don't expect foreigners to know its rank-and-age choreography, and a warm สวัสดี with no wai beats a confused wai with no สวัสดี every time.
Say it out loud, get graded kindly
Reading about tones is like reading about swimming. PaiThai's first lesson (free, browser, no account) plays you สวัสดี in real Thai voices and — if you allow the mic — listens to yours and tells you how a Thai listener would hear it: app.paithai.app.
ไปไทย (bpai thai) means "go Thai." Go.
Common questions
- What does sawasdee mean?
- สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dii) means "hello" — literally an old blessing meaning "well-being." It works at any time of day.
- Is it sawasdee krap or ka?
- It follows the speaker's own gender: men end with ครับ (khráp), women with ค่ะ (khâ) — regardless of who's being greeted.
- How do Thais answer "sabai dee mai"?
- With สบายดี (sà-baai-dii) — "I'm well." The question word ไหม (mǎi) is simply dropped from the answer.
- Do I need to wai when saying hello?
- Return one if given; as a visitor you're not expected to initiate. The spoken greeting matters more. ---
Do a real Thai lesson right now — free, in your browser.
No account, no install. Your first สวัสดี is about ninety seconds away.
Start a free lesson