no / not
ไม่No in Thai — ไม่ (mâi), One Falling Tone Away From Four Other Words
No in Thai is ไม่ (mâi), falling tone — famously one tone away from "new," "burn," "silk," and a question mark. Hear the difference with real audio.
"No" and "not" in Thai are the same small word: ไม่ (mâi) — falling tone, firm and quick, like a door closing politely.
The rule everyone gets wrong: ไม่ goes before the thing it cancels — ไม่เผ็ด (mâi phèt) = not spicy, ไม่เอา (mâi ao) = I don't want it, ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi) = that's not right. One word, placed in front, negates anything. There is no "don't/doesn't/isn't" table to memorize. You're welcome.
The beat: mâi is the poster child of Thai tones — the same syllable with different pitches gives you ใหม่ (mài, "new") and ไหม (mǎi, the question particle), among others. The famous tongue-twister about new silk burning is real, and the tone system behind it is more learnable than it looks.
Tones from lesson one, with real voices — free start: app.paithai.app.
Common questions
- How do you say no in Thai?
- ไม่ (mâi), falling tone — placed before a verb or adjective it means "not": ไม่เผ็ด = not spicy. Politely refusing something is ไม่เอา (mâi ao, "not take").
- Why does "mai" mean so many things in Thai?
- It's five different words distinguished by tone — ไม่ (mâi, not), ใหม่ (mài, new), ไหม (mǎi, question particle) among them. Pitch is part of the word.
Learn ไม่ the way you’ll remember it — free, in your browser.
Real audio, gentle grading, no account. Your first lesson is about ninety seconds away.
Start a free lesson