sorry
ขอโทษSorry in Thai — ขอโทษ (khǎw-thôot), the Two-Jobs Word
Sorry in Thai is ขอโทษ (khǎw-thôot) — it's also "excuse me." Hear it with real audio and learn the gracious three-syllable reply you'll get back.
Sorry in Thai is ขอโทษ (khǎw-thôot) — literally "may I request the blame," which is a rather elegant way to apologize.
The rule everyone gets wrong: it does two jobs. It's the apology and the "excuse me" — for getting a waiter's attention, squeezing down a bus aisle, or opening a question to a stranger. Travelers who only file it under "apology" go quiet in exactly the situations where one soft ขอโทษครับ/ค่ะ would open every door.
The beat: the reply is almost always ไม่เป็นไร (mâi-bpen-rai) — "it's nothing" — delivered so reflexively and warmly that apologizing in Thailand is nearly pleasant. The famous Thai ease has grammar to back it up.
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Common questions
- How do you say sorry in Thai?
- ขอโทษ (khǎw-thôot), usually with the polite particle: ขอโทษครับ (men) / ขอโทษค่ะ (women). The same phrase also means "excuse me."
- What do Thais say when you apologize?
- Usually ไม่เป็นไร (mâi-bpen-rai) — "it's okay / never mind" — the standard gracious response.
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