yes
ใช่Yes in Thai — ใช่ (châi), and Why Thais Rarely Say It
Yes in Thai is ใช่ (châi) — but the real Thai "yes" is usually the verb given back. Hear it, and learn the echo-answer trick that makes you sound fluent.
Yes in Thai is ใช่ (châi) — falling tone, "that's right."
The rule everyone gets wrong: Thai doesn't actually run on yes and no. The native way to answer a yes/no question is to hand the verb back: "Is it delicious?" — อร่อย ("delicious"). "Are you going?" — ไป ("go"). ใช่ specifically confirms identity or correctness ("is this the airport bus?" — ใช่), not willingness or state. Learn the echo-answer habit early and you skip years of sounding like a phrasebook.
The beat: the no-form is ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi) — "not so" — which is also the world's politest way to tell a tuk-tuk driver that this is not, in fact, the temple you asked for.
Question words, echo answers, and the particles that soften them are early-course material — free start, no account: app.paithai.app.
Common questions
- How do you say yes in Thai?
- ใช่ (châi) confirms something is correct — but for most questions, Thais answer by repeating the verb: "Going?" → ไป ("go").
- What does mai chai mean?
- ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi) means "no / that's not right" — the direct negative of ใช่.
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