How to say how are you in Thai
How are you in Thai is สบายดีไหม, pronounced sà-baai-dii-mǎi. It's a question, so your voice follows the tones below rather than rising at the end the way English questions do.
Hear it
The tones, syllable by syllable
Thai uses pitch to tell words apart, so each syllable has its own tone. The accent on each romanized syllable shows it:
- sà: low tone
- baai: mid tone
- dii: mid tone
- mǎi: rising tone
No accent means mid, a grave accent (à) low, a circumflex (â) falling, an acute (á) high, and a caron (ǎ) rising. New to tones? The five Thai tones, explained without jargon.
When to use it
- สบายดี (sà-baai-dii) on its own is the answer, I'm fine. The question needs ไหม (mǎi) on the end, so don't say สบายดี alone when you mean to ask.
- In casual speech you will also hear มั้ย in place of ไหม.
Say it and see your pitch line
Tap the button, say สบายดีไหม, and glot.it draws your pitch line over the pitch of a reference Thai voice, so you can see where a tone slipped instead of guessing by ear. Your microphone turns on only when you tap.
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More Thai phrases
- How to say hello in Thai (สวัสดี)
- How to say thank you in Thai (ขอบคุณ)
- How to say good luck in Thai (โชคดี)
- How to say how much in Thai (เท่าไหร่)
These come from our list of Thai phrases for travelers. See every guide on the Learn Thai hub.