How to say I don't want it in Thai

I don't want it in Thai is ไม่เอา, pronounced mâi-ao.

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:

• mâi: falling tone
• ao: mid 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.

Make it polite

Add ครับ (khráp) at the end if you're a man, ค่ะ (khâ) if you're a woman: ไม่เอาครับ or ไม่เอาค่ะ. Thais add these particles to most sentences, and they make a big difference to how you come across.

When to use it

• ไม่เอา is a direct refusal: I don't want it, or no thanks.
• Thais often avoid a direct no, which is part of kreng jai, so add ครับ or ค่ะ to keep your refusal polite.
• Its opposite at a market stall is เอาอันนี้ (ao-an-níi): I'll take this one.

Say it and see your pitch line

Tap the button, say ไม่เอา, 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.

More Thai phrases

• How to say how much in Thai (เท่าไหร่)
• How to say no worries in Thai (ไม่เป็นไร)
• How to say vegetarian in Thai (มังสวิรัติ)
• How to say thank you in Thai (ขอบคุณ)

These come from our list of Thai phrases for travelers. See every guide on the Learn Thai hub.