How to say no worries in Thai

No worries in Thai is ไม่เป็นไร, pronounced mâi-pen-rai.

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
• pen: mid tone
• rai: 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: ไม่เป็นไรครับ or ไม่เป็นไรค่ะ. Thais add these particles to most sentences, and they make a big difference to how you come across.

When to use it

• ไม่เป็นไร literally means it's nothing, or never mind. It is arguably Thailand's national motto.
• Thais say it when a waiter spills water, when traffic makes them late, when a plan falls through. It isn't passivity: it keeps small problems small and the conversation pleasant.
• Use it generously, and it's often the best reply to an apology. Don't say it when something large goes wrong, though. Then it sounds dismissive.

Say it and see your pitch line

Tap the button, say ไม่เป็นไร, 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 sorry in Thai (ขอโทษ)
• How to say thank you in Thai (ขอบคุณ)
• How to say how are you in Thai (สบายดีไหม)
• How to say I don't want it in Thai (ไม่เอา)

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