Ordering food is the first Thai you will ever use and the fastest thing you can get good at. You need about ten phrases, not a hundred, and once you have them the whole day changes: you stop pointing at pictures and you start being answered in Thai.
Three things before the list. Men end a sentence with ครับ (khráp) and women with ค่ะ (khâ). Those words mean nothing on their own; they just turn a blunt request into a polite one, and leaving them out is the most common way a foreigner sounds rude by accident. The bill does not come on its own, you have to ask for it. And spicy in Thailand is not spicy where you are from. If you are not sure, say it when you order, not after the first bite.
1Sitting down
What they will say to you, and what you say back.
| กี่ท่านครับ | gìi thâan khráp | How many people? | |
| รับอะไรดีครับ | ráp à-rai dii khráp | What would you like? | |
| รอสักครู่ | raaw sàk-khrûu | One moment, please | |
| หมดแล้ว | mòt láaeo | Sold out | |
| เมนู | mee-nuu | Menu | |
| สั่งอาหาร | sàng aa-hǎan | To order food | |
| ครับ | khráp | Polite word (men) | |
| ค่ะ | khâ | Polite word (women) |
2How you want it
This is the section that saves your meal.
| ไม่เผ็ด | mâi phèt | Not spicy | |
| เผ็ด | phèt | Spicy | |
| นิดหน่อย | nít-nàwy | A little bit | |
| มังสวิรัติ | mang-sà-wí-rát | Vegetarian | |
| ไม่ใส่น้ำตาล | mâi sài náam-dtaan | No sugar | |
| น้ำเปล่า | náam bplàao | Plain water | |
| ใส่กล่อง | sài glàwng | Takeaway, please | |
| ช้อน | cháawn | Spoon | |
| ส้อม | sâwm | Fork | |
| น้ำแข็ง | náam-khǎaeng | Ice |
Thai builds sentences by stacking, so these snap together with no grammar at all: เผ็ดนิดหน่อย (phèt nít-nàwy), a little bit spicy.
3Dishes worth ordering by name
Say the name and you get the real version.
| ข้าวผัด | khâao-phàt | Fried rice | |
| ส้มตำ | sôm-dtam | Papaya salad | |
| ผัดไทย | phàt-thai | Pad Thai (fried noodles) | |
| ข้าวมันไก่ | khâao man gài | Chicken rice | |
| แกงเขียวหวาน | gaaeng khǐao wǎan | Green curry | |
| ข้าวซอย | khâao sawy | Khao soi (curry noodles) | |
| หมูปิ้ง | mǔu bpîng | Grilled pork skewer | |
| ไก่ย่าง | gài yâang | Grilled chicken | |
| ไข่เจียว | khài jiao | Thai omelette | |
| ต้มยำ | dtôm-yam | Tom yum soup | |
| ก๋วยเตี๋ยว | gǔay-dtǐao | Noodles | |
| ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง | khâao nǐao má-mûang | Mango sticky rice |
4What is in it
For when you are avoiding something, or hunting for it.
| หมู | mǔu | Pork | |
| เนื้อ | núea | Beef | |
| กุ้ง | gûng | Shrimp | |
| ไข่ | khài | Egg | |
| ผัก | phàk | Vegetables | |
| พริก | phrík | Chili | |
| น้ำปลา | náam bplaa | Fish sauce | |
| ไก่ | gài | Chicken | |
| ข้าว | khâao | Rice | |
| กะทิ | gà-thí | Coconut milk |
5How it tastes
Where you stop being a customer and start being a regular.
| อร่อย | à-ràwy | Delicious | |
| อร่อยมาก | à-ràwy mâak | Very delicious | |
| หวาน | wǎan | Sweet | |
| เค็ม | khem | Salty | |
| เปรี้ยว | bprîiao | Sour | |
| กรอบ | gràawp | Crispy | |
| หอม | hǎawm | Fragrant | |
| อร่อยไหม | à-ròi mái | Is it tasty? |
6Paying, and leaving
| เก็บเงินหน่อย | gèp ngoen nàwy | The bill, please | |
| ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหน | hâwng-náam yùu nǎi | Where is the toilet? | |
| เท่าไหร่ | thâo-rài | How much? | |
| กี่บาท | gìi bàat | How many baht? | |
| ขอบคุณ | khàwp-khun | Thank you | |
| อร่อยมาก ขอบคุณครับ | à-ràwy mâak khàawp-khun khráp | Very good, thank you. The exit line |
The app has a teacher you can actually talk to. You say it, it tells you what landed and what didn't. 27 languages, no account needed, nothing to download.
Open STKD WRLD →Questions people ask
How do you say "not spicy" in Thai?
ไม่เผ็ด (mâi phèt). Say it when you order, not after the food arrives. Add khráp or khâ and it is polite.
How do you ask for the bill in Thailand?
เก็บเงินหน่อย (gèp ngoen nàwy). In most places the bill is never brought over on its own, so nothing happens until you ask.
How do you say "delicious" in Thai?
อร่อย (à-ràwy). Add มาก (mâak) for very. It is the most rewarding word on this page to use.
Is all Thai food spicy?
No. Plenty of dishes have no chili in them at all, and most of the rest can be made mild if you say mâi phèt when you order.
What do ครับ and ค่ะ mean?
Nothing you can translate. They sit at the end of a sentence to make it polite: men say khráp, women say khâ.
How do you order takeaway in Thai?
ใส่กล่อง (sài glàwng), literally "put it in a box".