Polite Personal Markers — Thai Grammar

In Thai, sentences frequently end with a "politeness particle." These words do not add grammatical meaning to the sentence (like tense or number), but they indicate respect and formality towards the listener.

The particle used depends entirely on the gender of the speaker. Men use one specific particle, while women use a set of particles depending on the sentence type.

For Male Speakers: ครับ (kráp)

Male speakers use the particle (krápkhrápkhráp) at the end of statements, questions, and answers. It is pronounced with a high tone. While the standard pronunciation includes the "r" sound, it is very common in casual, daily speech to hear it pronounced as "káp" (without the r).

สวัสดี ครับ
sà·wàt·dii krápsà·wàt·di khrápsà·wàt·di khráp
Hello.
ขอบคุณ ครับ
kɔ̀ɔp kun krápkhòp khun khrápkhò̦p khun khráp
Thank you.
ผม เข้าใจ ครับ
pǒm kâo·jai krápphǒm khâo·chai khrápphǒm khâo·čai khráp
I understand.

For Female Speakers: ค่ะ (kâ) and คะ (ká)

Female speakers must choose between two variations based on the intonation of the sentence. This distinction is indicated by the tone mark above the letter.

1. The Falling Tone: ค่ะ (kâ)

This version is pronounced with a falling tone. It is used for:

Statements and declarative sentences.
Answering questions.
Greetings and apologies.

สวัสดี ค่ะ
sà·wàt·dii kâsà·wàt·di khâsà·wàt·di khâ
Hello.
ขอบคุณ ค่ะ
kɔ̀ɔp kun kâkhòp khun khâkhò̦p khun khâ
Thank you.
ฉัน ชื่อ มานี ค่ะ
chǎn chʉ̂ʉ maa·nii kâchǎn chûe ma·ni khâčǎn čư̂ ma·ni khâ
My name is Manee.

2. The High Tone: คะ (ká)

This version is pronounced with a high tone. It is written without a tone mark, but the short vowel makes it high. It is used for:

Asking questions.
Polite requests.
Calling someone's attention.

สบาย ดี ไหม คะ
sa·baai dii mǎi kása·bai di mǎi khása·bai di mǎi khá
How are you?
ไป ไหน คะ
bpai nǎi kápai nǎi khápai nǎi khá
Where are you going?
ขอโทษ นะ คะ
kɔ̌ɔ·tôot ná kákhǒ·thôt ná khákhǒ̦·thôt ná khá
Excuse me.

Using Particles as "Yes"

Thai does not have a single direct translation for the English word "yes." Instead, these politeness particles function as a polite affirmation, acknowledgement, or "yes" when spoken alone.

If someone calls your name or asks if you are listening, you respond simply with the particle corresponding to your gender.

คุณ หิว ไหม ครับ
kun hǐu mǎi krápkhun hǐu mǎi khrápkhun hǐu mǎi khráp
Are you hungry? (Male speaker asking)
ค่ะ
kâkhâkhâ
Yes. (Female speaker answering)
ครับ
krápkhrápkhráp
Yes. (Male speaker answering)

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Thai course

80 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 1. A few of them, with the words “Polite Personal Markers” is about in bold:

สวัสดีครับคุณหมอ ผมมีปัญหาครับ
sà·wàt·dii kráp kun·mɔ̌ɔ · pǒm mii bpan·hǎa krápsà·wàt·di khráp khun·mǒ · phǒm mi pan·hǎ khrápsà·wàt·di khráp khun·mǒ̦ · phǒm mi pan·hǎ khráp
Hello, Doctor. I have a problem.
Lesson 91
ดิฉันไม่ได้มาสาย ดิฉันมาก่อนเวลา การจราจรเป็นปกติค่ะ
dì·chǎn mâi·dâi maa sǎai · dì·chǎn maa gɔ̀ɔn wee·laa · gaan·jà·raa·jɔɔn bpen bpà·gà·dtì kâdì·chǎn mâi·dâi ma sǎi · dì·chǎn ma kòn we·la · kan·chà·ra·chon pen pà·kà·tì khâdì·čǎn mâi·dâi ma sǎi · dì·čǎn ma kò̦n we·la · kan·čà·ra·čo̦n pen pà·kà·tì khâ
I am not late. I am early. Traffic was normal.
Lesson 279
คุณเป็นคนแรกที่สังเกตเห็นค่ะ!
kun bpen kon rɛ̂ɛk tîi sǎng·gèet·hěn kâ!khun pen khon râek thî sǎng·kèt·hěn khâ!khun pen khon rê̩k thî sǎng·kèt·hěn khâ!
You are the first person to notice!
Lesson 337

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