Describing thingsBad in Thai
“Bad” in Thai is ไม่ดีmâi dii; you'll also hear แย่yâe (terrible) and ร้ายráai (wicked, nasty).
bad, not good adjective everyday
- mâi falling
- dii mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
bad, terrible, awful adjective
- yâe falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
bad, wicked, nasty; dangerous adjective
- ráai high
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
You'll hear ร้ายráai in Thararat (ธารารัตน์).
How to use it
For everyday "bad", Thais say ไม่ดีmâi dii, "not good": bad weather, a bad idea, a bad habit. When something is really bad, it's แย่yâe: แย่มากyâe mâak, terrible. ร้ายráai is stronger still, wicked or nasty, the word for villains, storms and bad omens. Food that has gone bad is เสียsǐa, "broken".
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- mai dee
- mai di
- rai
More describing things in Thai
All describing things
Learn Thai with the free course
A complete course from your first phrase to real conversations, with audio for every word and AI speaking practice. Free, no sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones