Culture and festivalsBun khun: the Thai debt of gratitude
Bun khun, บุญคุณbun-kun, is a debt of gratitude: a kindness you've received and should repay.
a debt of gratitude, a kindness owed noun
- bun mid
- kun mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
How to use it
บุญคุณbun-kun is the kindness someone has done you, together with the duty to repay it. Parents, teachers and anyone who helped you when you needed it have บุญคุณbun-kun, and repaying it is a lifelong obligation: it's one reason many Thais send money home and look after their parents in old age. Someone who honours their debts of gratitude is กตัญญูgà-dtan-yuu, one of the highest compliments in Thai.
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:
- bun khun
- boon khun
- bunkhun
- boon kun
More culture and festivals in Thai
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones