Dear (starting a letter or email) in Thai

“Dear …” at the top of a formal Thai letter or email is เรียนrian, followed by the person's title or name.

เรียน rian

Dear … (at the top of a letter); to inform (formal) verb

rian mid

Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.

How to use it

เรียนrian is the same word as "to study", but in letters it means "to inform respectfully", and it opens every formal letter and email: เรียนคุณrian kun + a name is "Dear …". Official letters close with จึงเรียนมาเพื่อโปรดทราบjueng rian maa pûea bpròot sâap, "I write to inform you", and sign off with ขอแสดงความนับถือkǎw sà-daeng kwaam náp-tǔue, yours sincerely.

Friendly emails and LINE messages just start with สวัสดีsà-wàt-dii, hello.

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:

rien
rean

More formal words in Thai

All formal words

การ gaan Kaan (prefix)
-ing, -tion: turns a verb into a noun (the act of …)
ความ kwaam Kwaam (prefix)
-ness (turns a verb or adjective into a noun)
ผู้ pûu Phu (prefix)
person (who …): makes words for people, like -er
นัก nák Nak (prefix)
-er, -ist: someone who does it (as a job or a passion)
ซึ่ง sûeng Who, which (formal)
which, who (adds information; formal, written)
เมื่อ mûea When (formal)
when, once (formal)

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones