News and societyDistance in Thai
“Distance” in Thai is ระยะทางrá-yá-taang; you'll also hear ระยะrá-yá (gap; term).
distance (of a trip) noun
- rá high
- yá high
- taang mid
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
distance, gap; period, term noun
- rá high
- yá high
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
How to use it
The distance of a trip is ระยะทางrá-yá-taang, "the length of the way": a driver may check it in kilometres before giving you a price. In everyday questions people simply ask ไกลไหมglai mǎi, is it far?
ระยะrá-yá on its own is a stretch of space or time. The gap between cars or people is ระยะห่างrá-yá hàang, and with time it means term: ระยะยาวrá-yá yaao is long-term, as in a long-term rental, and ระยะสั้นrá-yá sân short-term, as in a short course.
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:
- rayatang
- raya tang
- raya thang
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones