FamilyFather-in-law in Thai
Thai has two words for a father-in-law: พ่อตาpâw-dtaa is your wife's father and พ่อสามีpâw-sǎa-mii your husband's father.
father-in-law (your wife's father) noun
- pâw falling
- dtaa mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
father-in-law (your husband's father) noun
- pâw falling
- sǎa rising
- mii mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
How to use it
Your wife's father is พ่อตาpâw-dtaa and your husband's father พ่อสามีpâw-sǎa-mii, or casually พ่อผัวpâw-pǔa. Talking to him, call him คุณพ่อkun-pâw or พ่อpâw. Sharing a meal and a drink with your พ่อตาpâw-dtaa is part of being welcomed into a Thai family.
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:
- pho ta
- phor ta
- por taa
- pho sami
- por samee
More family in Thai
All family
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones