PeopleLady in Thai
“Lady” in Thai is คุณผู้หญิงkun pûu-yǐng; you'll also hear สุภาพสตรีsù-pâap-sàt-dtrii (formal, signs) and ป้าbpâa (older lady).
madam, the lady (polite: how staff address a woman) noun
- kun mid
- pûu falling
- yǐng rising
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
lady, ladies (formal; on signs) noun
- sù low
- pâap falling
- sàt low
- dtrii mid
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
auntie: an older lady (also 'you') noun
- bpâa falling
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Call a woman about your parents' age ป้าbpâa instead of 'you'; she'll call herself ป้าbpâa too.
ป้าbpâa is taught in Unit 5 · Lesson 1: At the food stall of the free course.
Practise it freeHow to use it
Thai has no single word for "lady". Staff in shops and restaurants call a woman คุณผู้หญิงkun pûu-yǐng ("madam"), and the men คุณผู้ชายkun pûu-chaai. On toilet doors and in announcements you'll see the formal สุภาพสตรีsù-pâap-sàt-dtrii, literally "polite woman", next to สุภาพบุรุษsù-pâap-bù-rùt for gentlemen.
In everyday talk a lady is simply ผู้หญิงpûu-yǐng, a woman, and an older lady is ป้าbpâa, auntie, which is also how you'd address her.
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:
- khun phu ying
- kun pu ying
- khun pooying
- suphap satri
- supap satree
- suparp sattree
More people in Thai
All people
Learn this word in Unit 5, free
Unit 5 · Street food · At the food stall. Short lessons with audio for every word, speaking practice and spaced review. No sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones