Time มาสาย maa-sǎai
to be late, to arrive late verb
- maa mid
- sǎai rising
- Rising: start low, dip, then rise to the top, like a doubtful “Really?”
Parts: มาmaa to come สายsǎai late (in the morning)
How to use it
มาสายmaa-sǎai, "to come late", is being late for school, work or a meeting, and the classic apology is ขอโทษที่มาสายkǎw-tôot tîi maa-sǎai, sorry I'm late. The same สายแล้วsǎai láew, "it's late already", is said about a morning slipping away, and ตื่นสายdtùuen sǎai is to sleep in. A late bus or flight is ดีเลย์dii-lee, and late at night is ดึกdùek.
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:
- ma sai
- mah sai
More time in Thai
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones