Small wordsOtherwise in Thai
“Otherwise” in Thai is ไม่งั้นmâi ngán; you'll also hear ไม่อย่างนั้นmâi yàang-nán (formal).
ไม่งั้น mâi ngán
otherwise, or else conjunction
- mâi falling
- ngán high
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
ไม่อย่างนั้น mâi yàang-nán
otherwise (careful, written) conjunction formal
- mâi falling
- yàang low
- nán high
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
ไม่งั้นmâi ngán is the spoken form of ไม่อย่างนั้นmâi yàang-nán, literally "not like that". งั้นngán on its own means "then, in that case": งั้นไปกันngán bpai gan, let's go, then.
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:
- mai ngun
- mai yang nan
More small words in Thai
All small words
Learn Thai with the free course
A complete course from your first phrase to real conversations, with audio for every word and AI speaking practice. Free, no sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones