Culture and festivalsPray in Thai
“Pray” in Thai is สวดมนต์sùat-mon; you'll also hear ไหว้พระwâai prá (at a temple).
to pray, to chant (Buddhist prayers) verb
- sùat low
- mon mid
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
to pay respect to the Buddha (at a temple) verb
- wâai falling
- prá 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.
How to use it
สวดมนต์sùat-mon is to chant or recite prayers, the sound you hear from temples at dawn and dusk and in many homes before bed. Going to a temple to pay respect to the Buddha, with candles, incense and flowers, is ไหว้พระwâai prá. A silent wish, at Loy Krathong for example, is อธิษฐานà-tít-tǎan.
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:
- suad mon
- sood mon
- wai phra
- wai pra
Read more
More culture and festivals in Thai
All culture and festivals- เพลงชาติ pleeng-châat National anthem
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones