Travel and transportReception in Thai
“Reception” in Thai is เคาน์เตอร์káo-dtôe; you'll also hear ฟร้อนท์fráwn (hotel front desk) and แผนกต้อนรับpà-nàek dtâwn-ráp (formal).
counter; reception desk noun everyday
- káo high
- dtôe falling
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
front desk (of a hotel) noun
- fráwn high
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
reception (formal: signs) noun
- pà low
- nàek low
- dtâwn falling
- ráp high
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
How to use it
Guests and staff mostly say เคาน์เตอร์káo-dtôe, from English counter, for a hotel's front desk, and the same word is the counter at a bank, a shop or an airline check-in. Hotel staff also say ฟร้อนท์fráwn, from front desk, and the receptionists are the พนักงานฟร้อนท์pá-nák-ngaan fráwn. Signs say แผนกต้อนรับpà-nàek dtâwn-ráp, the "welcoming department".
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:
- khao toe
- kao ter
- kaw toe
More travel and transport in Thai
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones