Travel and transporttraffic light(s); red light noun
- fai mid
- daeng mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
How to use it
Thais call a traffic light ไฟแดงfai-daeng, "red light", whatever colour it shows, so directions sound like "turn left at the red light". The formal word is สัญญาณไฟจราจรsǎn-yaan-fai-jà-raa-jawn, and Bangkok's big junctions have countdown timers that can run for minutes.
Where a sign says ซ้ายผ่านตลอดsáai pàan dtà-làwt, "left, go through any time", you may turn left on red, after giving way to traffic and people crossing; without the sign, wait for green.
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:
- fai dang
- fy daeng
More travel and transport in Thai
All travel and transport- รถ rót Car
- แท็กซี่ táek-sîi Taxi
- รถติด rót dtìt Traffic jam
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones