Unlucky in Thai

“Unlucky” in Thai is โชคร้ายchôok-ráai; you'll also hear ซวยsuay (casual).

โชคร้าย chôok-ráai

unlucky; bad luck adjective

chôok falling
ráai 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.

Parts: โชคchôok luck ร้ายráai bad, wicked

ซวย suay

unlucky; damn, what bad luck (casual) adjective

suay mid

Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.

How to use it

โชคร้ายchôok-ráai, "bad luck", is the neutral word, the opposite of โชคดีchôok-dii. Among friends you'll hear ซวยsuay all the time: a missed train, a parking ticket, rain on your day off, and ซวยแล้วsuay láew, "now I'm in trouble". It's casual and a little rude, so not for your boss. Mind the tone: rising สวยsǔay means beautiful.

Don't mix it up

สวยsǔay

beautiful, pretty

Rising tone: beautiful. ซวยsuay stays flat.

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:

chok rai
chokrai
chock rai
suai
zuay

Culture Thai Swear Words: What You'll Hear (and Shouldn't Say) The Thai swear words you'll hear in songs, dramas and on the street: what they mean, how strong they are, and what to say instead. For learners 16+.

More describing things in Thai

All describing things

ดี dii Good
ไม่ดี mâi dii Bad
bad, not good
ดีกว่า dii gwàa Better
ดีที่สุด dii tîi-sùt Best
the best
ชอบที่สุด châwp tîi-sùt Favourite
favourite (literally 'like the most')
สุดยอด sùt-yâwt Awesome
awesome, amazing, the best

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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones