Small wordsYou in Thai
“You” in Thai is คุณkun; you'll also hear เธอtoe (close, affectionate), แกgae (very casual) and พวกคุณpûak-kun (plural).
you pronoun polite, everyday
- kun mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
The polite 'you' for adults, and a polite title before a name: คุณน้ำkun náam.
you (to a partner or a close friend); she pronoun close, affectionate
- toe mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
In songs it is almost always the 'you' the singer is in love with; in everyday speech it also means 'she'. With strangers use คุณkun.
you (between close friends; rude to anyone else) pronoun very casual
- gae mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
you (plural), you all pronoun
- pûak falling
- kun mid
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
Taught in Unit 2 · Lesson 1: What's your name? of the free course.
Practise it freeHow to use it
Thais avoid "you" more than English speakers do. With people you know, use their name or a family word instead: พี่pîi for someone a bit older, น้องnáwng for someone younger, ป้าbpâa or ลุงlung for an older woman or man. Often there's no word at all: ไปไหนbpai nǎi is "where are you going?".
คุณkun is the safe, polite "you" for adults you don't know well, and also a polite title before a name, as in คุณน้ำkun náam. เธอtoe is soft and intimate: partners, close friends and pop songs. แกgae is for old friends only; said to a stranger it sounds rude. For a group, พวกคุณpûak-kun works, but ทุกคนtúk kon, everyone, sounds warmer.
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:
- khun
- ter
- thoe
- kae
More small words in Thai
All small words
Learn this word in Unit 2, free
Unit 2 · Nice to meet you · What's your name? Short lessons with audio for every word, speaking practice and spaced review. No sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones