Real world: LINE chats, social media and abbreviations

Thai messages are written the way people talk, so they're full of spellings you won't find in a textbook. Once you know the patterns, LINE chats become great reading practice.

Particles as they're spoken

• คับkáp for ครับkráp: the relaxed men's particle
• ค่าkâa for ค่ะkâ: drawn out, sweet and friendly
• จ้าjâa: a cheerful "okay!"
• มั้ยmái for ไหมmǎi: the question word, spelled the way it's said
• ป่ะbpà: "...or not?" at the end of a question
• เค้าkáo for เขาkǎo: he, she (and, in cute talk, I)

Laughing in numbers

Five is ห้าhâa, so 555 reads hâa-hâa-hâa: hahaha. The more fives, the harder the laugh.

Everyday lines

• ได้เลยdâi loei sure, go ahead
• ถึงแล้วtǔeng láew I'm here
• รอแป๊บraw bpáep wait a sec
• เดี๋ยวไปdǐaw bpai on my way soon
• ฝันดีfǎn dii sweet dreams
• กินข้าวยังgin kâao yang have you eaten yet? A friendly way to say hi

Repeated words

ๆmái-yá-mók doubles a word for emphasis or a softer feel: ดีๆdii-dii (nicely, properly), เร็วๆrew-rew (quick!).

Abbreviations

Abbreviations end in a dot. Read the full word, or the letter names when that's what people say:

• กทม.gaw-taw-maw Bangkok (the city administration)
• พ.ศ.paw-sǎw Buddhist Era year
• รพ.roong-pá-yaa-baan hospital
• ม.ค.mók-gà-raa-kom January
• 14.30 น.naa-lí-gaa means 14:30

Stickers and emoji do the work that tone of voice does in speech, so expect plenty of them.

Typical mistake: copying chat spellings into formal writing. คับkáp and ค่าkâa are perfect with friends, not in an email to your landlord.