Thai family words

8 phrases with audio · male and female forms

Thai family words carry information English leaves out. Siblings are named by age, not gender: พี่pîi is an older brother or sister and น้องnáwng a younger one; add ชายchaai (male) or สาวsǎao (female) only when it matters. Grandparents are named by side: your mother's parents are ยายyaai and ตาdtaa, your father's are ย่าyâa and ปู่bpùu.

Aunts and uncles follow age too. ป้าbpâa and ลุงlung are your parents' older sisters and brothers; น้าnáa (mother's side) and อาaa (father's side) are the younger ones. The same words reach far beyond the family: Thais call a market vendor ป้าbpâa, a security guard ลุงlung, a waiter น้องnáwng and a slightly older colleague พี่pîi. Using them well makes you sound warm and Thai.

พ่อpâw (dad) and แม่mâe (mom) are simple, but listen for the respectful คุณพ่อkun pâw and คุณแม่kun mâe, which you'd also use for your partner's parents. Every word here comes with audio and a real example sentence.

Grandma

How to say “grandma”

ยาย yaai

grandma (mother's mother)
ย่า yâa

grandma (father's mother)

Falling tone. Don't confuse it with ยาyaa (level tone): medicine.
คุณ kunยาย yaai

Grandma (respectful, warm)

Very common; คุณย่าkun yâa works the same way.
ตา dtaa

grandpa (mother's father)

The same word as 'eye'.
ปู่ bpùu

grandpa (father's father)
ปู่ bpùuย่า yâaตา dtaaยาย yaai

grandparents; ancestors

All four together, in this order; it also means 'our ancestors'.
ทวด tûat

great-grandparent

One word for great-grandma and great-grandpa.
หลาน lǎan

grandchild (also niece, nephew)

What Grandma calls you.