How to say “happy new year” in Thai

Sawasdee pee mai

ปีbpii means year and ใหม่mài means new, so สวัสดีปีใหม่sà-wàt-dii bpii mài is "hello, new year". It's what everyone says, in person and in messages, from the last days of December until well into January: the first time you meet a colleague or neighbour after the holiday, you greet them with it. Say bpii with a level tone and mài low; ใหม่mài (new) is easy to confuse with ไม่mâi (not) and ไหมmǎi (the question word), so listen to the audio a few times.

Wishes with ขอให้kǎw-hâi

New Year is a season of blessings. After the greeting, Thais add wishes that start with ขอให้kǎw-hâi, "may you…": ขอให้มีความสุขตลอดปีkǎw-hâi mii kwaam-sùk dtà-làwt bpii (happiness all year), ขอให้สุขภาพแข็งแรงkǎw-hâi sùk-kà-pâap kǎeng-raeng (good health) and, half joking, ขอให้รวยๆkǎw-hâi ruay-ruay (get rich!). Younger people visit or call older relatives and bosses to wish them well, and companies give gift baskets to staff and clients.

Thailand's three new years

• 1 January is the official New Year and a public holiday, with countdowns and fireworks in Bangkok and the big cities. It's also when the Thai calendar ticks over: Thailand counts years in the Buddhist Era, 543 years ahead, so 2026 is 2569 and 1 January 2027 begins 2570.
• Chinese New Year (ตรุษจีนdtrùt-jiin), in January or February, is huge in Bangkok's Yaowarat and among Thai-Chinese families. You'll hear the Teochew greeting ซินเจียยู่อี่ซินนี้ฮวดไช้sin-jia-yûu-ìi sin-níi-hûat-chái, wishing happiness and prosperity.
• Songkran, 13-15 April, is the traditional Thai New Year: the famous water festival, merit-making and pouring scented water over elders' hands. Say สุขสันต์วันสงกรานต์sùk-sǎn wan sǒng-graan or สวัสดีปีใหม่ไทยsà-wàt-dii bpii mài tai. Our Songkran culture page covers it in full.

Going home for New Year

For many Thais, New Year means travelling home to their family in the provinces, so ปีใหม่กลับบ้านไหมbpii mài glàp bâan mǎi ("going home for New Year?") is the small-talk question of December. Bangkok gets noticeably quieter, and buses and trains out of the city fill up fast.