Polite phrases How to say “please” in Thai
The short answer
Everyday Thai has no single word for "please". To ask for something, say ขอkǎw + thing: ขอน้ำหน่อยkǎw náam nàwy, "water, please". To ask someone to do something, use ช่วยchûay + verb + หน่อยnàwy: ช่วยพูดช้าๆหน่อยchûay pûut cháa-cháa nàwy, "please speak slowly". End with ครับkráp or ค่ะkâ. The formal กรุณาgà-rú-naa is mostly for signs.
“Please” in Thai
Tap a Thai word for its meaning
Men say
Women say
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Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters, so you'll see ขอkǎw spelled many ways. We write it with the tone of every syllable marked; online you'll also find:
- kho
- khor
- kor
- chuay
- chuai
- noi
- nhoi
- karuna
- garuna
- proht
Other ways to say “please”
- ขอ kǎwน้ำ náamหน่อย nàwyครับ kráp Menขอ kǎwน้ำ náamหน่อย nàwyค่ะ kâ Women
water, please
ขอkǎw + thing + หน่อยnàwy: the everyday way to ask for something.
- ช่วย chûayพูด pûutช้าๆ cháa-cháaหน่อย nàwyครับ kráp Menช่วย chûayพูด pûutช้าๆ cháa-cháaหน่อย nàwyค่ะ kâ Women
please speak slowly
ช่วยchûay + verb + หน่อยnàwy: asking someone to do something.
- ช่วย chûayถ่าย tàaiรูป rûupให้ hâiหน่อย nàwyได้ dâiไหม mǎiครับ kráp Menช่วย chûayถ่าย tàaiรูป rûupให้ hâiหน่อย nàwyได้ dâiไหม mǎiคะ ká Women
could you take a photo for me, please?
Adding ได้ไหมdâi mǎi ('can you?') makes a request extra polite.
- เก็บ gèpเงิน ngoenด้วย dûayครับ kráp Menเก็บ gèpเงิน ngoenด้วย dûayค่ะ kâ Women
the bill, please
ด้วยdûay at the end of a request works like 'please' too.
- เชิญ choenครับ kráp Menเชิญ choenค่ะ kâ Women
please, go ahead (inviting)
Inviting someone to come in, sit, eat or go first.
- กรุณา gà-rú-naa
please (formal, written)
On signs and in announcements: กรุณาถอดรองเท้าgà-rú-naa tàwt rawng-táao, 'please remove your shoes'.
- ได้ dâiโปรด bpròot
please, I beg you
Pleading and dramatic: song lyrics and movie scenes.
How to reply
- ได้ dâiครับ kráp Menได้ dâiค่ะ kâ Women
sure, okay
- ได้ dâiเลย loei
of course, right away
- เชิญ choenเลย loei
go ahead!
- แป๊บ bpáepนึง nuengนะ ná
just a moment
Anything from ten seconds to ten minutes.
Example sentences
- ขอ kǎwเมนู mee-nuuหน่อย nàwyครับ kráp Menขอ kǎwเมนู mee-nuuหน่อย nàwyค่ะ kâ Women
Could I have the menu, please?
- ขอ kǎwข้าวผัด kâao-pàtหนึ่ง nùengจาน jaanครับ kráp Menขอ kǎwข้าวผัด kâao-pàtหนึ่ง nùengจาน jaanค่ะ kâ Women
One plate of fried rice, please.
- ช่วย chûayเขียน kǐanให้ hâiหน่อย nàwyครับ kráp Menช่วย chûayเขียน kǐanให้ hâiหน่อย nàwyค่ะ kâ Women
Could you write it down for me, please?
- เปิด bpòetแอร์ aeหน่อย nàwyได้ dâiไหม mǎiครับ kráp Menเปิด bpòetแอร์ aeหน่อย nàwyได้ dâiไหม mǎiคะ ká Women
Could you turn on the air-con, please?
Why there's no one word for please
English sticks "please" onto any request. Thai builds politeness from small parts instead: a word that frames the request (ขอkǎw or ช่วยchûay), a softener (หน่อยnàwy, นะná or ด้วยdûay) and the particle (ครับkráp for men, ค่ะkâ for women). Put together, they do the job "please" does. Leave them all out and เปิดแอร์bpòet ae ("open the air-con") sounds like an order.
Kho: may I have
ขอkǎw + thing asks for something: ขอน้ำแข็งหน่อยkǎw nám-kǎeng nàwy (some ice, please), ขอบิลหน่อยkǎw bin nàwy (the bill, please). It also asks permission before a verb: ขอดูหน่อยkǎw duu nàwy, "may I have a look?". On its own, ขอครับkǎw kráp or ขอค่ะkǎw kâ means "yes, please" when someone offers you something. Careful: it's a different word from the first half of ขอบคุณkàwp-kun (thank you), which has a low tone and a final p.
Chuay: please do
ช่วยchûay literally means "help". Before a verb it asks someone to do something for you: ช่วยพูดช้าๆหน่อยchûay pûut cháa-cháa nàwy (please speak slowly), ช่วยจอดตรงนี้หน่อยchûay jàwt dtrong-níi nàwy (please stop here). With drivers and friends Thais often drop ช่วยchûay and keep หน่อยnàwy: จอดตรงนี้หน่อยjàwt dtrong-níi nàwy is still polite.
The softeners
หน่อยnàwy means "a little" and makes your request sound small and easy to grant. นะná adds a friendly "okay?". ด้วยdûay at the end adds "please" or "as well": เก็บเงินด้วยgèp ngoen dûay is how many Thais ask for the bill.
Karuna and choen
กรุณาgà-rú-naa is "please" in its formal, written form: on temple signs, in airport announcements and in the call-centre classic กรุณารอสักครู่gà-rú-naa raw sàk-krûu, "please wait a moment". In conversation it sounds stiff. เชิญchoen is the "please" of invitation: a host waving you in, a shopkeeper saying "go ahead", someone letting you go first.
Pronunciation
ขอkǎw rises (start low, end high), ช่วยchûay falls, and หน่อยnàwy is low, with the "aw" of "law" gliding into a y. Get หน่อยnàwy right and your requests will sound friendly even when the rest is shaky.
Please in Thai: questions people ask
How do you say please in Thai?
There's no single everyday word. Use ขอkǎw + thing to ask for something and ช่วยchûay + verb + หน่อยnàwy to ask someone to do something, and end with ครับkráp or ค่ะkâ.
What does kho mean in Thai?
ขอkǎw means 'to ask for' or 'may I have'. ขอน้ำหน่อยkǎw náam nàwy is 'may I have some water, please'.
What does noi mean at the end of a Thai sentence?
หน่อยnàwy means 'a little'. At the end of a request it softens it, like 'please' or 'could you just…'.
How do you say please help me in Thai?
For a favour, ช่วยหน่อยchûay nàwy ('give me a hand, please'). In an emergency, shout ช่วยด้วยchûay dûay, 'help!'
Is karuna a polite word for please?
Yes, กรุณาgà-rú-naa is formal 'please', used on signs, in announcements and by service staff. In everyday speech, Thais use ขอkǎw, ช่วยchûay and หน่อยnàwy instead.
Related phrases
- Phrase How to say “thank you” in Thai How to say thank you in Thai: ขอบคุณครับ for men, ขอบคุณค่ะ for women, thank you very much, casual thanks and how to reply. Hear it and practise free.
- Phrase How to say “sorry” in Thai How to say sorry and excuse me in Thai: ขอโทษครับ/ค่ะ, I'm so sorry, never mind (ไม่เป็นไร) and how Thais apologise. Hear it and practise free.
- Phrase How to say “you're welcome” in Thai How to say you're welcome in Thai: ไม่เป็นไร (mai pen rai), ยินดี (my pleasure) and the casual replies Thais use, for men and women. With audio.
- Phrase How to say “help” in Thai How to shout help in Thai (ช่วยด้วย, chuay duay), ask for help politely, call the police or an ambulance, and the emergency numbers to save. With audio.
- Phrase How to say “check, please” in Thai How to ask for the bill in Thai: เช็คบิล (check bin), เก็บเงินด้วย, can we split the bill, and how paying works at Thai restaurants and stalls. With audio.
Hear it in songs and culture
- Song Tao Ngoi (เต่างอย) A mor lam party hit with an irresistible 'tao tao tao' hook, sung by one of the genre's biggest stars. It takes you to a real place in Isan, a sacred turtle shrine in Sakon Nakhon, and is full of Isan words and Thai temple manners (palms together, bowing, asking for luck).
- Song Khu Khong (คู่คอง) With more than half a billion views, this Isan-language love song is one of the most-watched Thai music videos ever, and you will hear it in taxis, markets and karaoke rooms all over the country. It is the perfect first taste of Isan, the language of Thailand's northeast, which many Thai partners and friends speak at home: each line maps neatly onto Central Thai.
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones