The Thai National Anthem (เพลงชาติไทย): meaning and key lines
Phra Chenduriyang and Luang Saranupraphanพระเจนดุริยางค์ / หลวงสารานุประพันธ์
What the song is about
เพลงชาติไทยpleeng châat tai is Thailand's national anthem by Phra Chenduriyang and Luang Saranupraphan (1939). Twice a day, at 08:00 and 18:00, the anthem plays on TV, radio and loudspeakers in parks, stations and schools, and people all over the country stop and stand still. Knowing what it says, and what to do when you hear it, is basic cultural literacy for anyone living in Thailand.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Phra Chenduriyang (music, 1932) and Luang Saranupraphan (lyrics, 1939)
- Released
- 1939
- Style
- Anthem
- Level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Mood
- solemn, proud, stirring
- Views
- about 25M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- Thai PBS
- Lyrics
- Public domain
Key lines, explained
Tap a line to hear it. Once the video is playing, lines jump to their moment in the song.
- ประเทศไทย bprà-têet-taiรวม ruamเลือดเนื้อ lûeat-núeaชาติเชื้อ châat-chúeaไทย tai
Thailand unites the flesh and blood of the Thai people.
ประเทศbprà-têet = country, ประเทศไทยbprà-têet-tai = Thailand. รวมruam = to unite, put together (รวมกันruam gan = altogether). เลือดเนื้อlûeat-núea = flesh and blood; ชาติเชื้อchâat-chúea = race, lineage. - เป็น bpenประชารัฐ bprà-chaa-rátไผท pà-taiของ kǎwngไทย taiทุก túkส่วน sùan
It is a nation of the people, and every part of the land belongs to the Thai.
ประชาbprà-chaa = people, รัฐrát = state, so ประชารัฐbprà-chaa-rát = a people's state. ไผทpà-tai = homeland (poetic). ทุกtúk + noun = every: ทุกส่วนtúk sùan = every part, ทุกวันtúk wan = every day. - อยู่ yùuดำรง dam-rongคง kongไว้ wáiได้ dâiทั้งมวล táng-muan
It has lasted and been kept whole,
ดำรงdam-rong = to maintain, endure (formal). Verb + ไว้wái = keep something in that state: คงไว้kong wái = keep, preserve; เก็บไว้gèp wái = put aside for later. ทั้งมวลtáng-muan = all of it (formal; everyday ทั้งหมดtáng-mòt). - ด้วย dûayไทย taiล้วน lúanหมาย mǎaiรัก rákสามัคคี sǎa-mák-kii
because all Thais cherish unity.
ด้วยdûay here = because of (formal); in everyday speech it usually means 'too, also'. ล้วนlúan = all, entirely. หมายmǎai = to aim at, intend. สามัคคีsǎa-mák-kii = unity, solidarity, a word you'll hear in every school and speech. - ไทย taiนี้ níiรัก rákสงบ sà-ngòpแต่ dtàeถึง tǔengรบ rópไม่ mâiขลาด klàat
Thais love peace, but when it comes to war, they are no cowards.
รักrák + noun = to love (peace, unity…). สงบsà-ngòp = calm, peaceful. ถึงtǔeng here = when it comes to, even if. รบróp = to fight a war. ขลาดklàat = cowardly (everyday ขี้ขลาดkîi-klàat). - เอกราช èek-gà-râatจะ jàไม่ mâiให้ hâiใคร kraiข่มขี่ kòm-kìi
We will never let anyone trample on our independence.
จะไม่ให้ใครjà mâi hâi krai + verb = will not let anyone (do something); ให้hâi = to let, allow. เอกราชèek-gà-râat = independence: Thailand is proud of never having been colonised. ข่มขี่kòm-kìi = to oppress, ride roughshod over. - สละ sà-làเลือด lûeatทุก túkหยาด yàatเป็น bpenชาติ châatพลี pá-lii
We will give every drop of our blood as an offering to the nation,
สละsà-là = to sacrifice, give up (สละที่นั่งsà-là tîi nâng = give up your seat). ทุกหยาดtúk yàat = every drop. ชาติchâat = nation; พลีpá-lii = an offering (formal). - เถลิง tà-lǒengประเทศชาติ bprà-têet-châatไทย taiทวี tá-wiiมีชัย mii chaiชโย chá-yoo
to raise the Thai nation ever higher in victory. Hooray!
เถลิงtà-lǒeng = to raise up, exalt (very formal). ทวีtá-wii = to increase. มีชัยmii chai = to be victorious (everyday ชนะchá-ná). ชโยchá-yoo = 'hooray!', the cheer that ends the anthem (also written ไชโยchai-yoo).
Words you'll learn
- ประเทศ bprà-têet
country
- ประเทศไทย bprà-têet-tai
Thailand
In everyday speech Thais often say เมืองไทยmueang-tai.
- ชาติ châat
lifetime; nation
ชาติหน้าchâat-nâa = next life.
- รวม ruam
to include; in total
Ask what the price covers with รวมruam + bill + ไหมmǎi: รวมค่าน้ำไหมruam kâa náam mǎi.
- เลือด lûeat
blood
- ของ kǎwng
of, belonging to; things, stuff
Thing + ของkǎwng + owner, and the thing is often left out: ของคุณkǎwng kun (yours). On its own ของkǎwng means things, stuff.
- ทุก túk
every
It goes before the noun: ทุกวันtúk wan every day, ทุกเช้าtúk cháao every morning, ทุกคนtúk kon everyone.
- สามัคคี sǎa-mák-kii
unity, solidarity
- สงบ sà-ngòp
calm, peaceful
- รบ róp
to fight (a war)
- เอกราช èek-gà-râat
independence
- สละ sà-là
to sacrifice, give up
- มีชัย mii chai
to be victorious
- ไชโย chai-yoo
hooray! cheers!
Shouted at celebrations and toasts; the anthem spells it ชโยchá-yoo.
Grammar in this song
The anthem is written in formal, poetic Thai: words like ดำรงdam-rong (to endure), ทั้งมวลtáng-muan (all), ไผทpà-tai (homeland) and เถลิงtà-lǒeng (to exalt) belong to speeches and ceremonies, not to daily conversation. Useful patterns still hide inside it: ทุกtúk + noun = every (ทุกส่วนtúk sùan, ทุกหยาดtúk yàat, and in daily life ทุกวันtúk wan, ทุกคนtúk kon); verb + ไว้wái = keep in that state (คงไว้kong wái); จะไม่ให้ใครjà mâi hâi krai + verb = won't let anyone do something.
รักrák + noun works for ideas as well as people: รักสงบrák sà-ngòp (to love peace), รักสามัคคีrák sǎa-mák-kii (to love unity), รักชาติrák châat (to love one's country).
The culture behind it
Every day at 08:00 and 18:00 the national anthem is broadcast on radio and TV and played over loudspeakers in public places: parks, train and BTS stations, markets, government offices. People stop whatever they are doing and stand still until it ends, about a minute later. In Bangkok's Lumphini Park joggers freeze mid-stride. Visitors are expected to do the same. At school the day starts with the anthem as students line up and the flag is raised (เคารพธงชาติkao-róp tong-châat).
The anthem is different from the royal anthem (เพลงสรรเสริญพระบารมีpleeng sǎn-sǒen prá-baa-rá-mii), which plays before every film in cinemas and at royal events; stand for that one too.
The melody was composed in 1932, after the revolution that ended absolute monarchy, by Phra Chenduriyang (born Peter Feit, to a German father and a Thai-Mon mother), who said the idea came to him on a tram ride. The words won a government contest in 1939, when the country's name changed from Siam to Thailand; Luang Saranupraphan's entry was chosen from 614.
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones