Useful Words For Travellers

[healthcaretaker]

:jap: I have learnt before but always forget after the trip. This coming trip, I am bringing some friends along so I wish to show off a little. I am going to copy them and keep them permanently in my travel bag after this.

May I know how to I pronounce the followings in Thai ? I think it will be useful for other travellers too. Those in brackets are for your knowledge and need not be translated.

I have refered to some guide books but they are not complete or I have doubts

eat

food

oil

sugar

sweet

saltiness

fish sauce

vegetables(in general)

basil leaves

kailan

roasted pork

pork

beef

prawn/shrimp

seafood

fish

steam fish

salted fish(dry type for flying with kailan)

clear type(to specify type of tom yam soup)

rice

fried rice

water

ice

milk

hot(for drinks)

cold(for iced drinks)

more please

less please

faster please(if I need to be in a hurry)

(The followings dishes name:)

Basil leaves fried with minced meat

Kailan fried with roasted pork

Thai Omelette

Mango salad with dried shrimps

Pineapple fried rice

Steam fish(usually sea-bass) in sour(lemon ?) sauce with some vegetables(usually white cabbage)

(For Transport)

Which direction is......(Siam Paragon)(I will add hand language, so the simplest words will do)

Bus Terminal

Bus Stop

Taxi Stand/Station

What time is the next....(bus or train)

How long is the journey ? (refer to the time required)

How much time will it take ?(refer to a sightseeing place)

What is the expected arrival time ?

Where

Buy

Ticket

When

Opening time(refering to ticket counters in bus station or any entrance tickets)

motorcycle

bicycle

(For massage)

Softer please

Harder please

Any private room ?

Toilet

Shower room/Bathroom

(Others:)

No, thank you(for rejecting an offer)

Sorry

Too expensive

Any discount(or reduction) ?

Next time

Later

I know a female speaker ends with a "ka", what about male ? "kap" or "krap" ?

Thank you in advance.

PS. Anymore useful words to add will be appreciated.

[JimsKnight]

That's a small list!

Why don't you buy a phrase book, it'll have those words plus many more

I'll tell you a word I learned today.

Everything - Tuk-yang.

[Deserted]

Healthcaretaker, I think your best plan is to buy a phrase book. You'll find all of those words and expressions in one. They are not expensive at all and will help you in other language areas also.

[bhoydy]

i would recommend one of the online sites like thai-language.com or thai2english.com you can type the words in that you want to learn and you get the word in thai and english, there is also audio so you can write the word down the way you hear it, happy travels.

[healthcaretaker]

Thank you all.

I have bought over 50 travel books and looking at them on the shelf now, quite useless is a pain.

I have bought a small phrase book before, but lost it.

Those provided in the guidebooks are not suitable or don't have most of those words.

All I need are those words and it's enough for me.,

Doesn't matter, I will try other means.

Edited December 17, 2010 by healthcaretaker

[kriswillems]

The chance that you'll pronounce phonetic language in such a way it can be understood by a Thai is pretty small (if you've no other sources for studying Thai).

So both our advice and phrase books are pretty useless for pronouncing Thai.

You could use a phrase book to let the Thai person "see" what you mean by just pointing to the word/sentence in the book.

[Tod Daniels]

I concur that list is way too long!!

Plus as theyre just stand alone words, youre not gonna know how to string words together into a coherent sentence structure. If you get the word order wrong, a lot of what you think youre saying will be just plain nonsensical gibberish to a thai. (That can give less than the desired bang-4-the-baht in terms of showing off )..

Those phrase books are cheap as chips, usually are written with the thai spelling, the engrish spelling and the thai words spelled in some form of karaoke too.

If a phrase book is something youre not wanting to do, you could just as easily type each word into thai language dot coms website on their dictionary page, here;

Thai Language Dot Com Dictionary

FWIW: I wholeheartedly agree with the poster known as kriswillems, and disagree with your assertion that all I need are those words and thats enough for me .

Be that as it may I still say; Good luck in your endeavor.

Edited December 19, 2010 by tod-daniels

[AussieKenny]

I used Linguaphone but it was expensive. Over $AUST100:00 back in 1986.

The most useful words are the ones you REALLY need to know...

MY PET (no chilli, MY is "not" and PET is "chilli hot") say it just like you were referencing your dog.

PET MAG (lots of chilli MAG is "much" pronounce long A like sArgent)

PET TAMADA (normal chilli, TAMADA is "normal" or "regular" pronounce like the hotel Ramada.

MY SY PONG SHU LOT (don't add MSG. pronounce MY and SY like "my dog" PONG as in "ping pong" SHU like "shoe" LOT like I like beer a "lot".

Another good one is "want" OW as in what you say when the hammer hits your finger.

And of course MY OW (not want)

And CAP and CRAP are the same word just pronounced differently.

Means sort of like the old English "if you please".

So you now have MY OW CRAP (sort of "no thanks, I don't want it)

That's it. That will start you off.

But you'll come unstuck anyway so just enjoy yourself.

Kenny

[Hardie]

You might want to wait a year or two before you start worrying about 'showing off'...

[meadish_sweetball]

Finding a site with a dictionary and Thai audio ( such as www.thai-language.com )and using the 'listen and repeat' method will probably yield best results for you. I would recommend you to NOT do any attempts to write down the Thai words in phonetics until you have listened to the words carefully many times over a period of time. The reason I say this is, that when you write something down, you invite yourself to memorize the visuals instead of what you actually want to memorize: the sound of the word. Once you write something down in letters, you will write down your own idea of how to say the word, and this idea will be coloured by how you think the letters should be pronounced, which takes your idea further away from the actual, original sound. If you insist on using phonetics as a training aid, you should do it at a stage where you have first carefully listened to and pronounced the words many times, over a period of time. That will reduce the risk of pronouncing things completely wrong.

[healthcaretaker]

Thanks Kenny,

You are right. Actually a few words is for travelling. You don't need the whole book unless you are living there.That is really interesting. I am sure it's useful. So what is MSG in Thai ? Quite a long word ? Wonder if the Thais can understand just MSD if they don't know English ?

Sweetball, I have no problem pronouncing it once I have the Thai words in phonetic. Even if the slang may not be accurate, the Thais can normally catch what I am am trying to say.

I always use :korb kun krap and tow rai. Normally buying things and bargaining is easy, all it needs is some finger works and pronouncing 1 to 10 in Thai.

It 's ordering food and buying bus tickets that give the problem. If I have all the above words written in a paper is easy to refer. Carrying the whole book and refering to them is difficult.

[joy16]

eat = กิน (kin)

food = อาหาร (aa harn)

oil = น้ำมัน (nam mun(as sun))

sugar= น้ำตาล (nam tan)

sweet หวาน (waan)

saltiness = เค็ม (kem)

fish sauce = น้ำปลา (nam pla)

vegetables(in general) = ผัก (phak)

basil leaves = ใบกะเพรา (bai ka prao)

kailan คะน้า (kha na)

roasted pork หมูย่าง/หมูอบ crispy pork = หมูกรอบ

pork หมู (moo)

beef เนื้อ (nue)

prawn/shrimp กุ้ง (kung)

seafood อาหารทะเล

fish ปลา

steam fish ปลานึ่ง

salted fish(dry type for flying with kailan)

clear type(to specify type of tom yam soup) น้ำใส

rice ข้าว

fried rice ข้าวผัด

water น้ำ

ice น้ำแข็ง

milk นม

hot(for drinks) ร้อน

cold(for iced drinks) เย็น

more please

less please

faster please(if I need to be in a hurry)

(The followings dishes name:)

Basil leaves fried with minced meat ผัดกะเพราหมู/เนื้อสับ

Kailan fried with roasted pork ผัดคะน้าหมูย่าง/อบ if you mean with crispy pork it is ผัดคะน้าหมูกรอบ

Thai Omelette ไข่เจียว

Mango salad with dried shrimps ยำมะม่วง

Pineapple fried rice ข้าวผัดสับปะรด

Steam fish(usually sea-bass) in sour(lemon ?) sauce with some vegetables(usually white cabbage) ปลานึ่งมะนาว

(For Transport)

Which direction is......(Siam Paragon)(I will add hand language, so the simplest words will do) ไปทางไหน

Bus Terminal สถานีขนส่ง

Bus Stop ป้ายหยุดรถ

Taxi Stand/Station

What time is the next....(bus or train)

How long is the journey ? (refer to the time required)

How much time will it take ?(refer to a sightseeing place)

What is the expected arrival time ?

Where ที่ไหน

Buy ซื้อ

Ticket ตั๋ว/บัตรโดยสาร

When เมื่อไหร่

Opening time(refering to ticket counters in bus station or any entrance tickets) เวลาเปิด

motorcycle รถจักรยานยนต์

bicycle รถจักรยาน

(For massage)

Softer please

Harder please

Any private room ?

Toilet

Shower room/Bathroom

(Others:)

No, thank you(for rejecting an offer)

Sorry

Too expensive

Any discount(or reduction) ?

Next time

Later

I will write in phonetic later.

[healthcaretaker]

:jap:joy16

Wonderful, thank you very much. Actually I just need the pronounciation.

[healthcaretaker]

eat = กิน (kin)

food = อาหาร (aa harn)

oil = น้ำมัน (nam mun(as sun))

sugar= น้ำตาล (nam tan)

sweet หวาน (waan)

saltiness = เค็ม (kem)

fish sauce = น้ำปลา (nam pla)

vegetables(in general) = ผัก (phak)

basil leaves = ใบกะเพรา (bai ka prao)

kailan คะน้า (kha na)

roasted pork หมูย่าง/หมูอบ crispy pork = หมูกรอบ

pork หมู (moo)

beef เนื้อ (nue)

prawn/shrimp กุ้ง (kung)

seafood อาหารทะเล

fish ปลา

steam fish ปลานึ่ง

salted fish(dry type for flying with kailan)

clear type(to specify type of tom yam soup) น้ำใส

rice ข้าว

fried rice ข้าวผัด

water น้ำ

ice น้ำแข็ง

milk นม

hot(for drinks) ร้อน

cold(for iced drinks) เย็น

more please

less please

faster please(if I need to be in a hurry)

(The followings dishes name:)

Basil leaves fried with minced meat ผัดกะเพราหมู/เนื้อสับ

Kailan fried with roasted pork ผัดคะน้าหมูย่าง/อบ if you mean with crispy pork it is ผัดคะน้าหมูกรอบ

Thai Omelette ไข่เจียว

Mango salad with dried shrimps ยำมะม่วง

Pineapple fried rice ข้าวผัดสับปะรด

Steam fish(usually sea-bass) in sour(lemon ?) sauce with some vegetables(usually white cabbage) ปลานึ่งมะนาว

(For Transport)

Which direction is......(Siam Paragon)(I will add hand language, so the simplest words will do) ไปทางไหน

Bus Terminal สถานีขนส่ง

Bus Stop ป้ายหยุดรถ

Taxi Stand/Station

What time is the next....(bus or train)

How long is the journey ? (refer to the time required)

How much time will it take ?(refer to a sightseeing place)

What is the expected arrival time ?

Where ที่ไหน

Buy ซื้อ

Ticket ตั๋ว/บัตรโดยสาร

When เมื่อไหร่

Opening time(refering to ticket counters in bus station or any entrance tickets) เวลาเปิด

motorcycle รถจักรยานยนต์

bicycle รถจักรยาน

(For massage)

Softer please

Harder please

Any private room ?

Toilet

Shower room/Bathroom

(Others:)

No, thank you(for rejecting an offer)

Sorry

Too expensive

Any discount(or reduction) ?

Next time

Later

I will write in phonetic later.

Hi joy16,

I thought there is more to come ? Especially on your second half which has no english pronounciations. Thank you.