Thai Question Words
Asking questions is one of the first skills you need when learning any language. In Thai, question words work differently from English in one crucial way: they generally stay in the position of the answer rather than moving to the front of the sentence. This guide covers every essential Thai question word, shows you exactly where to place them, and gives you dozens of ready-to-use example sentences.
The Golden Rule: Question Word Placement
In English, question words move to the beginning of the sentence. "You eat what?" becomes "What do you eat?" Thai does not do this. The question word stays right where the answer would go.
English: Where do you live? Thai: คุณอยู่ที่ไหน (khun yùu thîi nǎi) — literally "You live where?"
This means that to form a question, you take a statement and replace the unknown piece with the appropriate question word. The rest of the sentence stays the same.
Statement: เขาไปเชียงใหม่ (khǎo bpai chiang mài) – He goes to Chiang Mai. Question: เขาไปที่ไหน (khǎo bpai thîi nǎi) – He goes where?
Once you internalize this pattern, Thai questions become remarkably easy.
ใคร (khrai) – Who
ใคร asks about a person's identity. It can function as a subject or object.
As Subject (Who did something?)
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| ใครโทรมา | khrai thoo maa | Who called? |
| ใครทำ | khrai tham | Who did it? |
| ใครเป็นหัวหน้า | khrai bpen hǔa nâa | Who is the boss? |
As Object (Verb done to whom?)
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| คุณชอบใคร | khun chɔ̂ɔp khrai | Who do you like? |
| เขาไปกับใคร | khǎo bpai gàp khrai | Who did he go with? |
| คุณรอใคร | khun rɔɔ khrai | Who are you waiting for? |
Useful Phrases with ใคร
- นี่ของใคร (nîi khɔ̌ɔng khrai) – Whose is this?
- ใครก็ได้ (khrai gɔ̂ɔ dâi) – Anyone / whoever is fine.
อะไร (a-rai) – What
อะไร is one of the most frequently used question words in Thai. It asks about things, actions, and reasons.
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| นี่อะไร | nîi a-rai | What is this? |
| คุณกินอะไร | khun gin a-rai | What do you eat? |
| คุณทำงานอะไร | khun tham ngaan a-rai | What work do you do? |
| เกิดอะไรขึ้น | gəət a-rai khûen | What happened? |
| คุณชื่ออะไร | khun chûue a-rai | What is your name? |
อะไร as "Something" or "Anything"
In non-question contexts, อะไร can mean "something" or "anything":
- อยากกินอะไรไหม (yàak gin a-rai mǎi) – Do you want to eat something?
- ไม่มีอะไร (mâi mii a-rai) – It is nothing. / There is nothing.
- อะไรก็ได้ (a-rai gɔ̂ɔ dâi) – Anything is fine.
ที่ไหน (thîi nǎi) – Where
ที่ไหน asks about location. It appears where the location answer would go in a statement.
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| คุณอยู่ที่ไหน | khun yùu thîi nǎi | Where are you? |
| ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหน | hɔ̂ng náam yùu thîi nǎi | Where is the restroom? |
| คุณมาจากที่ไหน | khun maa jàak thîi nǎi | Where do you come from? |
| ไปที่ไหน | bpai thîi nǎi | Where are you going? |
| ซื้อที่ไหน | súue thîi nǎi | Where did you buy it? |
ไหน (nǎi) Alone – Which
Without ที่, the word ไหน means "which":
- อันไหน (an nǎi) – Which one?
- คนไหน (khon nǎi) – Which person?
- ร้านไหน (ráan nǎi) – Which shop?
- ทางไหน (thaang nǎi) – Which way?
เมื่อไหร่ (mûea rài) – When
เมื่อไหร่ asks about time. It is flexible in placement and can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence.
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| คุณมาเมื่อไหร่ | khun maa mûea rài | When did you come? |
| เมื่อไหร่จะเสร็จ | mûea rài jà sèt | When will it be done? |
| เขากลับเมื่อไหร่ | khǎo glàp mûea rài | When does he return? |
| ร้านเปิดเมื่อไหร่ | ráan bpə̀ət mûea rài | When does the shop open? |
Note: In casual speech, you may also hear เมื่อไร (mûea rai) — same meaning, slightly shorter pronunciation.
ทำไม (tham-mai) – Why
ทำไม is one of the few Thai question words that typically goes at the beginning of the sentence, similar to English.
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| ทำไมไม่ไป | tham-mai mâi bpai | Why don't you go? |
| ทำไมมาสาย | tham-mai maa sǎai | Why did you come late? |
| ทำไมร้องไห้ | tham-mai rɔ́ɔng hâi | Why are you crying? |
| ทำไมถึงไม่ชอบ | tham-mai thǔeng mâi chɔ̂ɔp | Why don't you like it? |
ทำไม at the End
ทำไม can also go at the end for a more casual or softer tone:
- ไม่กินทำไม (mâi gin tham-mai) – Why aren't you eating?
- ไม่บอกทำไม (mâi bɔ̀ɔk tham-mai) – Why didn't you tell me?
อย่างไร (yàang rai) / ยังไง (yang ngai) – How
อย่างไร is the formal written form. In everyday conversation, nearly everyone uses ยังไง instead.
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| ทำยังไง | tham yang ngai | How do you do it? |
| ไปยังไง | bpai yang ngai | How do I get there? |
| เป็นยังไงบ้าง | bpen yang ngai bâang | How is it going? / How have you been? |
| คิดยังไง | khít yang ngai | What do you think? (How do you think?) |
| ภาษาไทยเรียนยังไง | phaa-sǎa thai rian yang ngai | How do you study Thai? |
The phrase เป็นยังไงบ้าง is one of the most common casual greetings among friends — similar to "How's it going?" in English.
เท่าไหร่ (thâo rài) – How Much
เท่าไหร่ asks about amounts, prices, and quantities of uncountable things.
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| เท่าไหร่ครับ/คะ | thâo rài khráp/khá | How much? (asking price) |
| ราคาเท่าไหร่ | raa-khaa thâo rài | What is the price? |
| อายุเท่าไหร่ | aa-yú thâo rài | How old are you? |
| น้ำหนักเท่าไหร่ | nám nàk thâo rài | How much does it weigh? |
| ใช้เวลาเท่าไหร่ | chái wee-laa thâo rài | How long does it take? |
At markets and shops, เท่าไหร่ครับ/คะ is probably the single most useful phrase you can know.
กี่ (gìi) – How Many
กี่ is used for countable things and always appears before a classifier (the Thai equivalent of a counting word).
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| กี่คน | gìi khon | How many people? |
| กี่ชิ้น | gìi chín | How many pieces? |
| กี่โมง | gìi moong | What time? (How many hours?) |
| กี่วัน | gìi wan | How many days? |
| กี่บาท | gìi bàat | How many baht? |
| อยู่กี่วัน | yùu gìi wan | How many days are you staying? |
| มีพี่น้องกี่คน | mii phîi nɔ́ɔng gìi khon | How many siblings do you have? |
กี่ vs. เท่าไหร่
A common question for learners: when do you use กี่ versus เท่าไหร่?
- Use กี่ + classifier for countable nouns (people, days, items, etc.)
- Use เท่าไหร่ for uncountable amounts, prices, and measurements
ไหม (mǎi) – Yes/No Questions
ไหม is the most common particle for turning a statement into a yes/no question. Simply add it to the end.
Statement: คุณชอบอาหารไทย (khun chɔ̂ɔp aa-hǎan thai) – You like Thai food. Question: คุณชอบอาหารไทยไหม (khun chɔ̂ɔp aa-hǎan thai mǎi) – Do you like Thai food?
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| ร้อนไหม | rɔ́ɔn mǎi | Is it hot? |
| เข้าใจไหม | khâo jai mǎi | Do you understand? |
| ไปด้วยกันไหม | bpai dûai gan mǎi | Shall we go together? |
| กินข้าวหรือยัง | gin khâao rǔue yang | Have you eaten yet? |
| อร่อยไหม | a-ròi mǎi | Is it delicious? |
Answering Yes/No Questions
To answer yes, repeat the main verb or adjective. To answer no, add ไม่ (mâi) before it.
- ชอบไหม → ชอบ (yes) / ไม่ชอบ (no)
- ร้อนไหม → ร้อน (yes) / ไม่ร้อน (no)
- เข้าใจไหม → เข้าใจ (yes) / ไม่เข้าใจ (no)
There is no single word for "yes" or "no" in Thai. The verb itself serves that function.
ใช่ไหม (châi mǎi) – Tag Questions
ใช่ไหม works like "right?" or "isn't it?" at the end of a sentence to confirm something you believe is true.
- คุณเป็นคนญี่ปุ่นใช่ไหม (khun bpen khon yîi bpùn châi mǎi) – You are Japanese, right?
- วันนี้วันศุกร์ใช่ไหม (wan níi wan sùk châi mǎi) – Today is Friday, right?
- แพงใช่ไหม (phaeng châi mǎi) – It is expensive, isn't it?
Answer: ใช่ (châi – yes/correct) or ไม่ใช่ (mâi châi – no/not correct).
หรือ (rǔue) – Or-Questions
หรือ creates choice questions by linking two options.
| Thai | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| กาแฟหรือชา | gaa-fae rǔue chaa | Coffee or tea? |
| ไปหรือไม่ไป | bpai rǔue mâi bpai | Go or not go? |
| ร้อนหรือเย็น | rɔ́ɔn rǔue yen | Hot or cold? |
| ซ้ายหรือขวา | sáai rǔue khwǎa | Left or right? |
หรือเปล่า (rǔue bplào) – Another Yes/No Pattern
หรือเปล่า is an alternative to ไหม for yes/no questions, with a slightly different nuance. It implies the speaker somewhat expects the answer to be "no" or is genuinely uncertain.
- คุณเป็นคนไทยหรือเปล่า (khun bpen khon thai rǔue bplào) – Are you Thai (or not)?
- เขามาหรือเปล่า (khǎo maa rǔue bplào) – Did he come (or not)?
Question Word Summary Table
| Thai | Romanization | Meaning | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| ใคร | khrai | who | Subject or object position |
| อะไร | a-rai | what | Object position |
| ที่ไหน | thîi nǎi | where | After verb |
| เมื่อไหร่ | mûea rài | when | End or beginning |
| ทำไม | tham-mai | why | Beginning (usually) |
| ยังไง | yang ngai | how | After verb |
| เท่าไหร่ | thâo rài | how much | End of phrase |
| กี่ | gìi | how many | Before classifier |
| ไหม | mǎi | yes/no? | End of sentence |
| หรือ | rǔue | or / or not? | Between choices or end |
| ใช่ไหม | châi mǎi | right? | End of sentence |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Putting Question Words at the Beginning
English speakers instinctively want to front question words. Resist this urge for all words except ทำไม.
Wrong: อะไรคุณกิน (a-rai khun gin) Correct: คุณกินอะไร (khun gin a-rai) – What do you eat?
Forgetting Classifiers with กี่
กี่ always needs a classifier. You cannot say กี่ alone.
Wrong: มีกี่ (mii gìi) Correct: มีกี่อัน (mii gìi an) – How many (pieces) are there?
Mixing Up ไหม and ไหม้ and ใหม่
These three words look similar but are completely different:
| Thai | Romanization | Tone | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ไหม | mǎi | rising | Question particle |
| ไหม้ | mâi | falling | Burned |
| ใหม่ | mài | low | New |
Getting the tone wrong can turn "Is it delicious?" into "Is it burned?" — a sentence your host definitely does not want to hear.
Practice Patterns
Try forming questions by replacing the bolded answer with the correct question word:
- เขาไปเชียงใหม่ → เขาไปที่ไหน (Where does he go?)
- สมชายโทรมา → ใครโทรมา (Who called?)
- เขากินส้มตำ → เขากินอะไร (What does he eat?)
- เรามาสามคน → เรามากี่คน (How many people came?)
- ราคาร้อยบาท → ราคาเท่าไหร่ (How much is the price?)
Once this substitution pattern clicks, you can ask virtually any question in Thai. The question word simply replaces the piece of information you do not know — and everything else stays in place.
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