Learn about Thai honorifics
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| Michael: Does Thai have honorifics? |
| Nantanee: And how do you speak politely in Thai? |
| Michael: At ThaiPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee goes to get a quick snack from a nearby food stand. She greets the foodstand clerk, Wiriya Worakul. |
| "Good morning. How are you?" |
| Karen Lee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| Wiriya Worakul: สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ คุณละ สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khráp khàawp khun khráp khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| Michael: "Good morning. How are you?" |
| Wiriya Worakul: สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ คุณละ สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khráp khàawp khun khráp khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: "I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Michael: Just about every language in the world has a set of codes used to show respect and acknowledge other people's status or positions, and Thai is no exception. These tools are often referred to as honorifics. In the broader sense, honorifics may be used to denote any manner in which the speaker can show respect to the listener and acknowledge their status. In this lesson, we will talk about honorifics as a set of titles used to convey respect for position or rank. In Thailand, it is not considered impolite to address a person by their first name, but this practice is almost never used. Instead, Thais almost always attach an honorific title to a person's name, the most common of which is the courtesy title |
| Nantanee: คุณ (Khuṇ) |
| Michael: This is the equivalent of the word Mr. and Ms. in English, or Sir and Madam. It is also used to mean "you," but with a more courteous implication. Be careful not to confuse this word with the noble title, |
| Nantanee: ขุน (khŭn), |
| Michael: which is pronounced in a rising tone. Speaking of which, an honorific register exists that was created as a means for people to talk about the King of Thailand. This register is referred to as |
| Nantanee: คำราชาศัพท์ (kham raa-chaa sàp) |
| Michael: or "Royal Words." These are a special set of honorific words used to address royalty. They are not used in everyday conversations, but only when talking about the Royal family or religious leaders such as Buddha. In addition, Thais also use polite particles when addressing another person. For male speakers, the particle used is |
| Nantanee: ครับ (khráp) |
| Michael: For females, it's |
| Nantanee: ค่ะ (khâ) |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen Lee says, "Good morning. How are you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Nantanee as Karen Lee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| Michael: Here, Karen greets the clerk with a "Good morning." You will notice that she ends both of her sentences with the polite particle |
| Nantanee: ค่ะ (khâ). |
| Michael: As mentioned, this word is added at the end of a sentence to add politeness and is used by female speakers. You will notice that the second instance of the polite word in question was pronounced in a different way, which was with a higher tone. In both Thai speaking and writing, there are two tones and spellings used for this word. For affirmative and imperative uses, a falling tone is used, such as in |
| Nantanee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ) |
| Michael: or "Good morning." For the interrogative use, such as in |
| Nantanee: สบายดีไหมคะ (khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| Michael: or "How are you," a rising tone is used. Keep in mind that this rule only applies to female speakers. |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Wiriya Worakul says "I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Nantanee as Wiriya Worakul: สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ คุณละ สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khráp khàawp khun khráp khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: This time, you will notice that Wiriya uses the polite particle |
| Nantanee: ครับ (khráp) |
| Michael: He used it when saying "I'm fine," and "Thank you." Again, the word is attached to the end of a sentence to add politeness, and if the speaker is male. So, yes, you're correct if you're thinking that a female Thai would say "Thank you" in this manner: |
| Nantanee: ขอบคุณค่ะ (khàawp khun khâ) |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you learned what honorifics are, and that they are used to show the proper respect deserved by the person you're talking to. You also learned how to communicate in Thai in a more polite manner. For male speakers, this can be achieved by adding to the end of your sentence the particle |
| Nantanee: ครับ (khráp) |
| Michael: And, for female speakers, the particle to be used is |
| Nantanee: ค่ะ (khâ) |
| Practice |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after the native speaker focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Karen Lee says, "Good morning. How are you?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nantanee as Karen Lee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Nantanee as Karen Lee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nantanee as Karen Lee: สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ สบายดีไหมคะ (sà-wàt-dii dtaawn-cháao khâ sà-baai dii măi khá) |
| Michael: And do you remember how Wiriya Worakul says, "I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nantanee as Wiriya Worakul: สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ คุณละ สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khráp khàawp khun khráp khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Nantanee as Wiriya Worakul: สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ คุณละ สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khráp khàawp khun khráp khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Nantanee as Wiriya Worakul: สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ คุณละ สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dii khráp khàawp khun khráp khun lá sà-baai dii măi) |
| Expansion |
| Michael: There are many other Thai honorifics or polite words besides the ones we've covered. Many of these words are used with names either to describe the status of a person or to describe their relationship with the speaker. For instance, to address an older man, the term used is |
| Nantanee: พ่อ (phâaw) |
| Michael: or "father." To address an older woman, the term used is |
| Nantanee: แม่ (mâae) |
| Michael: This is not always the case though. In other parts of Thailand, the term preferred for older women is |
| Nantanee: น้า (náa) |
| Michael: which is a term you would use to address an older woman's younger sister, brother, or cousin. Some women might prefer to hear this even when they're a bit older and could appropriately be referred to as |
| Nantanee: ย่า (yâa) |
| Michael: or the less formal, |
| Nantanee: คุณยาย (khuṇ yaai) |
| Michael: "grandma." |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: Age relationships play a huge role in helping you determine what honorific title you should use when addressing another person. You wouldn't want to end up calling someone |
| Nantanee: น้อง (náawng), |
| Michael: an honorific used to address a younger brother or sister, when they are older than you in reality—in which case, you're supposed to address them using |
| Nantanee: พี่ (phîi) |
| Michael: which is the honorific title used to address an older brother or sister. If you're not sure how to address someone, you can begin a conversation with an icebreaker question such as |
| Nantanee: คุณจบการศึกษาจากมหาวิทยาลัยในปีไหน (khun jòp gaan sùek-săa jàak má-hăa wít-thá-yaa-lai nai bpii năi) |
| Michael: or "What year did you graduate from university, by the way?" The other person's response should help you gauge their age. It's also important to use the proper honorific when addressing someone who has achieved a title through education or promotion. For instance, when speaking with a university professor, be sure to use the title |
| Nantanee: อาจารย์ (aa-jaan) |
| Michael: or "professor." |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Nantanee: แล้วพบกันใหม่เร็วๆ นี้ค่ะ (láaeo-phóp-gan-mài reo-reo-níi khâ) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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