Are you new to Thailand and the Thai language? Well, if you are, go ahead and check out our “10 Posts for Thai Beginners.” Through those posts, you can learn the Thai alphabet, tones, how to count to 100, and much more. Next up, you’ll want to start learning some basic sentences. That’s why in this lesson we’ll learn how to introduce yourself in Thai.

Personal Pronouns

In order to introduce yourself and ask others questions about themselves, you’ll first have to learn the personal pronouns in Thai. One thing you’ll notice right away is that there’s a different word for “I/me” for men and women:

• ผม pŏm = I/me (men only)

• ฉัน chăn = I/me (women only)

• คุณ kun = you

• เขา kăo = he/him/she/her

• เรา rao = we/us

• พวกเขา pûak kăo = they/them

Thai gets a bit confusing with the personal pronouns. There are some that are very formal, some that are slightly formal, some that are informal, and others that are very informal. As a ฝรั่ง fà-ràng (foreigner), it’s best to stick to the formal pronouns above. If you’re curious to learn the others, you can find them all here.

Practice Thai pronouns and the verb “to be” in this short video:

How to Introduce Yourself

Now let’s look at some common introduction questions and how to answer them. To make it easier, I’ve put spaces in between the Thai words so they’re easier to identify one-by-one.

Name

คุณ ชื่อ อะไร? kun chêu a-rai = What’s your name?

ผม ชื่อ pŏm chêu = My name is… (male)

ฉัน ชื่อ chăn chêu = My name is… (female)

From

คุณ มา จาก ไหน? kun maa jàak năi = Where are you from?

ผม มาจาก… pŏm maa jàak = I’m from… (male)

ฉัน มาจาก… chăn maa jàak = I’m from… (female)

ฉัน มาจาก ประเทศไทย chăn maa jàak bprà-tâyt tai = I’m from Thailand (female).

ผม มาจาก อเมริกา pŏm maa jàak a-may-rí-gaa = I’m from America (male).

Live

คุณ อาศัยอยู่ ที่ไหน? kun aa-săi yòo têe năi = Where do you live?

ผม อาศัยอยู่ ใน… pŏm aa-săi yòo nai = I live in… (male)

ฉัน อาศัยอยู่ ใน… chăn aa-săi yòo nai = I live in… (female)

ฉัน อาศัยอยู่ ใน กรุงเทพ chăn aa-săi yòo nai grung tâyp = I live in Bangkok (female).

ผม อาศัยอยู่ ใน นิวยอร์ก pŏm aa-săi yòo nai niw-yôk = I live in New York (male).

Job

คุณ ทำงาน อะไร? kun tam ngaan a-rai = What’s your job?

ฉัน เป็น… chăn bpen = I’m a… (female)

ผม เป็น… pŏm bpen = I’m a… (male)

ฉัน เป็น ครู chăn bpen kroo = I’m a teacher (female).

ผม เป็น นักธุรกิจ pŏm bpen nák tú-rá-gìt = I’m a businessman (male).

Not sure how to give your job title in Thai? Check out this post with Thai job titles.

Age

คุณ อายุ เท่าไหร่? kun aa-yú tâo rài = How old are you?

ผม อายุ … ปี pŏm aa-yú … bpee = I’m… years old (male).

ฉัน อายุ … ปี chăn aa-yú … bpee= I’m… years old (female).

If you need help with your numbers, we’ve got you covered. Watch this video to learn how to count to 100 in Thai. That should be high enough to find your age!

After studying this lesson, you should be able to ask and answer the common self-introduction questions. Now get out there and practice!