Last month we took a look at the many ways to get around Bangkok in a short video. We love showing you what it looks like on the ground in Thailand as well as where to go and how to get there, but we’re also here to teach you a bit of the language. As such, here are 20 useful words and phrases related to transportation in Thai:
Take a tuk-tuk (รถตุ๊กตุ๊ก), Thailand’s most famous mode of transport!
to walk (เดิน – dern)
to run (วิ่ง – wîng)
to ride/drive (ขี่ – kèe)
bicycle (จักรยาน – jàk yaan)
ride a bicycle (ขี่จักรยาน – kèe jàk-grà-yaan)
motorcycle (รถจักรยานยนต์ – rót jàk-grà-yaan yon)
scooter (สกู๊ตเตอร์ – sà-góot-dtêr)
car (รถ – rót)
drive a car (ขับรถ – kàp rót)
to take (ขึ้น – kêun)
bus (รถบัส – rót bàt)
train (รถไฟ – rót fai)
take the train (ขึ้นรถไฟ – kêun rót fai)
skytrain/BTS (รถไฟฟ้า – rót fai fáa)
subway/MRT (รถไฟใต้ดิน – rót fai dtâi din)
taxi (แท็กซี่ – táek sêe)
tuk-tuk (รถตุ๊กตุ๊ก – rót dtúk-dtúk)
airplane (เครื่องบิน – krêuang bin)
boat/ship (เรือ – reua)
ferry (เรือข้ามฟาก – reua kâam fâak)
If you’d like to get a little more advanced and practice some sentences related to taking different modes of transportation, check out this short video from My Thai Language School:
Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.
Comments:
Jon Varangian:
Hey – anyone a little experienced expat/farang in BKK will know that a an mc-bike taxi is a moto-sâi – and that you (and your partner) hop on the passenger seat to get to the nearest BTS-station: b-t-êd.
20-30 thb. Varangian.
sasha:
@Jon Varangian I forgot about the bike taxis! Thanks for the added tips, Jon! I’ve been to Bangkok many times but never for more than 1-2 weeks at a time, so I’m still quite the BKK n00b. Would definitely live there if the opportunity arises; it’s one of my favorite cities by far.
Comments:
Jon Varangian:
Hey – anyone a little experienced expat/farang in BKK will know that a an mc-bike taxi is a moto-sâi – and that you (and your partner) hop on the passenger seat to get to the nearest BTS-station: b-t-êd.
20-30 thb. Varangian.
sasha:
@Jon Varangian I forgot about the bike taxis! Thanks for the added tips, Jon! I’ve been to Bangkok many times but never for more than 1-2 weeks at a time, so I’m still quite the BKK n00b. Would definitely live there if the opportunity arises; it’s one of my favorite cities by far.