- The question word goes where the answer goes. คุณชอบกินอะไร, "what do you like to eat?", is literally "you like eat what".
- For yes/no questions, add an ending such as ไหมmǎi to a statement. Thai doesn't use a rising voice or change the word order.
- There's no all-purpose "yes". Answer with the verb: ไป (go) or ไม่ไป (not go). Save ใช่ for confirming facts.
- หรือยังrʉ̌ʉ-yang asks "yet?". Answer แล้ว (already) or ยัง (not yet).
- Women end questions with คะ, in a high tone, not ค่ะ.
The short answer
English builds a question by moving words around. "You're going to the market" becomes "Where are you going?": "where" jumps to the front, and "are" swaps places with "you". Thai doesn't move anything. You swap the part you don't know for a question word, and leave everything else where it was.
For yes/no questions, you add an ending such as ไหม to a statement. The tricky part is answering, because Thai has no single word for "yes". This guide covers the question words, the yes/no endings, how to answer each one, and the mistakes learners make most. Every word has a real recording you can play, and you can try it all in the question builder.
The question words
These are the words you'll use every day. Tap a word to hear it, and the example to hear it in a sentence.
- อะไร is "what". On its own, อะไรนะ means "sorry, what?", and in a negative sentence it means "anything": ไม่มีอะไร, "it's nothing".
- ที่ไหน is "where". After ไป (go) and มา (come), it usually shortens to ไหน: ไปไหน, "where are you going?", มาจากไหน, "where are you from?"
- ไหน after a classifier means "which": อันไหน (which one, for things), คนไหน (which person), เรื่องไหน (which film or story).
- กี่ is "how many", and comes before a classifier or a unit: กี่คน (how many people), กี่บาท (how many baht), กี่โมง (what time, literally "how many o'clock").
- เท่าไหร่ is "how much" and stands on its own at the end: prices, amounts and age. อายุเท่าไหร่ is "how old are you?" After ไม่, it means "not very": ไม่เผ็ดเท่าไหร่, "not very spicy".
- แค่ไหน follows a describing word to ask "how" much of it: ไกลแค่ไหน (how far), นานแค่ไหน (how long), ยากแค่ไหน (how hard).
- ยังไง is the everyday "how". You'll also hear it in the greeting เป็นยังไงบ้าง, "how's it going?"
Word order: ask where the answer goes
Take a statement, replace the unknown part with a question word, and you have a question. Thai has no word like "do" or "does", and the verb never changes. Read these word for word:
| Thai | Word for word | English |
|---|---|---|
| คุณชอบกินอะไรkun chɔ̂ɔp gin à-rai | you like eat what | What do you like to eat? |
| คุณโทรหาใครkun too-hǎa krai | you call to who | Who did you call? |
| ใครโทรมาkrai too-maa | who call come | Who called? |
| ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหนhɔ̂ng-náam yùu tîi-nǎi | toilet is-at where | Where is the toilet? |
| คุณจะกลับบ้านเมื่อไหร่kun jà glàp-bâan mʉ̂ʉa-rài | you will return home when | When are you going home? |
| เธอต้องการกาแฟกี่แก้วtəə dtɔ̂ng-gaan gaa-fɛɛ gìi gɛ̂ɛo | you want coffee how-many cup | How many cups of coffee do you want? |
The position of ใคร tells you who did what. In ใครโทรมา it's in the subject slot, so it asks who called; in คุณโทรหาใคร it's the object, so it asks who you called. It isn't jumping to the front the way English "who" does: subjects simply come first in Thai.
The main exception is ทำไม (why). It usually comes first, as in ทำไมคุณมาสาย, "why are you late?" It can also go at the end, as in คุณกลับก่อนทำไม, "why did you leave early?", but there it often sounds more surprised or challenging.
Spoken and written spellings
Several question words have two spellings: a standard one for formal writing, and a colloquial one that matches how people actually say them. You'll need to recognise both.
| Everyday | Standard | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| เมื่อไหร่mʉ̂ʉa-rài | เมื่อไรmʉ̂ʉa-rai | when |
| เท่าไหร่tâo-rài | เท่าไรtâo-rai | how much; how many |
| ยังไงyang-ngai | อย่างไรyàang-rai | how |
| มั้ยmái | ไหมmǎi | yes/no question ending |
| รึเปล่าrʉ́-bplàao | หรือเปล่าrʉ̌ʉ-bplàao | "…or not?" |
| เหรอrə̌ə | หรือrʉ̌ʉ | "really?", "so…?" |
Dictionaries list เมื่อไร and เท่าไร as the standard spellings, and the ไหร่ versions as colloquial. ยังไง grew out of อย่างไร, and the two now sound quite different: use ยังไง when you talk, and expect อย่างไร in writing, on signs and in the news. ไหม is spelled with a rising tone but almost always said with a high one, which is why informal writing spells it มั้ย. More on that in our guide to Thai tones.
Yes/no questions
To ask a yes/no question, keep the statement as it is and add an ending. A rising voice on its own doesn't make a neutral question in Thai; without an ending, it sounds like an echo or a surprised reaction. Each ending adds its own flavour:
- ไหม is the neutral ending: หิวไหม, "are you hungry?" It also makes offers and invitations: ไปด้วยกันไหม, "shall we go together?", and รับกาแฟไหม, "would you like some coffee?"
- หรือเปล่า spells out "…or not?", and takes the same answers as ไหม. It's very common in speech, where it shrinks to รึเปล่า, ป่าว or ป่ะ.
- หรือยัง asks whether something has happened yet: กินข้าวหรือยัง, "have you eaten yet?" Casually it's รึยัง, or just ยัง.
- ใช่ไหม is "…, right?": you think you know, and want the other person to confirm. นัดวันพุธใช่ไหม, "the appointment's on Wednesday, right?"
- เหรอ reacts to something you've just heard or noticed, often with surprise: ได้ตั๋วฟรีเหรอ, "you got free tickets?" It's the spoken form of หรือ, and จริงเหรอ is "really?"
- ได้ไหม asks whether something is possible or allowed: จ่ายด้วยบัตรได้ไหม, "can I pay by card?" With ช่วย and หน่อย, it's a polite request: ช่วยพูดช้าๆ หน่อยได้ไหม, "could you speak a bit more slowly?"
To ask about something negative, use เหรอ or ใช่ไหม rather than ไหม: ไม่ไปเหรอ, "you're not going?", or ไม่กินหมูใช่ไหม, "you don't eat pork, right?" Our guide to Thai particles covers these endings, and the others that add mood.
How to say yes and no
Thai has no word that means "yes" to every question. Instead, you answer with the verb or describing word from the question: ไป (go) for yes, ไม่ไป (not go) for no. Which form you use depends on the ending:
| Question ends in | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| ไหมmǎi | Repeat the verb: ไป, หิว | ไม่ + verb: ไม่ไป, ไม่หิว |
| หรือเปล่าrʉ̌ʉ-bplàao | Repeat the verb: ไป, หิว | ไม่ + verb, or just เปล่า |
| หรือยังrʉ̌ʉ-yang | Verb + แล้ว: กินแล้ว | ยัง, or ยังไม่ + verb |
| ใช่ไหมchâi-mǎi | ใช่ | ไม่ใช่, or correct the detail |
| เหรอrə̌ə | ใช่, or repeat the verb | เปล่า, or ไม่ + verb |
| ได้ไหมdâai-mǎi | ได้ | ไม่ได้ |
- ใช่ means "that's right", not a general "yes". It fits ใช่ไหม questions and questions about what something is: คุณเป็นคนไทยใช่ไหม, "you're Thai, right?" Answering หิวไหม with ใช่ sounds odd; say หิว.
- For the past, say no with ไม่ได้: เมื่อวานไปไหม, "did you go yesterday?", ไม่ได้ไป, "no, I didn't".
- ครับ or ค่ะ on its own works as a polite "yes", or as "I'm listening".
- เปล่า is a quick "no, not that", for denying what the other person assumed: โกรธเหรอ, "are you angry?", เปล่า, "no, I'm not".
Build a question: try it
Pick a topic and what you want to ask. You'll see the question in Thai, with the question word highlighted, and how to answer it. Switch the polite ending to see how women's คะ in questions becomes ค่ะ in answers.
Build a question
After ไป, ที่ไหน usually shortens to ไหน. The answer goes in the same place: ไปตลาด.
Anything, anyone, anywhere
Thai question words double as "any" words. What they mean depends on what's around them:
- With ก็ได้, they mean "any… is fine": อะไรก็ได้ (anything), ใครก็ได้ (anyone), ที่ไหนก็ได้ (anywhere), เมื่อไหร่ก็ได้ (any time), อันไหนก็ได้ (any of them). อะไรก็ได้ is probably the most useful answer in Thailand, to "what do you want to eat?"
- In a yes/no question, they mean "any": มีใครโทรมาไหม, "did anyone call?", or มีแผนจะไปไหนหรือเปล่า, "are you planning to go anywhere?"
- After ไม่, they mean "no": ไม่มีอะไร (nothing), ไม่มีใคร (nobody), ไม่ไปไหน (not going anywhere).
- With บ้าง, they ask for a list: มีอะไรบ้าง, "what is there?", or ใครไปบ้าง, "who's going?"
Asking politely
With strangers, older people and staff, end your questions with a polite particle, after everything else, including ไหม: หิวไหมครับ, หิวไหมคะ. Men say ครับ for both questions and answers. Women switch: คะ, in a high tone, for questions, and ค่ะ, in a falling tone, for statements and answers.
- Open with ขอโทษ ("excuse me") to get a stranger's attention: ขอโทษครับ ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหนครับ.
- Soften requests with ช่วย… หน่อยได้ไหม: ช่วยถ่ายรูปให้หน่อยได้ไหมคะ, "could you take a photo for us?"
- Drop "you" when you can. ชื่ออะไรครับ, "what's your name?", needs no คุณ, which saves you choosing the right word for "you". Our guide to Thai pronouns explains why that matters.
Common mistakes
- Moving the question word to the front. อะไรคุณชอบกิน is wrong; say คุณชอบกินอะไร.
- Adding ไหม to a question word. คุณจะไปไหนไหม doesn't mean "where are you going?" but "are you going anywhere?" A question word already makes a question.
- Answering everything with ใช่. Answer with the verb: ไปไหม → ไป or ไม่ไป.
- Answering a negative question the English way. To ไม่กินหมูใช่ไหม, "you don't eat pork, right?", ใช่ means "right, I don't". If you do eat pork, say ไม่ใช่ กินได้, "no, I can eat it".
- Ending a question with ค่ะ. Questions take the high-tone คะ: ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหนคะ.
- Relying on a rising voice. Without an ending, a rising voice sounds like an echo or surprise, not a question. Add ไหม or another ending.
- Forgetting the classifier after กี่. "How many people?" is กี่คน, and "how many bottles?" is กี่ขวด. For prices and amounts, use เท่าไหร่.
Hear every question in context.
ThaiFlip's dictionary has recorded example sentences for อะไร, ไหม, หรือยัง and thousands of other words, so you learn how real questions sound, not just what the words mean.
Frequently asked questions
How do you ask a question in Thai?
Either swap the part you don't know for a question word, keeping the word order of a statement, or add a question ending like ไหม to a statement. Thai doesn't move words around, add a word like "do", or rely on a rising voice. Polite speakers then add ครับ or คะ at the very end.
How do you say "what" in Thai?
อะไร (à-rai). It goes where the answer would go, usually after the verb: คุณชื่ออะไร, "what's your name?", is literally "you name what". On its own, อะไรนะ means "sorry, what?"
What's the difference between ไหม and หรือเปล่า?
Very little in practice. Both turn a statement into a yes/no question and take the same answers. ไหม is the compact, neutral ending, and also makes offers and invitations; หรือเปล่า spells out "or not?". In casual speech, หรือเปล่า shrinks to รึเปล่า or ป่ะ.
How do you say yes and no in Thai?
It depends on the question. Usually you repeat the verb for yes and put ไม่ in front of it for no: ไป or ไม่ไป, ได้ or ไม่ได้, มี or ไม่มี. ใช่ and ไม่ใช่ mean "that's right" and "that's not right", for confirming facts. ครับ or ค่ะ on its own is a polite "yes" or "I'm listening".
What does กินข้าวหรือยัง mean?
Literally "have you eaten rice yet?" It's a real question, but Thais also use it as a friendly greeting, like "how are you?" Answer กินแล้ว if you have, or ยัง if you haven't.
Is it เมื่อไร or เมื่อไหร่?
Both. Dictionaries list เมื่อไร as the standard spelling and เมื่อไหร่ as the colloquial one, which matches how most people say it. The same goes for เท่าไร and เท่าไหร่. In chats and subtitles you'll mostly see ไหร่; in formal writing, ไร.
Why does ใคร sometimes come first?
Because it's the subject, and subjects come first. ใครโทรมา, "who called?", has ใคร in the subject slot. When ใคร is the object, it goes at the end: คุณโทรหาใคร, "who did you call?"
What's the difference between เท่าไหร่ and กี่?
กี่ goes before a classifier or a unit: กี่คน (how many people), กี่โมง (what time), กี่บาท (how many baht). เท่าไหร่ stands on its own at the end, for prices, amounts and age: อันนี้เท่าไหร่, "how much is this?"
Recordings and example sentences come from the ThaiFlip dictionary. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll check it.
