You’re in a massive Thai mall. You’re hungry. You kind of have to pee. You’re holding a shopping bag in one hand and Google Translate in the other… but let’s be honest, you’d rather just ask someone in Thai.
This week’s Phrasebook teaches you how to ask simple, real-world questions like:
- Where’s the bathroom?
- Where’s the food court?
- Where’s the elevator?
Let's get into it!
1) "where is the bathroom?"
You can say: hông náam yùu tîi nǎi kráp/ká?
ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหนครับ/คะ
Thai Vocabulary Broken Down:
- hông náam = bathroom — ห้องน้ำ
- yùu = to be located — อยู่
- tîi nǎi = where — ที่ไหน
- kráp/ká = polite particle (male/female) — ครับ / คะ
2) "where is the food court?"
You can say: sǔan aa-hǎan yùu tîi nǎi kráp/ká?
ศูนย์อาหารอยู่ที่ไหนครับ/คะ?
Thai Vocabulary Broken Down:
- sǔan aa-hǎan = food court — ศูนย์อาหาร
- yùu = to be located — อยู่
- tîi nǎi = where — ที่ไหน
- kráp/ká = polite particle — ครับ / คะ
3) "where is the elevator?"
You can say: líp yùu tîi nǎi kráp/ká?
ลิฟต์อยู่ที่ไหนครับ/คะ?
You can say this when you are just about to arrive to where you want to be and would like to get out of the taxi cab.
Thai Vocabulary Broken Down:
- líp = elevator — ลิฟต์
- yùu = to be located — อยู่
- tîi nǎi = where — ที่ไหน
- kráp/ká = polite particle — ครับ / คะ
You can use this same pattern for anything:
- roong năng yùu tîi nǎi? = Where is the cinema? (โรงหนังอยู่ที่ไหน?)
- tánáakhaan yùu tîi nǎi? = Where is the bank? (ธนาคารอยู่ที่ไหน?)
- bandai lʉ̂ʉan yùu tîi nǎi? = Where is the escalator? (บันไดเลื่อนอยู่ที่ไหน?)
Key Things To Remember:
This is one of the most useful question patterns in Thai:
[place] yùu tîi nǎi kráp/ká? = Where is [place]?
[สถานที่] อยู่ที่ไหนครับ/คะ
You can use this everywhere. Malls, markets, airports, stations. Anywhere you need help finding something.
Even if your tone or grammar isn’t perfect, Thai people will appreciate your effort.
Say it clearly, smile, and don’t be afraid to repeat yourself or gesture if needed.
And always add kráp (ครับ) if you’re male or ká (ค่ะ) if you’re female to keep it polite and friendly.
Ready To Speak Thai For Real?
The Thai Language Challenge is a 100-day program I built to take you from zero to having a 10-minute conversation entirely in Thai.
Every student who completes the challenge proves it in a live exam with me.
And every single one has passed.
The next cohort opens September 4.
Spots are limited to 50 students only.
Curious what my students really sound like?
Click here to watch their final conversation exam fully in Thai.
See you in next week’s Thai Phrasebook!
~ Kru Fah
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