Questions in Thai
Forming questions in Thai is remarkably simple compared to many languages. There is no need to rearrange word order, add auxiliary verbs, or change verb forms. In most cases, you simply take a statement and add a question particle at the end. The sentence structure stays exactly the same.
Thai has several question-forming strategies, each suited to different types of questions. Mastering these will open up real conversations quickly.
The easiest way to form a yes/no question in Thai is to take any statement and add ไหม (mai) at the end. The word order does not change at all. If you can make a statement, you can already make a question.
Yes/No Questions with ไหม (mai)
The most common way to ask a yes/no question is to add ไหม (mai, rising tone) to the end of a statement. The sentence structure remains unchanged.
คุณชอบไหม?
khun chawp mai?
Do you like it?
คุณไปไหม?
khun pai mai?
Are you going?
อาหารอร่อยไหม?
aa-haan a-roi mai?
Is the food delicious?
คุณเข้าใจไหม?
khun khao-jai mai?
Do you understand?
ไหม vs มั้ย — Formal and Casual
In casual spoken Thai, ไหม (mai) is often shortened to มั้ย (mai). The meaning is identical, but มั้ย sounds more relaxed and conversational. In writing and formal speech, ไหม is preferred.
ไปมั้ย?
pai mai?
Going? (casual)
กินมั้ย?
gin mai?
Wanna eat? (casual)
Answering Yes and No
Thai does not have a single word for "yes" or "no" the way English does. Instead, you repeat the verb to say yes, or say ไม่ (mai) + verb to say no.
ชอบ
chawp
Yes, I like it. (repeating the verb)
ไม่ชอบ
mai chawp
No, I don't like it. (negation + verb)
ไป
pai
Yes, I'm going.
ไม่ไป
mai pai
No, I'm not going.
The tones of ไหม (rising tone, question particle), ไม่ (falling tone, negation), and ใหม่ (low tone, meaning "new") are critical. All three are romanized as "mai" but have completely different meanings depending on tone. Confusing ไหม and ไม่ can turn a question into a negation, which fundamentally changes what you are saying. Practice these tones early and often.
"Or" Questions with หรือ (rue)
To offer a choice between options, use หรือ (rue) between the alternatives.
กาแฟหรือชา?
ka-fae rue cha?
Coffee or tea?
ไปหรืออยู่?
pai rue yoo?
Go or stay?
Alternative Yes/No with หรือเปล่า (rue plao)
หรือเปล่า (rue plao, literally "or empty/not") is another way to ask yes/no questions. It has a slightly more direct or emphatic feel compared to ไหม and is very common in everyday speech.
คุณไปหรือเปล่า?
khun pai rue plao?
Did you go (or not)?
คุณเข้าใจหรือเปล่า?
khun khao-jai rue plao?
Do you understand (or not)?
Tag Questions with ใช่ไหม (chai mai)
ใช่ไหม (chai mai) works like English "right?" or "isn't it?" — added to the end of a statement to seek confirmation.
คุณเป็นคนไทยใช่ไหม?
khun pen khon Thai chai mai?
You are Thai, right?
อาหารอร่อยใช่ไหม?
aa-haan a-roi chai mai?
The food is delicious, right?
วันนี้วันจันทร์ใช่ไหม?
wan-nee wan-jan chai mai?
Today is Monday, right?
เขาเป็นหมอใช่ไหม?
khao pen maw chai mai?
He/She is a doctor, right?
Question Words
Thai has a complete set of question words for asking open-ended questions. Unlike English, Thai question words stay in the position of the answer — you do not move them to the front of the sentence.
อะไร (a-rai) — What
คุณกินอะไร?
khun gin a-rai?
What do you eat? (you + eat + what)
นี่คืออะไร?
nee kue a-rai?
What is this?
ใคร (khrai) — Who
ใครมา?
khrai ma?
Who is coming?
คุณไปกับใคร?
khun pai gap khrai?
Who are you going with?
ที่ไหน (thee-nai) — Where
คุณไปที่ไหน?
khun pai thee-nai?
Where are you going?
ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหน?
hawng-naam yoo thee-nai?
Where is the bathroom?
เมื่อไร (meua-rai) — When
คุณจะไปเมื่อไร?
khun ja pai meua-rai?
When will you go?
เขามาเมื่อไร?
khao ma meua-rai?
When did he/she come?
ทำไม (tham-mai) — Why
ทำไมคุณไม่ไป?
tham-mai khun mai pai?
Why don't you go?
ทำไมร้านปิด?
tham-mai raan pit?
Why is the shop closed?
อย่างไร / ยังไง (yang-rai / yang-ngai) — How
อย่างไร is the formal form and ยังไง is the casual spoken form. Both mean "how."
ทำอย่างไร?
tham yang-rai?
How do you do it? (formal)
ไปยังไง?
pai yang-ngai?
How do I get there? (casual)
เท่าไร (thao-rai) — How Much
นี่เท่าไร?
nee thao-rai?
How much is this?
ค่าเช่าเท่าไร?
kha chao thao-rai?
How much is the rent?
กี่ (gee) — How Many
กี่ is always used with a classifier.
คุณมีแมวกี่ตัว?
khun mee maew gee tua?
How many cats do you have?
คุณอยู่กี่วัน?
khun yoo gee wan?
How many days are you staying?
To say "yes" in Thai, repeat the verb from the question. If someone asks คุณชอบไหม? (Do you like it?), answer ชอบ (like) — not a generic "yes" word. This verb-echo pattern feels strange at first but becomes natural quickly.
Thai people sometimes answer questions indirectly to avoid confrontation or to be polite. A question like "Can you come to the party?" might receive a vague response like "I'll try" or "Maybe" rather than a direct "no." This indirectness is a feature of Thai communication culture, not evasiveness. Reading between the lines is an important social skill in Thailand.
Quick Reference Table
| Question Type | Particle / Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/No | ไหม (mai) | คุณชอบไหม? (Do you like it?) |
| Yes/No (casual) | มั้ย (mai) | ไปมั้ย? (Going?) |
| Yes/No (direct) | หรือเปล่า (rue plao) | ไปหรือเปล่า? (Did you go or not?) |
| Tag question | ใช่ไหม (chai mai) | ใช่ไหม? (Right?) |
| Or | หรือ (rue) | กาแฟหรือชา? (Coffee or tea?) |
| What | อะไร (a-rai) | กินอะไร? (Eat what?) |
| Who | ใคร (khrai) | ใครมา? (Who came?) |
| Where | ที่ไหน (thee-nai) | ไปที่ไหน? (Go where?) |
| When | เมื่อไร (meua-rai) | ไปเมื่อไร? (Go when?) |
| Why | ทำไม (tham-mai) | ทำไมไม่ไป? (Why not go?) |
| How | ยังไง (yang-ngai) | ไปยังไง? (Go how?) |
| How much | เท่าไร (thao-rai) | เท่าไร? (How much?) |
| How many | กี่ (gee) + classifier | กี่คน? (How many people?) |
Summary
Asking questions in Thai is one of the easiest parts of the language — no word order changes, no auxiliary verbs, just add a particle or swap in a question word. The key takeaways:
- Add ไหม to any statement to make it a yes/no question — word order stays the same
- Answer by repeating the verb for yes, or ไม่ + verb for no — Thai has no single word for "yes" or "no"
- Watch your tones — ไหม (rising, question), ไม่ (falling, not), and ใหม่ (low, new) sound similar but mean very different things
- Question words stay in place — unlike English, they sit where the answer would go
- Use ใช่ไหม for confirmation — it works like "right?" at the end of any statement
- กี่ always needs a classifier — กี่คน (how many people), กี่ตัว (how many animals)
