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  1. Thai Greetings. Thai Wai. The Thai greeting called Wai includes a slight bow, with arms pressed together as done while praying. This traditional Thai greeting looks the same as an Indian ‘Namaste’. Thai people mostly perform a Wai when they say khop khun (thank you), or Sawasdee (hello).

    • Sawadee (krub / kah) – Hello. This is how we say hello in Thailand, “sawadee krub. “ if you are male and “sawadee kah“ if you are female. This is often spoken together with the traditional Thai greeting referred to as the wai, which consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer like fashion by your face.
    • Sabai Dee Ru (krub / kah) – How are you ? Following on from sawadee, is “sabai dee mai krub / kah“, literally meaning “hello, how are you. “ You will hear this phrase everywhere you venture in Phuket.
    • Chai – Yes. Mai – No. These two words will help you no end when you are out and about on the streets of Thailand. “chai chai“ is a common answer here in the kingdom meaning ‘yes yes’, alternately “mai“ when it precedes any other word means ‘no’, for example “mai ron“ means it is not hot.
    • Mai Pen Rai – Never mind/No worries. This is a handy phrase when you are negotiating anything in the markets or with the taxi drivers around the island.
    • Don't Worry, It's Okay
    • You're Welcome
    • No Thank You
    • Yes Please

    The most commonly understood meaning of mai pen rai is “Don't worry”, which is wrapped up in a “Let it go” mentality. Let's say you arrive at the train station with your partner just as your train pulls away. Instead of getting stressed because the next train isn't for another 25 minutes, your partner says “Mai pen rai, let's grab a coffee and sit ...

    Let's say that upon arrival to your hotel you are greeted with a complimentary room upgrade. You express your thanks to the receptionist by saying, “Thank you so much. That's really kind of you!” You will likely get a “Mai pen rai” in response, coupled with a big smile. In this case it is more of a “You're welcome (it's no problem)” than a “Don't w...

    Mai pen rai can also be used to say (indicate) a “No thank you”. For example, if sharing a cake among friends and you are offered the last slice, you might say “Mai pen rai” to indicate that you don't want it. You might instead say “Mai ao krap/ka”, which means “I don't want it , thank you”. Please note that you should also put khrap (male) or ka (...

    And then there is the hesitant “Mai pen rai”, which subtly means “Yes, I do want it, but I'm being polite and not wanting to cause inconvenience”. This is what I call mai pen rai combined with greng jai, which I've written about here. In this case, you do want the last slice of cake but don't want to put yourself before anyone else who might also w...

    • Greetings in Thai. Sa Wad Dee (krub/ka): The universal way to greet a Thai is the word "sa wad dee" (สวัสดี), which can be used any time and is often accompanied by the Wai (ไหว้) gesture, the Thai version of shaking hands.
    • Thank You in Thai. Kob Khun (krub/ka): This is an easy one. Whenever you want to thank someone in Thailand, you should say "Kob Khun" (krub/ka) and they will say the same back.
    • Yes/No in Thai. Chai / Mai (krub/ka): This is a rather interesting word as there is a synonym you can use in place of the translated word. The word for "yes" in Thai is Chai (krub/ka), but you can also simply use the word "krub/ka" as a way to agree.
    • How Much in Thai. Tao Rai (krub/ka): The phrase to use when you want to ask how much things are is "Tao Rai (krub/ka)," together with your pointing to the item you want to know the price of.
  2. Thai uses long, short, high and low tones to give the words meaning. Similar sounding words can have different meanings based on the tone they have. For example the Thai word “kao” can mean: rice, nine, knee, to come in, news, etc…

  3. May 24, 2003 · 1. mai bpen rai, mai mee bpunhaa. The first phrase roughly translates to "it doesn't matter", the second to "no problem." Together, they typify the Thai approach to life: don't get bogged down by small obstacles, don't worry, take it easy. Much to the dismay of Westerners, Thais employ these phrases even in situations that are dangerous, even ...

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  5. Feb 18, 2016 · The three syllables roughly translate to “its okay” or “don’t worry” — but what does this simple phrase actually mean? After asking not only foreigners, but also native Thais, what their definition of mai pen rai is, I received a surprising variety of responses.

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