Sawasdee is a greeting that was put together by humans during the 1930s. It is fairly polite so people will often use it upon first meeting or in cases of workers speaking to customers, however it's used much less often in informal situations. And it's almost never used in intimate situations.
Sawasdee or hello in Thai is the most common and useful Thai greeting to learn. You'll hear a lot of Sawasdee kha/khap in Thailand. Sawasdee can also be used to say good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good day, and even good bye. Women say 'Sawasdee kha', and men say 'Sawasdee khap'.
This is a very common phrase that means “Hello.” There are a couple of important things to know about it, however. First of all, greetings are usually accompanied by a gesture called a wai. To do a wai, you simply press your hands together in a “praying” gesture.
A cheery greeting can go a long way in the Land of Smiles. Sawadee krap/ka will often be met with a huge grin! You can use the same phrase to bid someone goodbye too.
The most common and widely used greeting in Thailand is "Sawasdee" (สวัสดี), a word that functions as both hello and goodbye. It's a versatile greeting, suitable for almost every occasion, whether formal or informal.
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What is a polite greeting in Thai?
Formal greetings : – In Thailand people usually don't shake hands when they meet. Instead, they perform a Wai and say 'Sawatdii'. Wai is a Thai etiquette in greeting and honouring each other. It expresses the meaning of greeting, thanking, apologizing to someone or saying goodbye.
คนดี /kon-dii/ = my good girl, my good little one, my baby girl. This word gives me a warm feeling and the speaker sounds like a warm-hearted person. คน /kon/ means 'person' and ดี /dii/ means 'good'. Please note that this word is commonly used to call ladies.
I agree that 'sawatdee' is quite appropriate for your situation. 'Sawas' does not reflect the pronunciation accurately and leads to unnecessary confusion. If it is in Thailand then Sawasdee is the most appropriate as every Thai person spell it that way.
In Thailand, a wai, a gesture where you place your hand together in a “praying” sign at chest level, is a polite greeting. To show more respect, raise the wai higher, to your chin or nose-level.
When greeting friends or people of the same age or status, Thais often use more casual forms of hello: หวัดดี (wát-dii) – A shortened version of “สวัสดี,” used in casual settings. ว่าไง (wâa ngai) – Equivalent to “What's up?” in English. เฮ้ (hêr) – A casual “Hey” often used among close friends.
Do use “ka” and “krab” – If you are a woman, it is appropriate to end sentences or greetings with “ka.” For example, “sawasdee” is hello in Thai…as a woman, you would say “sawasdee ka.” If you are a man, your sentences should end with “krab,” so “sawasdee krab” is a proper hello.
You might get asked: "Bai nai?" - "What are you doing?" which is often used instead of "How are you?". A good response is: "Bai tee-o" which means "I'm going out socially".
Dok Mai also written as Dokmai (Thai: ดอกไม้, pronounced [dɔ̀ːk máːj]) is a khwaeng (sub-district) of Prawet District, Bangkok. Dok Mai is a southeast part of the district. Its name translates to "flower".
Cha om, also known as Acacia leaves in English, comes from the acacia pennata plant, a small shrub native to Southeast Asia. Learn how to use these nutritious leaves and how they're used in Thai recipes! What is this? Recipes using Cha Om are Thai Cha Om Omelette and Gaeng Som with Fish.
