The following is not my own work; it's based upon a webpage from the SiamSmile website which, a few years ago, dropped off the Internet. I have changed the transcription, corrected a few typos and obvious mistakes, and reformatted the source. The original was written by "Boo Boo", so all credit and thanks to him/her/them.
A non-tonal language such as English uses stress and tone to change the feeling and mood of a sentence. Asking someone to "Come here!", depending on the tone of the voice, can completely change the meaning from a mild entreaty to a forceful command. A tonal language like Thai, where the meaning of a word is determined by the tone or pitch of the voice - uses words, usually tacked onto the end of a sentence, called particles (khamloŋtháay คำลงท้าย), to convey emotion and feeling. These particles are used in Thai because if you tried to express feeling and mood through intonation of voice, it may interfere with the tone (and therefore meaning) of a word.
As well as mood particles, and as a likely reflection of the hierarchical and class structure of Thai society, Thai also has several polite particles such as khráp ครับ, khá/khâ คะ/ค่ะ, khrápphǒm ครับผม etc. which are added to the end of a sentence to indicate deference and respect to the addressee. Polite particles play an important role in Thai culture where face and harmonious relations are often at a premium. Use of the appropriate polite particle in a sentence can add just the right amount of politeness for a given situation.
To summarize, these particles, which are unnecessary in English, add feeling, mood, deference and politeness to Thai speech.
Particles are used in informal Thai, that is, Thai as used in everyday speech, Internet chat rooms, message boards and comics etc. However, no particles (with the exception of some of the polite particles) are used in formal Thai. For example, if you as a government official write a formal letter to your colleagues or your superiors, particles will be omitted completely. This also applies to Ministerial Regulations, Royal Decrees, Ministerial Notifications, Judgments, and the like.
Particles come naturally to native Thai speakers and they don't really think too much about them. Westerners learning the Thai language however, are often particularly interested in speech particles because they can, in the most extreme cases, completely change the mood (and therefore meaning) of a sentence and are thus very useful words to be aware of. For example:
Or:
Despite their importance, particles are invariably poorly explained and neglected in Thai-English dictionaries. This web page attempts to redress this and lists all the particles that I am aware of. I have endeavoured to distinguish between literary, colloquial and gender forms, since some particles are only used in one instance. The list of particles is arranged in transliterated alphabetical order, to make searching them easier. Also included is a smaller section on exclamatory particles (คำอุทาน). I hope the information gathered here will be of some use to you. Mastering Thai particles will set you on course to speak as fluently and naturally as a native Thai speaker. Enjoy!
As a final point, it should be noted that: Except for the polite words khráp ครับ and khá/khâ คะ/ค่ะ, the use of particles depends on a person's individual speaking style: some people use them a lot, others don't. In general they add informality and playfulness to spoken Thai. (Reference 2, p.287).
Does not dramatically change the meaning of a sentence; is used in Spoken Thai mainly by teenagers. It seems to be a more informal form of ná นะ or lâ ล่ะ, e.g.
Reference 2, p. 292: This comes from nâ. It's used informally at the end of questions, e.g.
I have also seen it used at the end of statements, e.g.
Sometimes used on its own means 'Uhm'; sometimes used to add emphasis, e.g.
You can hear a couple of examples of the use of à in the Thai film aathǎn kɛ̂ɛbon phǐi อาถรรพ์แก้บนผี where Moss calls out to her friends Muay and Pin as they enter the haunted house:
In these two examples, à is equivalent to lâ ล่ะ .
This is a slang word placed at the end of statements, similar in meaning to násí นะซิ (see entries below for ná and sí). It tends to be used by teenagers. Can be used in speech and writing, e.g.
Another example may be if A is chatting to B and B says something incorrect, and B acknowledges this by saying "Oops!":
Particle indicating contempt, familiarity or playful banter, placed before a man's (or animal's) name, e.g.
Note that in Central Thai, the use of ây ไอ้ is generally considered rude. The exception appears to be in some of the Thai dialects; e.g. in Isaan dialect, ây ไอ้ can be used as a term of affection when placed before someone's name, e.g. ây Peter ไอ้ปีเตอร์ or ây Somchai ไอ้สมชาย.
ây ไอ้ can also be used among intimates in Isaan as a 'cute putdown' if someone's cheeky e.g. ây mǎa ไอ้หมา or ây (name), where 'name' is someone's name.
The female equivalent of ây ไอ้ is ii อี, and it's used in a similar way to ây ไอ้.
Note that strictly speaking, ây ไอ้ is the prefix for males and ii อี for females, but in practice ây ไอ้ can also sometimes be used for females too, e.g. The local street vendor may call her husband ây kɛ̀ɛ ไอ้แก่ (old man) and he may likewise call her ây ûan ไอ้อ้วน (fatty) in playful banter. The use of ây ไอ้ rather than ii อี is less vulgar/offensive. (reference 9).
There is is also the similar sounding word (but with long vowel length), âay อ้าย, which is used in Isaan dialect to mean phîi พี่ (older/elder brother), e.g.
(Note: not necessarily real brother, but you respect him in that way i.e. a phîinɔ́ɔŋ พี่น้อง relationship).
There are 3 related forms cá/câ/cǎa in common usage, namely, cá จ๊ะ, câ จ้ะ and cǎa จ๋า (see the three entries below for more detail), differing in tone and vowel length. They have varied and different uses. On a very basic level, they may be thought of as less formal versions of khráp/khá/khâ ครับ/คะ/ค่ะ.
reference 2: ... [cá/câ จ๊ะ/จ้ะ ] are more friendly and informal than khráp/khá/khâ ครับ/คะ/ค่ะ. The pronunciation is high/short with questions or when you're offering something to someone... and falling/short with responses...
In my experience, when you hear a new Thai acquaintance of the opposite sex begin to replace the more formal khráp/khá/khâ with cá/câ in their speech, it's a sign they feel more at ease in your company and that a friendship (or more) may be developing. Men don't tend to use cá/câ with each other, unless they are gay. Can also sometimes be used by older men and women to younger girls/boys (under 12).
Familiar and vulgar equivalents of cá/câ are wá/wâ วะ/ว่ะ and wóoy โว้ย.
More detail on the 3 forms of cá/câ/cǎa:
My dear; Particle used by a man or woman, usually to an equal or inferior, after a vocative [such] as 'thîirák ที่รัก'. (Reference 3);
Reference 1: Used by adult male and female speakers at the end of questions when talking to children, servants or people of markedly lower social status; used as a 'sweet-talk' question particle between males and females or as a 'best friends' question particle between females; used after the name of a child, servant or inferior to attract that person's attention; used in polite requests after the particle sí ซิ, e.g.
You can hear an example of cá จ๊ะ in the Thai film cankàphɔ́ɔ จันทน์กะพ้อ when Philai พิไล tells her employee/love interest in the film to go and rest after he is roughed up by the police:
Yes; a term of assent.
Reference 1: Used by adult male and female speakers at the end of a statement when speaking to children, servants and people of inferior status; between males and females denotes anything from easy familiarity to 'sweet talk'; between females signals 'best friends talk'; used as a response when one's name is called (when the vowel is often lengthened to câa จ้า); used in isolation as a 'yes' response; used to reassure speaker of one's attention (câa จ้า... câa จ้า... câa จ้า) when the vowel is normally lengthened; used after mây ไม่ to mean 'No', e.g.
câ จ้ะ can often be used by a parent to child, to soften the sentence and show love, e.g.
You can hear an example of câ จ้ะ in the Thai film cankàphɔ́ɔ จันทน์กะพัอ when Intawn อินทร offers to walk his employer/love interest Philai พิไล back to the house as a safety precaution against the murderer who is still at large. Philai replies:
As a final example of câa จ้ะ, I once heard a taxi driver talking to a lady while driving her to her destination. As she listened to him, she periodically replied câa จ้า to him to indicate that she was following what he was saying.
Particle used to answer a call or indicate that the preceding noun is in the vocative case. Can be used by a woman or man. Can also be used to show tenderness and intimacy between girlfriend and boyfriend when placed after a person's name. I remember one Thai girl saying with a sparkle in her eyes how she loved when her boyfriend used cǎa จ๋า after her name when speaking to her. However, it's most probably best to use cǎa sparingly with a partner, since overuse may leave you sounding too sugary-sweet and insincere.
Reference (2): This is flowery language used with your mother, child or spouse. It shows more tenderness than the previous cá... e.g.
Note that cǎa จ๋า (long, rising) should not be used in interrogative sentences i.e. to end questions e.g. the following would be incorrect:
and would be better written:
You can hear an example of cǎa จ๋า in the Thai film Born to Fight, when the local village nákleeŋ นักเลง (tough guy), Thap ทัพ, calls out to Mali มะลิ, the object of his affections:
As a final point, it should be noted that while both men and women can use cá/câ/cǎa จ๊ะ/จ้ะ/จ๋า, a few Thais I have talked to say that over-use of cá/câ/cǎa by males, may give the impression you're gay. The exception appears to be when sweet-talking a girl, Thai men will sometimes use cá/câ/cǎa to soften their speech and create a favourably 'sweet impression'.
Reference 3, p.309 describes chiaw as a particle similar in meaning to ciaw เจียว, although chiaw is less archaic than ciaw and is still used in modern Thai. It functions as an intensifier and is also used to denote the imperative. I am not really sure if chiaw is a true particle, but I have included it nevertheless for the sake of completeness, e.g.
Reference 4, p. 147: A word added for emphasis, right, really, indeed ทำเดี๋ยวนี้เชียว - Do it right now!
Particle placed at the end of a sentence, similar in meaning to sí ซิ. An informal particle, rarely used in speech, mainly used in Internet chat rooms. Not used in writing. Used by both males and females, e.g.
This particle is archaic and not really used in modern Thai, but is included here for the sake of completeness. Modern usage of เจียว however, ‘can be used to denote humour’, although it’s quite rare. Reference 3, p. 262: A particle used as an intensive only in questions or commands;
Synonyms เชียว, เถิด, นะ, ซิ.
Particle placed at the end of a sentence to denote the imperative, emphasis or request. Similar in meaning to sí but more informal. Used by both males and females. A fairly common particle and I have come across it in Internet chat rooms and in speech. It tends to be used amongst friends (equal in status), or to people younger than you, but is not really suitable for use with elders. I came across one report stating that it's only used by children, but I have seen it used by people in their 20s, so I don't think this is correct, e.g.
You can hear an example of dì in the Thai film aathǎn kɛ̂ɛbon phǐi อาถรรพ์แก้บนผี where Moss calls out to her friends Muay and Pin as they enter the haunted house:
dì ดิ can also sometimes be spelt/pronounced in reduced form as dé เด๊ะ. As far as I understand it, dé and dì are equivalent, just different styles, e.g.
A softener (makes things sound more polite). Reference (1), p. 130: This particle is typically used in polite requests, apologies and cries for help.., e.g.
You can hear an example of dûay in the Thai film aathǎn kɛ̂ɛbon phǐi อาถรรพ์แก้บนผี where Moss calls out to her friends Muay and Pin as they enter the haunted house:
There are 3 forms of əəy, with different spellings and tones əəy เอย, ə̀əy เอ่ย and ə̌əy เอ๋ย:
This is a particle placed at the end of a verse of poetry, verse or discourse.
Reference 3, p. 1064: The end, finis, a particle used to end a piece of verse...
Reference 4, p. 578: A poetical closing particle; a particle used in direct address, o, oh
(Reference 6).
A question-word used in both writing and speech. It can be used by both men and women. Some Thais I’ve talked to say that it’s used more by women, others say men use it equally. It’s used to make questions sound less abrupt and cuter sounding, to show that you're close and care, and for politeness. While it is still used in modern Thai, it’s not one of the more common particles and is not used that often. Reference 3, p.1064: A particle used after the interrogative word in a question or a riddle
e.g.
[Said with a cute lilting voice.] cf. อะไร ..อยู่ในกระเป๋าของฉัน ..- What's in my pocket? [No lilt.] (Reference 7).
(reference 8).
Reference 3, p. 1064: A particle used after a vocative by a man or woman, usually denoting familiarity or affection; e.g.
Reference 4, p. 578: A sound denoting affection [like] dear, my dear (boy, girl, son etc), e.g.
Similar in meaning to wá/wâ วะ/ว่ะ, but a little politer. Can be used by both males and females. OK to use amongst friends, but outside this group likely to be taken as rude/impolite, e.g.
Similar in meaning to wóoy โว้ย. Can be used by both males and females. I think this is quite a rare particle. Informal, used in Spoken Thai, e.g.
As with wá/wâ/wóoy วะ/ว่ะ/โว้ย, fə́əy can be used amongst friends and intimates but is likely to be taken as impolite with strangers.
Less formal version of khráp/khâ ครับ/คะ used with friends/intimates. Can be used by both males and females.
A less formal version of khâ ค่ะ , used by females. You can hear an example of hâ in the Thai film aathǎn kɛ̂ɛbon phǐi อาถรรพ์แก้บนผี, said by Moss มอส to her mother when she offers her some food:
This particle seems to be mainly used in the context of denoting/emphasising uncertainty or when you ponder something: e.g. (reference 5):
A particle similar in meaning to thə̀ เถอะ (see separate entry in this table for this particle), but more informal. Used to denote the imperative. OK to use amongst friends, but likely to be taken as impolite/too familiar if used with strangers. You can hear an example of its use in the Thai film sôm bɛɛŋ mʉʉmày hàt khǎay (2001) ( ส้ม แบงค์ มือใหม่หัดขาย Som and Bank Learn to Sell), where Bank tells his girlfriend Som to stop working in the bar:
Another example can be heard in the film Last Life in the Universe, where Noi น้อย says to her Japanese friend Kenji:
More examples:
As mentioned previously, hə̀ เหอะ is likely to be taken as impolite if used with strangers. A politer way to say 'switch on the light' with someone might be:
The female equivalent of ây ไอ้, used in a similar way to ây ไอ้. As with ây ไอ้, it can be used to indicate variously: contempt, familiarity or playful banter. Rude examples include:
Sir, madam, yes, yes sir, yes madam. This is the most common polite particle used by females (and kàthəəy กะเทย). As a general rule, khá is used at the end of questions, khâ at the end of statements. An exception to this female-only-usage rule appears to be if a man is sweet-talking his girlfriend/spouse etc. He may then use khâ to convey intimacy and sensitivity. For example, he may say fǎndii ná khâ ฝันดีนะค่ะ or fǎndii khâ ฝันดีค่ะ (sweet dreams/sleep tight!) to express warmth and caring. Or he could say
Another exception is when a man is talking to a child (female), he may again use khá to show a sense of caring. Unless you are a very accomplished Thai speaker, it's most probably best not to try to use khâ/khá in these ways though.
This is a variant of khá/khâ คะ/ค่ะ. It is a polite and sweet-sounding particle, similar in meaning to cǎa จ๋า, but restricted to female usage. Usually used to gain attention or respond to someone calling you, e.g.
Reference 3, p. 139: Particle used by a woman to answer a call or to indicate that the preceding noun is the vocative case.
Yes Sir. This is a polite form of khá/khâ used by females to older people, superiors (e.g. a boss, senior officer) etc. to show respect. It's similar in meaning and usage to khrápphǒm. Can also sometimes be used between friends to express a sense of pràchótpràchan ประชดประชัน (v. to be sarcastic) when asked to do something 'you're not entirely happy about doing'. The male equivalent is khráp thân ครับท่าน.
Sir, madam, yes, yes sir, yes madam. This is the most common particle used by males if you want to sound polite. Its use is restricted to males only, and it can be used to address any age group, even to people younger than yourself, such as children. One exception to this male-only-usage rule is that older women can sometimes use khráp to young boys. It's used to teach them both politeness and the correct male particle for a boy, and is often utilized in the context of trying to get them to do something or to try to convince them of something, e.g.
Unless you are a very accomplished Thai speaker, it's most probably best not to try to use khráp in this way though. You can hear an example of this female usage of khráp in the Thai film The Closet, when Tam ตั้ม says he's hungry, and his mother tells him to wait:
Another example of women using khráp is that a mother may use khráp to her daughter when playing the 'role of the father speaking to the child', although this is relatively rare, and as might be expected, khâ is the most often used particle by mother to young daughter (reference 13). I have also heard khráp ครับ used amongst lesbians. It's usually the 'butch' thɔɔm ทอม one that uses it, rather than the the 'fem' dîi ดี้ one.
Can be translated as 'Yes sir', or 'yes'. A very polite form of khráp. Used when wanting to show special respect to someone e.g. a pupil when addressing a teacher, a shop assistant to a customer, or a taxi driver to a passenger. If you hear a taxi driver using this with you, the chances are you'll get a good journey, without too many detours. Sometimes used in a humorous or sarcastic way in response to e.g. a girlfriend bossing you around. It's also used in the military by junior soldiers when addressing higher-ranking officers. Female junior soldiers use the equivalent khâ thân ค่ะท่าน in this situation. I have most often heard it used by males, although it can apparently also be used by females to address males they are familiar with, and by females to younger boys. You will also occasionally hear older people using it with younger people too. Apparently it's a 'sign of manners' to do so, and is quite normal, despite the age disparity. Not to be confused with the male personal pronoun kràphǒm กระผม (meaning 'I').
Perhaps, maybe, to presume. Formal form of máŋ มั้ง, used in writing, not speech. Reference (3): A particle used to express doubt or sarcasm rather than a straight question, e.g.
Comes from หรือ. Has varied meanings and uses. When placed at the end of a sentence indicates a mild entreaty e.g.
Can be used to soften negative replies: e.g.
Also can convey a feeling of irritation, similar to 'why on earth?' e.g.
lâ is sometimes shortened to â อ่ะ in speech. Note that in normal speech, apparently lâ is actually pronounced with a low tone, as though it's spelt หละ, unless it's followed by khráp ครับ or khâ คะ, when it takes a high tone. You will often see lâ spelt informally as หละ (e.g. on the internet) to reflect this low tone.
A shortened form of lɛ́ɛw แล้ว. Can indicate a state or situation has been reached or is about to change e.g.
Can also be used to show mild irritation when used with ìik อีก e.g.
Reference 3, p.1008: A particle used for emphasis in a similar manner to lâ ล่ะ , having the mild force of just here, just there or just that, e.g.
Reference 4, p. 550:
that very e.g.
Dictionaries translate ləəy variously as... inter alia... at all, beyond, too much, to surpass, to top, so, too, past, on past a place, further, and then, so then, definitely, consequently etc, so I'm not really sure ləəy is a true particle since it's adequately described by these definitions. Nevertheless, it does seem to have particle-like properties when placed after verbs and phrases, where it's often used to denote emphasis, so I have included it here for the sake of completeness, e.g.
[The use of ləəy here indicates a greater degree of happiness than if it's left out].
Maybe, perhaps, I guess. Informal version of kràmaŋ, e.g.
This is a polite particle indicating a mild question; also used to seek agreement or confirmation. It's also a softener, making speech seem less abrupt. Can also be used to soften warnings. Can be translated variously as ... you know,... you see?,... isn't it?, please, okay? Reference 3, p. 487: A particle used at the end of a sentence to show that it is a command or an entreaty (the imperative mood), e.g.
ná is often combined with the particles khráp or khâ for extra politeness, e.g.
Similar in meaning to ná นะ; can be used to mean please when trying to persuade a (perhaps) reluctant person e.g.
Can also be used to highlight the topic of a sentence, similar to the word 'right... ' e.g.
A variation of nîi นี่. Reference (2), p. 293: This is included to show that an amount is considered large, e.g.
I think this particle is exclusive to Southern Thai dialect, although it will sometimes creep into Central Thai being spoken by people from the South. Shares the same meaning as sí ซิ.
This particle is a short form of นี่แหละ and can mean 'this one' or 'this'. It's used for emphasis and occurs in two main situations: 1. Adds emphasis (or surprise) to statements and questions; shows you'd really like to know the answer to a question. e.g.
2. Can be placed behind a noun or person's name to add emphasis to that noun and to refer back to what is being talked about, e.g.
Can be used to indicate slight disagreement with an assumption implicit in a question or statement. Can also be used for emphasis, e.g.
Here nîi is used for emphasis/stress. You could leave the nîi out of B's response and it would still mean the same, although with less emphasis. A bit like the difference between terrible and really terrible.
The meaning of this particle appears to depend on the context it’s used in, but it’s mainly used for emphasis. Actually, nîi นี่ is the particle, and naa นา is added for euphony and to soften the sentence, e.g.
Actually nîi นี่ is the particle, and naa นา is added to soften the sentence. So the above sentence could also be written exactly as above, but without the naa นา, and retain the same meaning. (Reference 9).
I saw one report stating that nîi naa is only used by females, but I've encountered it used by males too, so I don't think this is correct. Reference 11: Particle marking an utterance as an explanation or as an answer to a question.
- Just like I said; you see; what did you expect?; just e.g.
The slightly similar-sounding particles nɔ́ เนาะ, nə́ เนอะ and nə́ə เน้อ are colloquial variants of ná นะ, used when seeking confirmation (reference 7), e.g.
A particle placed at the end of a question, roughly equivalent to “I wonder; can be used to soften a sentence. Reference 3: A particle used often at the end of a rhetoric [sic] question especially when speaking to oneself; เมื่อไรเราจะรำรวยสักทีหนอ (เมื่อไรหนอ เราจะร่ำรวยสักที) When shall I become wealthy? (When shall I become rich?) S.(synonym) นะ. Reference 4: An interrogative and reflective word, e.g.
Apparently, nɔ̌ɔ หนอ (i.e. rising tone) is mostly used in formal writing. In speech, it tends to be pronounced as nɔ̌ɔ น้อ i.e. high tone. nɔ̌ɔ น้อ is not archaic and is still used in colloquial Thai.
Can be translated as 'a little'. Used with requests to lessen the degree of imposition, e.g.
Used as a response to show that you think something is self-evident. Seems in some instances to be roughly equivalent to the English expression 'Of course!', e.g.
Version of khráp ครับ to be used by a man to royalty.
Version of khá/khâ คะ/ค่ะ used by a woman to royalty.
Used after a negative statement to make it seem milder or convey a humble attitude, e.g.
Adding rɔ̀ɔk to the sentence makes it sound milder and humbler.
The use of rɔ̀ɔk here softens the reply. The equivalent in Isaan dialect is dɔ̀ɔk ดอก.
This has varied meanings. See ref. (2) for a fuller explanation. When appears at the end of a sentence indicates encouragement or means 'do it quickly' e.g.
You may also hear
Here sá lɛ́ɛw is short for sǐa lɛ́ɛw เสียแล้ว and indicates the action has been completed already. (sǐa เสีย is the formal form of sá ซะ; sá ซะ is colloquial).
sá nɔ̀y ซะหน่อย comes from สักหน่อย (a little) and when it appears in negative sentences (with mây ไม่) it has a mild intensive force, confirming and strengthening what comes before it in the sentence. It seems in some instances to have a similar function to an exclamation mark "!" or the confirmation/affirmation phrase "...you know?", which is sometimes placed at the end of sentences in English, e.g.
Recall Bill Clinton's famous denial regarding Monica Lewinsky "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
You can hear an example of sá nɔ̀y in the film Tears of the Black Tiger, where RAMPOEY รำเพย denies to GO โก๊ะ that she is Dam's ดำ girlfriend:
Without the mây ไม่, sá nɔ̀y functions as a softener by e.g. limiting the degree of imposition, e.g.
Reference (2): This is a shortened from sák nɔ̀y ซักหน่อย and is included with statements to minimize the action. It shouldn't be used when requesting something as it would sound too abrupt; use sák nɔ̀y ซักหน่อย instead, e.g.
Used in the imperative and to add emphasis. Sometimes spelt sì สิ. (Apparently sì สิ is the more formal spelling), e.g.
The use of sí in the last two examples indicates a greater degree of pleasure/satisfaction than if it's not used.
The use of sì wá สิวะ indicates more force/impoliteness than if it's not used. A politer way of saying 'Come here!' would be maa nîi sì khráp มานี่สิครับ. You can hear an example of sì in the Thai film The Closet where the mother tells her son to wake up:
This particle means, inter alia... 'once/just this once' and is similar in usage to nɔ̀y. It is used after a verb, often in the imperative mood, to lessen the degree of imposition, by indicating that the action has to be performed only once, e.g.
Please; do; let us. Adds mild emphasis at the end of requests, orders and suggestions. Linguistically speaking, thə̀ is referred to as a hortative particle, so-called because it exhorts (urges) somebody to do something, e.g.
Apparently, thə̀ เถอะ is more colloquial/informal and used in modern Thai. thə̀ət เถิด is more formal and used in writing. One source I've seen indicates thə̀/thə̀ət เถอะ/เถิด is slightly politer than sí ซิ, although both are polite particles. You can hear an example of its use in the Thai film, Tears of the Black Tiger, where Dam ดำ says to hisə̌əy/girlfriend RAMPOEY รำเพย:
See also the related entry in this table for เหอะ เหอะ, which is a less formal version of thə̀ เถอะ.
(reference 7).
Tacked onto the end of a sentence in place of the more polite khráp/khá/khâ ครับ/คะ/ค่ะ to indicate variously: familiarity, contempt, dislike, disgust, annoyance, anger. Use with caution. Sometimes spelt wà หวะ or wàa หว่า. One example where you might use it: You’re woken up from your slumbers by someone shaking you awake to tell you something. You might irritably snap:
More examples:
Reference (1), p. 129: An impolite or informal particle, used to indicate rudeness, anger and aggressiveness when speaking to strangers, or intimacy with close friends of equal status; wá วะ is used with questions and wá/wóoy) ว่ะ/โว้ย with statements; more common with male speech but can be used by females; it is the particle favoured by baddies on the big screen, used by drinking friends as the evening progresses, and the one to snarl in the expression tham àray wá ทำอะไรวะ? ('What the hell are you doing?') if you have the misfortune to encounter an intruder in the house.
Reference (2), p. 300: (วะ/ว่ะ) adds emphasis. It isn't polite and is used only with friends or when you're very angry. You can hear an example of wá in the Thai film aathǎn kɛ̂ɛbon phǐi อาถรรพ์แก้บนผี said by one of the girls when she tries unsuccessfully to hail a taxi and it just drives past without stopping:
You can hear an example of wóoy in the Thai film cankàphɔ́ɔ จันทน์กะพัอ when one of the guests angrily makes his views about the resort clear:
As a final point it should be noted that with strangers, wá may well be taken as rude, but with friends and intimates this is not necessarily so. Here it can be a particle signifying familiarity or closeness, used in place of the more formal khâ/khráp. I have seen fairly innocuous conversations between friends peppered with wá, there's no real disagreement going on, it's just used in place of the politer khâ/khráp particles. Context determines its meaning. Here's an example of two males (perhaps drinking buddies) discussing a member of the opposite sex:
(reference 9). Here wá is used as a kind of bonding particle and indicates that the two men are close enough so that it can be used without causing offence.
Reference (1), p. 129: An impolite or informal particle, similar to wá/wâ, but restricted in usage to female speakers. Used in spoken Thai. Sometimes used by kàthəəys and gays too. I saw one example of its usage in an Internet chat room, used by a young woman who was being asked to leave the main communal chat room and enter into a private chat ('whisper') by another chatter:
The use of yâ shows her annoyance. Although not as rude as wâ, yâ is still impolite. It can also convey a sense of superiority or pràchót ประชด to a sentence (pràchót ประชด v. to mock, ridicule, deride, treat contemptuously, to be sarcastic). e.g.
Here the use of yâ conveys a sense of “Didn’t you know that?/You don’t know anything! yâ is also frequently the particle of choice for the evil leading ladies in Thai soap operas. Can also be used to express a sense of mock superiority or teasing, when used in playful banter between friends.
Slang word used in speech and Internet chat rooms. Not really a particle, but I have included it nevertheless since it is quite common in Thai but tends not to be listed in dictionaries. Usually used on its own, and not at the end of a sentence. Can be translated variously as "Oh, I see", "Ah ha", "Oh yeah", "Uhm" or "Hmm". 'Used mainly by young people (teenagers) trying to sound cute', e.g.
Oh! - indicates surprise/something unexpected (in a not necessarily positive way) e.g. you might say you're leaving, and someone may exclaim:
Can be used by both males and females. Another example:
The âaw อ้าว here indicates surprise, you just discovered the person hadn't gone somewhere (but you had expected them to go).
Exclamation of delight/joy like: Hurray, hurrah; hooray, hip hip hooray! Can also be spelt chayoo ชโย, e.g.
Also seen on the Singha beer TV advert when they celebrate.
A slang emphasis word roughly equivalent to "Damn!" or "Fuck!" e.g.
To my ear, chìp ฉิบ sounds as though it's pronounced mid (or high tone) in normal conversation.
Uh? (For when you can't remember something or figure it out), e.g. เอ๋ มันอยู่ที่ไหน Uh?... Where's it gone?
Reference 4, p. 578: Exclamation uttered on making a mistake, No! I mean... =
Reference 3, p. 1064: An exclamation expressing sudden surprise or sudden discovery, sometimes equivalent to the parenthetic(al) ‘I mean’;
An exclamation of surprise, on discovering a secret. Reference 4: Look at you!; How about that! e.g.
You can hear an example of hânnɛ̂ɛ in the film Tears of the Black Tiger, where GO โก๊ะ mocks Dam ดำ about his female friend RAMPOEY
Onomatopoeia from the sound of sighing. Would use it when you are e.g. dissatisfied/bored/relieved/frustrated with something, e.g.
Dictionaries tend to spell it เฮอ/เฮ้อ but I have also come across it spelt hə̂ə เห้อ.
Hey! (calling attention). Not necessarily polite, e.g.
This is a slang word used amongst friends for gentle teasing, similar to the English expression 'Na-na nana-na!' You might say this to your friend when e.g. he/she makes a mistake, gets an answer wrong, or if you beat them in a race etc, e.g.
Onomatopoeia from the sound of screaming. Mainly used by girls to express variously fear, surprise, excitement, delight etc, e.g. a girl may kríit when she sees a ghost, or at a pop concert etc. Sometimes spelt กรี๊ดๆ, กรี้ด, กรีด etc.
Jeez!, my goodness! (surprise/admiration). Used by both genders, e.g.
Can also be used to convey sarcasm or that you're joking e.g.
Expression/exclamation, roughly equivalent to "You're so cute, I could eat you!" You will often see Thai women say this while cuddling a baby and giving him/her an affectionate little pinch on the cheek. Often also used by Thai females to their boyfriends, when canoodling and cuddling. Can be used by both males and females.
Dictionaries invariably translate this as v. To be disgusted with but colloquially the most frequent use I see is as an expression/exclamation meaning "Don't be cute!", "Tone it down a little!" or "That's a little over-the-top!" This appears to be a case where the Thai language is richer than the English language since there doesn't seem to be any simple direct translation of mànsây into English. It's used when you think someone is over-acting, and can be used as a mild rebuke of someone acting too cute or charming e.g. trying to crawl to the boss, kissing or being too romantic with your partner in public, using too sweet expressions, wearing strange clothes, etc, e.g. If Somchai and Oi were always kissing and holding hands in public, someone might remark to their friend:
Or if someone is trying to suck up to somebody too much (like to the boss, or your mother-in-law, to win Brownie points), people might gossip:
(reference7).
An example I saw in an internet chat room:
(reference 12).
An exclamation-slang word. Used mainly in chat rooms, comics etc. Can be used in speech too, but not so common. Indicates surprise e.g. someone may say something surprising, and the listener may reply: àray ŋâ อะไรง่ะ (or just ŋâ ง่ะ), meaning 'What???', e.g.
Although it can be used by any age group, ŋâ/ŋá ง่ะ/งะ is mainly used by teenagers. Apparently it’s used as a response to show you understand what’s been said to you but the answer’s not what you were expecting and you’re momentarily not quite sure how to respond, e.g.
I also sometimes see it used in internet chat room quizzes. When the correct answer is finally announced, some of the chatters say ŋâ ง่ะ in response to seeing the correct answer. ŋâ ง่ะ can also be spelt ง่า. Sometimes ŋâ also appears to be used in a similar way to the English ‘UHM อืม’ - i.e. just used as a sound to express uncertainty or fill a lull in a conversation.
Wow!, what about that! Shows amazement/surprise. You will sometimes hear football pundits using this while commentating on an exciting game. Sometimes it's shortened to just hǒo โห. e.g.
Note that in normal conversation the tones of ôo hoo appear to be falling-rising i.e. ôo hǒo as though it's spelt โอ้โห.
Yes, uh-huh, I see, is that so, Ah! (now I understand - realisation).
Oh, I see.
Huh! (when angry or annoyed), e.g.
You're unlikely to find this word in a dictionary; it's a slang word used mainly by young people (up to 30 years old, maybe) meaning to be disappointed, to be frustrated, to lose face, to be broken-faced. It's often used when you make a mistake in front of other people e.g. a pupil, answering a teacher's question incorrectly in front of the class, may be tempted to say pɛ̀ɛw แป่ว. It's derived from the word pɛ̂w แป้ว, meaning deflated, or to be flat (like a balloon), e.g.
Oh no!, what a mess!, good Lord! (shock, horror), oh my God!, I don't believe it! Used mainly by females, where it has a high tone.
Oh my God! (short for the colloquial expression phút thôo พุดโท่). Archaic and rarely used in modern Thai.
Ouch!, oops!, Oh! (pain, mishap, tired, fed up, surprise). Mainly used by women, e.g.
Oh no!, Shit!, Damn! (reference 4). Can be used by both males and females, e.g.
Eek!; Oh! (reference 4), e.g.
(Note Thai slang spelling here of เป็น, ลามก etc).
Dictionaries often translate this as retribution, fate etc.but colloquially the most frequent use I see seems to be as an exclamatory particle meaning Jesus!, God Almighty!, Damn!, How awful! etc. In speech, sometimes abbreviated to just kam กรรม or ween เวร. An example of when you might use it is when e.g. your car won't start you might bang the bonnet (hood) and in frustration say kam กรรม! In chat rooms sometimes abbreviated/spelt as kam กำ, ween เวร or weenkam เวงกำ.
Exclamation used when feeling delighted. A bit like, Yes! or Yahoo! e.g.