Sawatdee: the Thai hello, and the word you add to it

Getting the word itself right

Three short beats: sà, wàt, dee. The first two sit low and the last one is flat and level, like a calm statement. You will see it spelled sawasdee, sawadee and sawatdee on signs and T-shirts. Ignore the "s" in the middle. In Thai, that letter turns into a "t" sound when it closes a syllable, which is why a hissed "sa-WAS-dee" makes Thai listeners pause for half a second.

The ending carries more weight than you might expect. ครับ (kráp) is high and short. ค่ะ (kâ) falls, like a firm "yes". In fast, everyday speech many men clip kráp down to something closer to "káp", so do not be thrown when you hear it.

One word covers the whole day. In everyday speech, Thais do not switch between good morning and good evening the way English speakers do. Sà-wàt-dee works at 7am at the hotel breakfast and at midnight at a 7-Eleven. More on good morning and good night below.

The wai: when your hands join in

The ไหว้ (wâi) is the palms-together gesture with a small dip of the head. It goes with sà-wàt-dee, but not every time. The basic rule is that the younger or junior person wais first, and the other person answers.

• Do wai people clearly older than you, monks, your host family, and a manager or owner who wais you first. A monk will not wai you back. That is normal, not a snub.
• You don't need to start a wai with waiters, shop staff or children. It can put them in an awkward spot, because they are expected to wai you, not the other way round.
• When staff wai you, which happens at hotels and some restaurants, smile and nod. Saying sà-wàt-dee with your ending at the same time is plenty.

The higher your hands, the more respect you show. For most adults, raise your hands until your thumbs are near your chin. For older people, bring your thumbs to the tip of your nose. For monks, your thumbs go between your eyebrows. Returning a wai from someone junior is lower, around the chest. Nobody expects a visitor to get the height exactly right, and a sincere smile covers a lot.

Is there a casual "hi"?

Yes, and you will hear these all the time between friends. Whether you should use them depends on who you are talking to.

On a first trip, stick with sà-wàt-dee kráp or kâ. It is never wrong, and it is the version people react to warmly. Save wàt-dee for when someone uses it with you first.

"How are you?" and what to say back

สบายดีไหม (sà-baai dee mái) means roughly "are you well?" The usual answer is สบายดี (sà-baai dee), I'm fine, plus your ending. To turn it around, add แล้วคุณล่ะ (láew kun lâ), and you?

Here is the part phrasebooks skip: this is not small talk with strangers. Thais ask it of people they have not seen for a while. The hotel receptionist will not ask how you are, and if you ask her, she will understand you and probably smile. It just isn't how Thais open with strangers. Use it on the second visit to the same café, or with a Thai friend you are meeting again.

If you are a woman asking the question, the ending changes to คะ (ká), high instead of falling: sà-baai dee mái ká? Men keep kráp for both questions and answers.

Good morning, good night and the rest of the day

The good morning you will actually use is sà-wàt-dee kráp or sà-wàt-dee kâ. Thai does have a separate good morning, but you will see it far more often than you hear it.

• สวัสดีตอนเช้า (sà-wàt-dee dton cháo): the good morning in most phrasebooks and apps. It is correct Thai, but people rarely say it out loud. Sà-wàt-dee on its own sounds more natural.
• อรุณสวัสดิ์ (à-run sà-wàt): good morning. Formal and more written than spoken. It opens morning TV and radio shows, and it is printed on greeting images. Said aloud between friends, it sounds playful or affectionate.
• มอร์นิ่ง (mon-nîng): the English "morning", borrowed. Casual, among younger people. At hotels, staff often greet guests with "good morning" in English.
• Afternoon and evening: there is no everyday spoken form. Phrasebooks print literal versions, like สวัสดีตอนบ่าย for good afternoon, but Thais rarely say them. Sà-wàt-dee covers it.
• ฝันดี (făn dee): sweet dreams. This is the real good night, said at bedtime to friends, family and partners. ราตรีสวัสดิ์ (raa-dtree sà-wàt) is the formal version you hear on TV. Neither is for leaving a restaurant at night; use kòp-kun or sà-wàt-dee.
• เที่ยวให้สนุกนะ (tîeow hâi sà-nùk ná): have a fun trip. This, or เดินทางปลอดภัยนะ (doen-taang bplòt-pai ná), safe travels, is what you are likely to hear as you leave. Thai has no everyday "have a good day". Answer with kòp-kun and your ending.

If you make Thai friends, you may start getting good-morning images on LINE, the messaging app most Thais use, often with flowers and a greeting for the day of the week, like สวัสดีวันจันทร์ (sà-wàt-dee wan jan), happy Monday. Older and middle-aged Thais send them most. A sticker back, or a short sà-wàt-dee kráp or kâ, is a kind reply.

Leaving: goodbye without a new word

You already have it. Sà-wàt-dee kráp or kâ works on the way out too. Around it, you will hear a few others:

• แล้วเจอกัน (láew joe gan): see you later. Friendly and common.
• Bye bye, borrowed from English and said with a sing-song lilt. Everyone uses it, from shop staff to grandparents.
• ลาก่อน (laa gòn): goodbye, but with a sense of not meeting again. You will see it in textbooks far more than you will hear it on the street.

Pair any of these with ขอบคุณ (kòp-kun) when someone has helped you. Our guide to saying thank you with the right ending covers the kráp and kâ side of that.

What Thais say to you, and how to answer

Most hello guides stop once you have said your word. Then the other person replies, quickly, and the moment goes quiet. Several common Thai greetings are phrased as questions that are not really asking for information. Recognize them and you can answer in two words.

A woman behind a counter will often greet you with sà-wàt-dee kâ. If you are a man, answer with sà-wàt-dee kráp, not by echoing her kâ. That echo is one of the most common slips visitors make, and the next section starts with it.

Slips that give away a first-timer

1. Copying the other person's ending. Your ending matches you. A man who repeats "sà-wàt-dee kâ" back to a female server gets a kind smile and, sometimes, a giggle.
2. Saying "sa-WAS-dee". The middle sound is a "t". Keep it short: sà-wàt-dee.
3. Waiing the 7-Eleven clerk. Well meant, slightly awkward. A nod and a smile is the local habit.
4. Asking every shopkeeper how they are. Sà-baai dee mái is for people you know. A plain sà-wàt-dee is the right opener with strangers.
5. Saving sà-wàt-dee for later in the day. It works at any hour, breakfast included. The formal good morning is fine, just more written than spoken, as the good-morning section explains.
6. Dropping the ending with older people. Without kráp or kâ, sà-wàt-dee sounds like the way you would greet a friend. With someone older, always add it.