Survival Thai for Money Situations
You don't need fluency. You need ~30 phrases covering banks, markets, taxis and restaurants — with the numbers system that trips everyone up.
Numbers (the essential part)
| Digit | Thai | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ศูนย์ | soon |
| 1 | หนึ่ง | neung |
| 2 | สอง | song |
| 3–5 | สาม สี่ ห้า | saam, see, haa |
| 6–10 | หก เจ็ด แปด เก้า สิบ | hok, jet, paet, kao, sip |
- Tens: 20 = yee-sip, 30 = saam-sip... (number + sip)
- Hundreds: roi; thousands: pan (e.g., song-pan = 2,000)
- ⚠️ The famous quirk: 101 = "neung-roi-neung" but 102 = "neung-roi-song"; and colloquially "sip" before neung/song becomes "et" — 21 = yee-sip-et
At the bank / money exchange
| English | Thai (romanized) |
|---|---|
| I want to open an account | yàak bpòrt banchěe |
| Where is the exchange rate board? | tèe nǎi mii dtá-lɛ̀ɛt læ̂k-ngrt |
| I want to transfer money | yàak sǒng ngən |
| Please fill in this form | (what staff will say) gror-naa baep níi |
At markets & shops
- "Tao rai?" — How much?
- "Phaeng pai!" — Too expensive! (the classic haggle opener)
- "Lot dai mai?" — Can you discount?
- "Ao an níi" — I'll take this one
- "Mai ao kráp/kâ" — No thanks (kráp = male ending, kâ = female)
Taxis & getting around
- "Pai ... ?" — Going to ...? (destination name)
- "Mét chái méetər" — Use the meter (essential phrase in Bangkok taxis)
- "Jòht dtît née" — Stop here
Politeness mechanics that change everything
- Add kráp/kâ at sentence end = instantly softer, better service
- "Mai pen rai" — no problem/it's fine (defuses most friction)
- Smiling while saying anything in broken Thai works better than perfect English delivered coldly
Settling in? Continue: Bank account guide → · SIM setup →
Romanizations approximate; tones matter but effort beats accuracy for daily life.
Content last reviewed: August 2026.