Learning to ask questions is one of the essential skills in any language, including Thai. Thai question words are not difficult to use, and once you understand the sentence structure, you’ll form questions like a native Thai!
Today we’ll cover the most common Thai question words, their syntax, exceptions, and practical examples to help you ask and answer questions with confidence. Let’s go!
Table of Contents
Sentence Structure for Thai Question Words
In Thai, most question words are placed at the end of a sentence, unlike in English, where they put question words are placed at the beginning.
The basic structure for Thai questions with question words is:
[Subject] + [Verb] + [Object / Complement] + [Question Word?]
For example:
-
คุณชอบกินอะไร? (kun châawp gin à-rai?) = What do you like to eat?
-
คุณจะไปที่ไหน? (kun jà bpai tîi-nǎi?) = Where are you going?
However, some question words can appear at the beginning of a sentence. We will cover that in the exceptions section.
Exceptions: Question Words That Appear at the Beginning
While most Thai question words are at the end of a sentence, some can be placed at the beginning, especially in formal speech or writing. Examples include:
❓ทำไม (tham-mai?) = Why?
ทำไมคุณมาสาย? (tam-mai kun maa sǎai?) = Why are you late?
❓เมื่อไหร่ (mûuea-rài?) = When?
เมื่อไหร่คุณจะไปเมืองไทย? (mêeua-rài kun jà bpai meeuang-tai?) = When will you go to Thailand?
❓ใคร (krai?) = Who? – when it is asked for the “subject” of the sentence
ใครอยู่ที่นั่น? (krai yùu tîi nân?) = Who is there?
Common Thai Question Words
The Thai question words here are what we know in English as the “WH-question words”, e.g. what, when, where, why, how, etc. These question words are a group of interrogative words used to ask for specific information – not only for ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Below you will find the common Thai question words with some examples in the questions:
🌺อะไร = What?
Used to ask about things, objects, or actions.
Examples:
- คุณทำอะไร? (kun tam à-rai?) = What are you doing?
- นี่คืออะไร? (nîi keeu à-rai?) = What is this?
- คุณเห็นอะไร? (kun hěn à-rai?) = What do you see?
As a subject (at the beginning)
- อะไรอยู่ในห้อง (à-rai? yùu nai hâawng) = What’s in the room?
- อะไรอร่อย (à-rai? à-ròi) = What’s delicious? / What’s good?
As an object (At the end)
Examples:
- คุณกินอะไรอยู่ (kun gin à-rai? yùu) = What are you eating?
- มองอะไร (maawng à-rai?) = What are you looking at?
- อยากทำอะไร (yàak tam à-rai?) = What do you want to do?
🌺ใคร = Who?
Used to ask about a person’s identity.
Examples:
- เขาเป็นใคร? (kǎo bpen krai?) = Who is he?
- ใครโทรหาผม? (krai too hǎa pǒm?) = Who called me?
🌺กับใคร = With whom?
Used to ask about ask about companions
Examples:
- คุณไปเที่ยวกับใคร? (kun bpai-tîiaw gàp krai?) = Who are you traveling with?
- เขากินข้าวกับใคร? (kǎo gin kâao gàp krai?) = Who are you eating with?
🌺ของใคร = Whose?
Used as possessive pronoun and possessive adjective
Examples:
- นี่ของใคร? (nîi kǎawng krai?) = Whose is this?
- หมาตัวนี้ของใคร? (mǎa dtuua níi kǎawng krai?) = Whose dog is this?
🌺ที่ไหน (tîi-nǎi) = Where?
Used to ask about locations
Examples:
- คุณอยู่ที่ไหน? (kun yùu tîi-nǎi?) = Where are you?
- ร้านอาหารอยู่ที่ไหน? (ráan aa-hǎan yùu tîi-nǎi?) = Where is the restaurant?
- พวกเขาเจอกันที่ไหน? (pûuak-kǎo juuh gan tîi-nǎi?) = Where did they meet?
🌺อย่างไร / ยังไง (yàang-rai / yang-ngai) = How?
Both “อย่างไร – yàang-rai” and “ยังไง – yang-ngai” mean “How” in English, and are generally used in the same way as that in English – which is to ask questions about manner, condition, or degree.
- คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้อย่างไร? (khun phûut phaa-săa Thai dâai yàang-rai?) = How can you speak Thai?
- ทำยังไงให้เก่งภาษาไทย? (tham yang-ngai hâi gèng phaa-săa Thai?) = How do I become good at Thai?
💡Note:
However, there are cases when we use the question word “อย่างไร – yàang-rai” or “ยังไง – yang-ngai” in Thai instead of using “what (อะไร – à-rai) as in English. The nuance of it is the focus on manner, method, or qualitative information about something than merely listing something out.
Scenario:
You have had a headache for a few days with high fever, so you go to see the doctor.
The doctor may ask you:
🏴 English question: “What symptoms do you have? (direct translation is คุณมีอาการอะไร – kun mii aa-gaan à-rai)”
🇹🇭 Thai question: “คุณมีอาการยังไงบ้าง – kun mii aa-gaan yang-ngai bâang”
With the question word อย่างไร – yàang-rai / ยังไง – yang-ngai (= how?), the doctor is asking about the nature or quality of your symptoms.
It’s akin to asking, “How are you feeling?” or “In what way are you experiencing these symptoms?”
🌺เท่าไหร่ (tâo-rài) = How much?
Used when asking about price or quantity.
- อันนี้ราคาเท่าไหร่? (an-níi raa-kaa tâo-rài?) = How much is this? – Asking for “price”
- คุณจะซื้อมะม่วงเท่าไหร่? (kun jà séeu má-mûuang tâo-rài?) = How much mango do you want to buy? – Asking for “quantity”
🌺ทำไม (tam-mai) = Why?
Used to ask for reasons
- ทำไมคุณเรียนภาษาไทย? (tam-mai kun riian paa-sǎa tai?) = Why are you learning Thai?
- ทำไมเขาถึงไม่มาเมื่อวานนี้? (tam-mai kǎo těeung mâi maa mêeua-waan-níi?) = Why didn’t he come yesterday?
💡Note:
The word ถึง – těeung in the second example can be called “Emphasis Particle”. In this case, it is sometimes put before the verb to emphasize the unexpected outcome: Yesterday he was expected to come here, but he did not. That is why the person asking this question wants to know the reason for not showing up as expected.
However, the word ถึง – těeung is omittable if the person asking the question wants only the factual reason of him not showing up.
🌺เมื่อไหร่ (mêeua-rài) = When?
Used to ask about time in a general sense, covering broader contexts
- คุณจะกลับมาเมื่อไหร่? (kun jà glàp maa mêeua-rài?) = When will you come back?
- งานเลี้ยงเลิกเมื่อไหร่? (ngaan-líiang lûuhk mêeua-rài?) = When does the event end?
- คุณจะไปเที่ยวเชียงใหม่เมื่อไหร่? (kun ja bpai-tîiaw chiiang-mài mêeua-rài?) = When will you go to Chiangmai?
🌺กี่โมง (gìi-moong) = What time?
Used to ask about a specific time of day, equivalent to “what time?”
It focuses on asking for a specific hour in the day, unlike เมื่อไหร่ (muea-rai), which broadly asks “when?” and can refer to any point in time—past, present, or future.
- ตอนนี้กี่โมง? (dtaawn-níi gìi moong?) = What time is it now?
- คุณจะมาถึงที่นี่กี่โมง? (kun jà maa těung tîi-nîi gìi moong?) = What time will you arrive here?
- เครื่องออกกี่โมง? (krêeuang àawk gìi moong?) = What time will the plane leave/ What is the flight time?
Mastering Thai question words can make your conversations in Thai so much smoother and more meaningful. They’re handy for asking the right questions and showing that you’re becoming more confident in the language. The more you practice, the easier it gets!
You may want to check out the following for more interesting information about questions:
Youtube –> Ask Questions in Thai | Basic Thai 101
Want to learn more about forming Thai sentences and speaking naturally? Check out Banana Thai’s online courses to master Thai in a fun and engaging way!
Happy learning!
