How are you? in Thai is สบายดีไหม (sa-bai dii mai). A simple answer is สบายดี (sa-bai dii), meaning “I’m well.” In the polite examples below, listen for the difference between คะ at the end of a question and ค่ะ at the end of the reply.
How to ask “How are you?” politely
| Thai | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| สบายดีไหมครับ | sa-bai dii mai khráp | How are you? |
| สบายดีไหมคะ | sa-bai dii mai khá | How are you? |
| สบายดีครับ | sa-bai dii khráp | I’m well. |
| สบายดีค่ะ | sa-bai dii khâ | I’m well. |
In these examples, men use ครับ (khráp) for both lines. Women use high-tone คะ (khá) in the question and falling-tone ค่ะ (khâ) in the answer. The Peace Corps Thailand basic lessons provide both greeting and first-meeting examples.
Ask how things are going
With someone you know, เป็นยังไงบ้าง (pen yang-ngai bang) asks “How’s it going?” You can ask it after someone returns from a trip or comes back to class. สบายดีหรือเปล่า (sa-bai dii rue plao) is another way to ask whether someone is well. The different ending is not a formal version by itself.
Ask about how someone feels
รู้สึกยังไงบ้าง (ruu-suek yang-ngai bang) asks “How are you feeling?” It works when you are actually checking how someone feels, for example after they told you they had been unwell. For a simple first greeting, start with hello in Thai.
Six ways to answer
| Thai | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| สบายดี | sa-bai dii | I’m well. |
| ไม่ค่อยสบาย | mai khoi sa-bai | I’m not feeling too well. |
| สบายดีมาก | sa-bai dii mak | I’m very well. |
| เหนื่อย | nueai | I’m tired. |
| มีความสุข | mii khwam suk | I’m happy. |
| เศร้า | sao | I’m sad. |
You can give a short answer. Add ครับ or ค่ะ to keep it polite if appropriate. A reply such as “I’m tired” tells the person how you feel and makes more sense when they are checking in on you.
How to read and write the phrase
Read it in three chunks: สบาย (well or comfortable), ดี (good), and ไหม, the yes-or-no question particle. The vowel sign ไ is written before the consonants in ไหม. It is part of the spelling, while the whole word ไหม turns the statement into a question.
Practise asking and replying
You ask a classmate สบายดีไหมคะ. They reply สบายดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ, “I’m well, thank you.” Try the exchange again and choose a different answer from the table. See the Thai thank-you guide to practise the second part of the reply.
To practise with a teacher, ask Thai Explorer about the S$45 two-hour Beginner 1 trial and confirm availability before booking.