How to say how much in Thai
One word asks the price of anything in Thailand. Here is how to say it, where it goes and what you will hear back.
How much in Thai is เท่าไหร่ tao rai. It goes at the end: อันนี้เท่าไหร่ครับ, "how much is this?"
How to say it
เท่าไหร่ tao rai is said in 2 syllables: เท่า falling, ไหร่ low.
Say it with ครับ or ค่ะ at the end: เท่าไหร่ครับ tao rai krap from a man, เท่าไหร่ค่ะ tao rai ka from a woman.
The polite particles ครับ and ค่ะ
Thai adds a small word to the end of a sentence to make it polite. Which one you use depends on who is speaking, not who you are talking to.
- ครับ krap: polite particle for male speakers. high
- ค่ะ ka: polite particle for female speakers. falling
Use one with strangers, shop staff, anyone older and anyone you want to be polite to. In a question a woman says คะ instead, with a high tone: กินข้าวหรือยังคะ kin khâao rǔe yang khá means "Have you eaten yet?" The example sentences on this page are written for a male speaker; a woman swaps ครับ for ค่ะ.
Where it goes
เท่าไหร่ comes at the end. Point and say "this, how much": อันนี้เท่าไหร่ครับ.
The answer comes as a number and บาท baat, baht. See Thai numbers to understand it.
In real sentences
From the ThaiCards Situations mode, at the market and in a taxi:
- ไป to go
- สนามบิน airport
- เท่าไหร่ how much
- อันนี้ this one
- เท่าไหร่ how much
Asking for a discount
At a market, a friendly ask for a lower price is normal. Keep it light and smile.
- ลด reduce
- ได้ can / to get
- ไหม question particle
More ordering and paying phrases are in the street food guide.
Letter by letter
How เท่าไหร่ is spelled, from the ThaiCards alphabet tables. Tap any character on a card in the app to see the same thing.
| Letter | Name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| เ | สระ เอ sara e | vowel, e/eh |
| ท | ทอ ทหาร tho thahan | low-class consonant, th at the start of a syllable |
| ◌่ | ไม้เอก mai ek | tone mark |
| า | สระ อา sara aa | vowel, aa (long) |
| ไ | สระ ไอ sara ai mai muan | vowel, ai |
| ห | หอ หีบ ho hip | high-class consonant, h at the start of a syllable |
| ร | รอ เรือ ro ruea | low-class consonant, r at the start of a syllable |
| ◌่ | ไม้เอก mai ek | tone mark |
Practice this in ThaiCards
ThaiCards turns these market and taxi phrases into flashcards with audio, and spaced repetition brings each one back right before you would forget it.
Free to start: the Beginner Starter deck and the first 10 letters of the alphabet deck. Premium is $1.99 a month and opens every deck. No account needed to begin.