Cute Thai phrases for dating are short, and a man ends the polite ones with khrap (ครับ): sawatdee khrap (hello), khop khun khrap (thank you), khun suay mak khrap (you're very beautiful). Girlfriend is faen (แฟน), which also means husband or wife, so save it, and pet names like thee rak, for when you've both agreed what you are.
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Every phrase here comes in Thai script, then one plain spelling you can read aloud, then who says it and when. In the spellings, ph, th and kh are p, t and k with a small puff of air (so “thee” starts like “tea”, never like “the”); p, t and k without the h have no puff, and g is a hard g with no puff either. Ee and oo are long vowels. Apps spell the same word three different ways (sawasdee, sawatdee, sawadee); pick one and stick to it, and when in doubt, check the Thai script.
Which words fit depends on how far along the two of you are. The same phrase that is sweet from a boyfriend can sound too fast from a man she met last week:
| Where you are | Say | Wait on |
|---|---|---|
| Just met | สวัสดีครับ (sawatdee khrap), คุณ (khun) and her name, khrap at the end | pet names, faen, rak |
| Talking most days | กินข้าวยัง (gin khao yang), น่ารักจัง (na rak jang), once | ที่รัก (thee rak) until she uses a sweet word first |
| Dating | คิดถึงนะ (khit thueng na), after real time together | calling her your faen in front of others |
| A couple | ที่รัก (thee rak) or ตัวเอง (tua eng) if she started them; drop khun | going back to khun, which can sound cold |
| Serious | แฟนผม (faen phom) to others; ผมรักคุณ (phom rak khun), then รักนะ (rak na) | nothing: copy how she talks to you |
Common Thai phrases for dating: the first ones to learn
The common Thai phrases worth learning first are a greeting, your name, a thank you and an apology, each ending in khrap. They carry you through meeting her, meeting her friends and the first dinner, and none of them claims more closeness than you have.
| Thai | Say it | Means | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| สวัสดีครับ | sawatdee khrap | hello, goodbye | Any time, to anyone. With her parents, add a wai (palms together, small bow). |
| ผมชื่อ … ครับ | phom chue … khrap | my name is … | Introducing yourself. Phom is “I” for a man. |
| คุณชื่ออะไรครับ | khun chue arai khrap | what’s your name? | Meeting her or her friends. Expect a nickname back, not the name on her ID. |
| ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักครับ | yin dee thee dai roo jak khrap | nice to meet you | After the names. Polite, a little formal, never wrong. |