Each Thai term is followed by its RTGS romanization. Where a recording is available, select its speaker button to listen.

Choose the ending for the speaker

You will hear ครับ (khrap), ค่ะ (Kha) , and คะ (Kha)  at the end of greetings, questions, and replies throughout the school day. These particles add politeness. Male speakers conventionally use ครับ (khrap) for both statements and questions. Female speakers conventionally use the falling-tone ค่ะ (Kha)  for statements and the high-tone คะ (Kha)  for many questions.

Choose an ending to suit your own way of speaking; the listener’s gender does not determine it. For example, a male teacher can use ครับ (khrap) when speaking to either a male or a female colleague. Speakers may also vary their usage with their identity, relationship, and setting.

ครับ (khrap): statements, questions, and replies

Use ครับ (khrap) after a greeting, statement, question, or request. The same spelling works for all of these; there is no separate question form. A question word or question particle, such as ไหม (mai), supplies the question meaning.

  • สวัสดีครับ (sawatdi khrap): Hello / Good morning.
  • ขอบคุณครับ (khop khun khrap): Thank you.
  • รับทราบครับ (rap sap khrap): Noted / Understood.
  • เข้าใจไหมครับ (khao chai mai khrap): Do you understand?
  • มีคำถามไหมครับ (mi kham tham mai khrap): Any questions?

On its own, ครับ (khrap) can acknowledge what someone has said, meaning “yes,” “I see,” or “understood,” depending on the context. When someone calls your name, it can also serve as “Yes?” A brief acknowledgment does not always mean agreement, so confirm the actual task when clarity matters.

Pronunciation: ครับ (khrap) has a high tone in standard pronunciation. The learner spelling khráp shows that tone; RTGS khrap leaves it out. Say it as one short syllable, ending with your lips closed for the final p. Keep the high tone in both statements and questions.

For more examples of this ending in greetings and questions, see Northern Illinois University’s Thai phrase guide

ค่ะ (Kha) : statements and acknowledgments

Use the falling-tone form ค่ะ (Kha)  for a statement, greeting, or confirmation. It can also be a short acknowledgment meaning “yes,” “I see,” or “understood.”

  • สวัสดีค่ะ (Sawatdi kha) : Hello / Good morning.
  • ขอบคุณ ค่ะ (Khop khun kha) : Thank you.
  • รับทราบค่ะ (Rap sap kha) : Noted / Understood.

Listen for the tone: For ค่ะ (Kha) , the learner spellings khâ and kâ show a falling tone. RTGS leaves the tone out. See the romanization guide’s tone table if the accent marks are new to you.

If you are greeting a colleague in person, the words may accompany a ไหว้ (Wai) . The ไหว้ (Wai)  guide covers greetings with colleagues and students.

คะ (Kha) : questions and “Yes?”

Use the high-tone form คะ (Kha)  in many questions. On its own, it can also mean “Yes?” when someone calls your name and you are waiting to hear what they need.

  • เข้าใจไหมคะ (Khao chai mai kha) : Do you understand?
  • มีคำถามไหมคะ (Mi kham tham mai kha) : Any questions?
  • อะไรนะคะ (Arai na kha) : Pardon me? / What was that?
  • When someone calls “Teacher Sarah!”, a short คะ (Kha) ? can mean “Yes?” when you are waiting to hear what they want.

นะครับ (na khrap) and นะคะ (Na kha) : softer endings

The word นะ (Na)  can soften a request, invite agreement, or add emphasis. Combine it with the polite particle to make นะครับ (na khrap) for male speakers or นะคะ (Na kha)  for female speakers. Both syllables have a high tone in each combination.

  • รอสักครู่นะครับ (ro sak khru na khrap): Please wait a moment. (Male speaker.)
  • รอสักครู่นะคะ (ro sak khru na kha): Please wait a moment. (Female speaker.)
  • อะไรนะครับ (arai na khrap): Pardon me? / What was that? (Male speaker.)

These endings can appear in statements and requests as well as questions, so “high tone means a question” is not a complete rule. After นะ (Na) , female speakers use คะ (Kha) , not ค่ะ (Kha) ; male speakers still use ครับ (khrap).

A useful distinction: The tones in ค่ะ (Kha)  and คะ (Kha)  are different even though they share the same RTGS spelling. Use the Thai spelling and recording together.

Polite particles in school LINE groups

When a department head or school director posts a schedule change, a brief รับทราบครับ (rap sap khrap) or รับทราบค่ะ (Rap sap kha)  confirms that you have read the message. Choose the ending for your own way of speaking, regardless of who posted the message. If the message also asks you to do something, confirm the task or deadline. The staffroom guide covers replies and other school group-chat habits.

Compare a greeting with a question

For male-speaker practice, compare สวัสดีครับ (sawatdi khrap) with เข้าใจไหมครับ (khao chai mai khrap). The final particle stays the same. For female-speaker practice, compare สวัสดีค่ะ (Sawatdi kha)  with เข้าใจไหมคะ (Khao chai mai kha) , listening for the change from a falling to a high tone. Use recordings where available, or ask a Thai speaker to help you check the difference.

For more on replies when someone calls your name, see Chulalongkorn University’s Thai-language notes on particles