The Two Ways To Ask What? in Thai

What are you thinking? What is your name? Learn how to ask and answer these common questions.

Content

What...? in Thai

What? questions with อะไร

Examples

Exceptions

Examples for Exceptions

What? ยังไง vs. อะไร

Examples

Lingo Ninja Research Team

2 min read · published May 18, 2021 · last update June 16, 2021

Note: In Thai, you usually put polite particles at the end of each question. In this article, we skip that, to keep our examples to the point and gender-neutral. But when you speak Thai, please follow the instructions in our article on Thai polite particles and apply them to each sentence.

What...? in Thai

What? questions in the Thai language are formed using one of these patterns:

อะไร what; whatever
See in Dictionary at the end of the question
ยังไง how
See in Dictionary at the end of the question

What? questions with อะไร

As mentioned above, you simply put อะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionary at the end of the question. To answer, you put the answer in the place of อะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionary.

Examples

Q: What is your name?
คุณ

Ms, Mrs, Mr; you
See in Dictionaryชื่อ

name
See in Dictionaryอะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionary?
Literally: You - name - what?

A: My name is Somchai
ผม

I (for men); hair
See in Dictionaryชื่อ

name
See in Dictionaryสมชัย

Somchai
See in Dictionary
Literally: I - name - Somchai

Q: What country are you from?
คุณ

Ms, Mrs, Mr; you
See in Dictionaryเป็น

be, is, am, are
See in Dictionaryคน

person, human; person
See in Dictionaryประเทศ

country, nation
See in Dictionaryอะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionary?
Literally: You - be - person - country - what?

A: I am Thai
ผม

I (for men); hair
See in Dictionaryเป็น

be, is, am, are
See in Dictionaryคน

person, human; person
See in Dictionaryไทย

Thai; Thailand
See in Dictionary
Literally: I - be - person - Thai

Exceptions

There are two exceptions, when อะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionary is not at the end of the question:

when อยู่ is (located at); live (at); happening now
See in Dictionary is used to express that some action is happening now, then is at the end, and อะไร what; whatever
See in Dictionary is right before อยู่ is (located at); live (at); happening now
See in Dictionary.
อะไร what; whatever
See in Dictionary is placed before directional words. Directional words are, for example, มา come, arrive
See in Dictionary "to come".

Examples for Exceptions

Q: What are you doing (right now)?
คุณ

Ms, Mrs, Mr; you
See in Dictionaryทำ

do, make, cook
See in Dictionaryอะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionaryอยู่

is (located at); live (at); happening now
See in Dictionary?
Literally: You - do - what? - now

A: (I am) watching TV
ดู

watch, look
See in Dictionaryทีวี

TV
See in Dictionaryอยู่

is (located at); live (at); happening now
See in Dictionary
Literally: Watch - TV - now

Q: What are you thinking (right now)?
คุณ

Ms, Mrs, Mr; you
See in Dictionaryคิด

think
See in Dictionaryอะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionaryอยู่

is (located at); live (at); happening now
See in Dictionary?
Literally: You - think - what? - now

Q: What did you buy?
คุณ

Ms, Mrs, Mr; you
See in Dictionaryซื้อ

buy
See in Dictionaryอะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionaryมา

come, arrive
See in Dictionary?
Literally: You - buy - what? - come

What? ยังไง vs. อะไร

If you ask for someone else's opinion on something, Thai speakers prefer the use of ยังไง

how
See in Dictionary, which is literally translated to "How?". So, for example, "What do you think (about something)?" is expressed as คิด

think
See in Dictionaryว่า

that
See in Dictionaryยังไง

how
See in Dictionary, which means "How do you think (about this)?". But the general question "What are you thinking (right now)?" does not ask the opinion, and therefore it is คิด

think
See in Dictionaryอะไร

what; whatever
See in Dictionaryอยู่

is (located at); live (at); happening now
See in Dictionary?

To learn more about How? questions in Thai, please read this article: How do you say? (Questions of manner in Thai).