How to say "sorry, I am late" in Thai (with phonetics)
ขอโทษที่มาช้านะ
khɔ̌ɔ-thôot thîi maa cháa ná
Sorry I'm late (sorry for coming late).
When you are arriving late to meet a friend, this is the everyday way to say "sorry, I am late" in Thai.
Tips
- Polite ending: a man adds ครับ, ขอโทษที่มาช้านะครับ (khɔ̌ɔ-thôot thîi maa cháa ná khráp). A woman adds ค่ะ/คะ, ขอโทษที่มาช้านะคะ (… ná khá). With นะ, a woman's ending is the high-tone คะ khá. Without นะ it is ค่ะ khâ, falling tone.
- Tone tip: ขอโทษ goes rising then falling (khɔ̌ɔ-thôot). Say the two syllables clearly, as 'khɔ̌ɔ' is often said too flat.
- Another natural choice is มาสาย (maa sǎai), 'came late'. It is used especially for being late for an appointment or work, and you can use it in place of มาช้า.
Word by word
- ขอโทษ khɔ̌ɔ-thôot: sorry, excuse me (Rising tone on khɔ̌ɔ, falling tone on thôot.)
- ที่ thîi: that, for (links the reason to the apology) (Literally 'sorry that...'. It is often left out in fast speech, but it sounds more complete with it.)
- มา maa: to come, to arrive (Mid tone, said flat.)
- ช้า cháa: late, slow (High tone.)
- นะ ná: softening particle (makes it gentle and friendly) (High tone. It is not the same as the polite ending khráp/khâ.)
Say it your own way
Type it half in English, half in Thai, spelled any way you like: Thinglish works out what you meant and gives you the Thai with tones and a native voice.
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Romanisation and tones are written by the Thinglish tutor. Generated 2026-10-24.