How to say "sorry" in Thai (with phonetics)
ขอโทษ
khɔ̌ɔ-thôot
Sorry / Excuse me
When you are bumping into someone, this is the everyday way to say "sorry" in Thai.
Tips
- To be polite, a man adds ครับ (khráp, high tone) and a woman adds ค่ะ (khâ, falling tone): men say ขอโทษครับ khɔ̌ɔ-thôot khráp, women say ขอโทษค่ะ khɔ̌ɔ-thôot khâ.
- Tone tip: say khɔ̌ɔ with a rising voice, as if asking a question, then drop down on thôot with a falling tone. The pattern is up, then down.
- If someone says sorry to you, a common reply is ไม่เป็นไร mâi pen rai (it's okay, no problem).
Word by word
- ขอโทษ khɔ̌ɔ-thôot: sorry, excuse me (literally: ask for forgiveness) (Two syllables, one word: ขอ khɔ̌ɔ (rising) + โทษ thôot (falling). Add ครับ or ค่ะ to make it polite.)
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.