ذره پرسشی در زبان تایلندی (ไหม)
mai at the end of your sentence to turn any statement into a yes/no question.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Add 'mai' (ไหม) to the end of any statement to turn it into a yes/no question.
- Place 'mai' at the very end of a sentence: 'Khun sabai dee mai?' (Are you well?)
- Do not change the word order of the original statement: 'You eat rice' becomes 'You eat rice mai?'
- Use a rising intonation at the end of the sentence when speaking.
مرور کلی
mai (ไหม) است...Meanings
The particle 'mai' (ไหม) is used to transform a declarative sentence into a yes/no question.
Yes/No Question
Used to ask for confirmation or information.
“ไปไหม (Pai mai?) - Are you going?”
“ชอบไหม (Chob mai?) - Do you like it?”
Basic Question Formation
| Statement | Add Particle | Question | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khun pai | mai | Khun pai mai? | Are you going? |
| Khun chob | mai | Khun chob mai? | Do you like it? |
| Ahan aroi | mai | Ahan aroi mai? | Is the food good? |
| Khao ma | mai | Khao ma mai? | Is he coming? |
| Khun sabai | mai | Khun sabai mai? | Are you well? |
| Khun khao jai | mai | Khun khao jai mai? | Do you understand? |
Common Conversational Shortening
| Full Form | Shortened Form | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Khun pai mai? | Pai mai? | Very casual |
| Khun chob mai? | Chob mai? | Very casual |
Reference Table
| Type | Thai | English |
|---|---|---|
| Question Particle | ไหม | mai (yes/no) |
| Negation | ไม่ | mai (no/not) |
| Statement | กินข้าว | Eat rice |
| Question | กินข้าวไหม | Eat rice? |
طیف رسمیت
คุณจะไปไหมครับ/คะ (Asking about travel)
คุณไปไหม (Asking about travel)
ไปไหม (Asking about travel)
ไปป่ะ (Asking about travel)
The Question Particle
Usage
- Yes/No Binary choice
Mai vs Mai
How to ask
Have a statement?
Is it a yes/no question?
When to use
Social
- • Asking friends
- • Confirming plans
- • Ordering food
Examples by Level
คุณหิวไหม
Are you hungry?
ไปไหม
Are you going?
ชอบไหม
Do you like it?
เข้าใจไหม
Do you understand?
คุณจะไปที่นั่นไหม
Are you going there?
อาหารอร่อยไหม
Is the food delicious?
เขามาไหม
Is he coming?
คุณมีเวลาไหม
Do you have time?
คุณคิดว่าเขาจะมาไหม
Do you think he will come?
งานนี้สนุกไหม
Is this event fun?
คุณเคยไปที่นั่นไหม
Have you ever been there?
เรื่องนี้สำคัญไหม
Is this matter important?
คุณแน่ใจไหมว่าเขาพูดจริง
Are you sure he is telling the truth?
การตัดสินใจนี้ส่งผลกระทบไหม
Does this decision have an impact?
คุณเห็นด้วยกับแผนนี้ไหม
Do you agree with this plan?
เราควรจะเริ่มกันเลยไหม
Should we start right now?
คุณตระหนักถึงความเสี่ยงไหม
Are you aware of the risks?
สถานการณ์นี้เอื้ออำนวยไหม
Is this situation favorable?
คุณมีข้อโต้แย้งไหม
Do you have any counterarguments?
การเปลี่ยนแปลงนี้มีนัยสำคัญไหม
Is this change significant?
คุณพิจารณาถึงผลกระทบในระยะยาวไหม
Have you considered the long-term implications?
ข้อเสนอนี้สอดคล้องกับนโยบายไหม
Is this proposal consistent with the policy?
คุณเห็นพ้องกับแนวทางนี้ไหม
Do you concur with this approach?
บริบทนี้สะท้อนถึงวัฒนธรรมไหม
Does this context reflect the culture?
Easily Confused
They sound similar to beginners.
Both ask yes/no questions.
Both are question particles.
اشتباهات رایج
Do you go?
Khun pai mai?
Khun mai pai?
Khun pai mai?
Pai?
Pai mai?
Khun pai mai khrap?
Khun pai mai?
Khun pai rue?
Khun pai mai?
Khun pai mai plao?
Khun pai mai?
Khun pai mai mai?
Khun pai mai?
Khun pai mai rue plao?
Khun pai rue plao?
Khun pai mai chai mai?
Khun pai mai?
Khun pai mai ka?
Khun pai mai khrap/ka?
Khun pai mai rue yang?
Khun pai rue yang?
Khun pai mai ha?
Khun pai mai?
Khun pai mai na?
Khun pai mai?
Khun pai mai rue?
Khun pai mai?
Sentence Patterns
Khun ___ mai?
Ahan ___ mai?
Khun mee ___ mai?
Khun chob ___ mai?
Real World Usage
Aroi mai?
Pai mai?
Khun mee kam tham mai?
Pai [place] mai?
Chob mai?
Phed mai?
Tone matters
ไหม (question), low tone for ไม่ (no).Don't overcomplicate
Politeness
ครับ (male) or ค่ะ (female) after ไหม to be extra polite.Smart Tips
Use a rising intonation at the end.
Listen to the context; if it's a question, it's the high-tone 'mai'.
Always add 'khrap' or 'ka' after 'mai'.
Use 'rue plao' if you think the answer might be 'no'.
تلفظ
Tone of 'mai'
The question 'mai' has a high tone. The negative 'mai' has a falling tone.
Rising
Khun pai mai↑
Signals a question and expectation of an answer.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'mai' as a 'My' question—'My' question needs an answer!
Visual Association
Imagine a giant question mark (?) made of the Thai word 'ไหม' floating at the end of every sentence you speak.
Rhyme
When you want to know if it's true or not, add 'mai' to the end of the spot.
Story
You are at a market. You point at a mango and say 'Aroi' (delicious). You add 'mai' to make it 'Aroi mai?'. The vendor smiles and says 'Aroi!'. You just learned how to ask a question!
Word Web
چالش
Ask 5 people today 'Sabai dee mai?' (Are you well?) and listen for their responses.
نکات فرهنگی
Standard usage, very polite when combined with 'khrap/ka'.
Often uses different particles like 'ka' or 'ko' for questions.
Uses 'bo' instead of 'mai'.
The particle 'mai' evolved from an ancient interrogative marker in Tai languages.
Conversation Starters
Khun sabai dee mai?
Ahan aroi mai?
Khun mee wela mai?
Khun khao jai rueang nee mai?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
คุณชอบดูหนัง___?
ไหม to create a yes/no question.Choose the correct question:
ไหม indicates a question.Score: /2
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesKhun pai ___?
A) Do you go? B) Khun pai mai?
Find and fix the mistake:
Do khun chob mai?
mai / Khun / pai
Are you hungry?
1. Sabai dee mai? 2. Aroi mai?
Build it.
Choose one.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
2 exercisesวันนี้เหนื่อย___?
คุณไปโรงเรียนไม่?
Score: /2
سوالات متداول (8)
Yes, it is a sentence-final particle.
Yes, it works for 'I', 'you', 'he', 'she', etc.
Your sentence will sound like a statement, not a question.
It is neutral and used in all settings.
Repeat the verb or use 'chai' (yes) / 'mai chai' (no).
No, the verb stays the same.
No, those use their own question words.
No, they have different tones.
In Other Languages
ma (吗)
Chinese 'ma' is neutral tone; Thai 'mai' is high tone.
ka (か)
Japanese 'ka' is more formal; Thai 'mai' is used everywhere.
Do/Does
Thai does not change word order.
Intonation
Thai requires a particle for clarity.
Est-ce que
Position of the marker.
Verb inversion
Thai structure remains fixed.