What time is it in Thai?
You say what time it is in Thai with the everyday six-hour clock or the 24-hour form, and Mooteach's clock says any time in both.
Pick any time to hear it, in the everyday clock or the 24-hour form.
บ่ายสองโมงครึ่ง
bàai-sǒrng-mohng krûeng
The six-hour clock people use in conversation.
How do you ask what time it is in Thai?
You ask what time it is in Thai with gìi mohng láeo, plus kráp or kâ.
Ask กี่โมงแล้วครับgìi mohng láeo krápif you are a man, and กี่โมงแล้วค่ะgìi mohng láeo kâif you are a woman. It means "what time is it already?", and the last word is the polite particle; kráp and kâ explains which to use. The answer is the time on its own, sometimes after ตอนนี้dtorn-níi, "now".
How does the Thai six-hour clock work?
The Thai six-hour clock works by splitting the day into periods and counting the hour within each one.
The period word tells you whether it is morning, afternoon, evening or night.
| Time | How you say it |
|---|---|
| 1 to 5 AM | dtii, then the hour: dtii nùeng is 1 AM |
| 6 to 11 AM | the hour, then mohng cháo: bpàet mohng cháo is 8 AM |
| Noon | เที่ยงtîang |
| 1 to 3 PM | bàai, then the hour and mohng: 1 PM is just bàai mohng |
| 4 to 6 PM | the hour, then mohng yen: 4 PM is sìi mohng yen, or บ่ายสี่โมงbàai-sìi-mohng |
| 7 to 11 PM | the hour, counted again from one, then tûm: 7 PM is nùeng tûm, also said tûm nùeng |
| Midnight | เที่ยงคืนtîang-kuuen, or hòk tûm |
The parts of the day have their own words too:
- เช้า
- บ่าย
- เย็น
- กลางคืน
Why does Thai tell time this way?
Thai tells time this way because the hours were once announced with a gong by day and a drum by night.
Mohng echoes the sound of the gong, tûm the sound of the drum, and dtii means "to strike", for the hours struck in the small hours of the night.
How do you say minutes and half past in Thai?
You say minutes in Thai with the number followed by naa-tii, and half past with krûeng.
Say the hour, then the minutes: the number followed by นาทีnaa-tii. Half past is ครึ่งkrûeng, "half", so 8:30 PM is sǒrng tûm krûeng. On the hour you can add ตรงdtrong, "sharp".
In conversation people often leave out naa-tii, so 9:15 AM can be gâo mohng sìp-hâa, and some drop cháo or yen once the minutes follow, when the time of day is clear. The converter above gives the full form.
Is there a "quarter to" in Thai?
No, there is no "quarter to" in everyday Thai: you count the minutes after the hour.
So 7:45 AM is the hour followed by 45 minutes: jèt mohng cháo sìi-sìp-hâa naa-tii. You only need the numbers, which are on Thai numbers.
How does the 24-hour clock work in Thai?
The 24-hour clock works in Thai by saying the hour from 0 to 23, then naa-lí-gaa, then the minutes.
Say the hour from 0 to 23, then นาฬิกาnaa-lí-gaa, then the minutes. 14:30 is sìp-sìi naa-lí-gaa sǎam-sìp naa-tii. You will read it on tickets and signs and hear it in announcements, but rarely in a chat. Written, it uses a period between the hour and the minutes and ends with น and a period, short for naa-lí-gaa, so a timetable shows 14.30 and that letter. The time converter gives both forms for any time.
How do you say how long something takes in Thai?
You say how long something takes in Thai with the number before chûa-mohng for hours or naa-tii for minutes.
For a length of time, use ชั่วโมงchûa-mohngfor hours and naa-tii for minutes, after the number: sǒrng chûa-mohng is two hours, and krûeng chûa-mohng is half an hour. To ask how many hours, say gìi chûa-mohng.
What are the Thai words for time?
The Thai words for time are below, each in a male and a female voice.
- กี่โมง
- ชั่วโมง
- นาที
- นาฬิกา
- ครึ่ง
- ตรง
- ตอนนี้
For the days of the week, the months and how to say a date, see the Thai calendar.
Is there an app for learning to tell time in Thai?
Yes, there is an app for learning to tell time in Thai: Mooteach, whose clock shows any time in both systems and says it in a male or a female voice, so you can check any time you like.
See how Mooteach compares with other Thai apps.
