Khráp and Khâ are a final particles in Thai, which are said at the end of almost every sentence in order to be polite and formal.
- khráp (for men)
- khâ (for women)
For example:
If you want to say ..
ไม่เป็นไร
mâi bpen rai
never mind / you're welcome
You should say ..
ไม่เป็นไรค่ะ/ครับ
mâi bpen rai Khráp/khâ
to show politeness
เพื่อแสดงความสุภาพ
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When should you use "Khráp" / "Khâ"
1. Thais use Khráp / Khâ when talking with someone who they respect, such as
- a monk
- a parent
- a relative
- a teacher
- etc.
2. Thais use Khráp / Khâ when talking with someone who is higher in social class or older than them, such as
- an elder brother / sister
- a boss
- the minister
- etc.
3. Thais use Khráp / Khâ when they want to be polite.
Everyone loves politeness, so a service person always says Khráp / khâ and it is good if you do so.
*However, politeness can make people feel like it is not close and this is a reason why we shouldn't use Khráb / Khâ with friends.
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Kru Cherry
Italki - a language online tutor: http://www.italki.com/teacher/4169839?ref=4169839x
Cherry... sawhat dee
I went to visit my brother in Thailand in 1988.
Before I went, I met with a Thai student at my local university (Queen's University) every weekend for 5 weekends.
I tried to learn about 30 common, polite expressions including Khrab and Kha.
Every time I spoke a bit of Thai, the Thai people smiled (because my accent was cute) but they also respected me because I was trying to speak their language. This is my way of showing respect to the people in the country that I am visiting.
Of course, I did not use "kha"
Maybe you should explain which word the men say and which word the women say because that is very unusual and it is special in the Thai language.
