A smile, a “hello” and a “how are you” will make an immediate positive impression. Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles, and you will soon be saying “hello” and smiling with more people than you can remember. TOP TIP: When referring to the self in Thai, as in “I”, there is a form for male and a form for female, just as there is with khrup and ka. Men say “Phom”, and women say “Chan”, or “Di-chan” when speaking very politely. There are also forms where age is concerned. When speaking to an elder, you should refer to that person as “Pii”. To get the attention of an elder you would say, “Pii khrup/ka”. To get the attention of a younger person you would say, “Nong khrup/ka”. When referring to a child you can use the word “Luuk”, which literally means child.