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.