
The Monarchy :
Thai
people have a deep, traditional
reverence for the Royal Family,
and a visitor should be careful
to show respect for the King, the
Queen and the Royal Children.
Religion :
Visitors
should dress neatly in all religious
shrines. They should never go topless,
or in shorts, hot pants or other
unsuitable attire.
It
is acceptable to wear shoes when
walking around the compound of a
Buddhist temple, but not inside
the chapel where the principal Buddha
image is kept.
Each
Buddha image, large or small, ruined
or not, is regarded as a sacred
object. Never climb onto one to
take a photograph or do anything
which might indicate a lack of respect.Buddhist
monks are forbidden to touch or
be touched by a woman, or to accept
anything from the hand of one. If
a woman has to give anything to
a monk, she first hands it to a
man,
who then presents it.
Social Norms :
Thais
don't normally shake hands when
they greet one another, but instead
press the palms together in a prayer-like
gesture called a ‘Wai’. Generally
a younger person wais an elder,
who returns it.
Thais regard the head as the highest
part of the body, literally and
figuratively. Therefore, avoid touching
people on the head and try not to
point your feet at people or an
object.
It is considered very rude.
Shoes should be removed when entering
a private Thai home.
Public displays of affection between
men and women are frowned upon.
Although almost all year round
in Thailand has a hot weather, walking
shirtless on the street, especially
in Bangkok, is generally regarded
as impolite - tank tops are acceptable.


Thai
is a tonal language belonging to
the group of Ka-Tai languages, the
five tones are monotone, low, falling,
high, and rising. This can be a
rather complicated language for
the visitor; however, English is
quite widely understood, particularly
in Bangkok where it is almost the
major commercial language.
Here are a few Thai basic greetings
and phrases to try. 

English
|
Thai
|
Good
morning, Good evening, Good
afternoon, Good night, Hello,
Good-bye |
Sa-wat-dee
|
Hello
(male speaker) |
sawatdee
krup |
Hello
(female speaker) |
sawatdee
kha |
No
|
Mai
|
Mr./Miss/Mrs.
|
Khun
|
How
are you? |
sabai
dee reu |
Fine
thanks |
sabai
dee |
Thank
you |
kop
koon |
Never
mind |
mai
pen rai |
I
can't speak Thai |
phoot
Thai mai dai |
I
don't understand |
mai
kao chai |
Do
you understand? |
kao
chai mai |
May
I take a photograph? |
tai
ruup dai mai |
Where
is the rest room? |
hong
nam yoo tee nai |
I
am going to.. |
Chan-cha-pai.. |
No,
I won't go |
Chan-mai-pai
|
Please
drive slowly |
Prot-khap-cha-cha
|
Be
careful |
Ra-wang
|
Turn
to the right |
Liao-khwa
|
Turn
to the left |
Liao-sai
|
Drive
straight on |
Khap-trong-pai
|
Slow
down |
Cha-cha
|
Stop
|
Yut
|
How
much does this cost? |
nee
tao-rai? |
What
is this ? |
nee
arai? |
Very
expensive |
paeng
maag |
Any
discount? |
Lot-ra-kha-dai-mai
|
Please
wrap it for me. |
Ho-hai-duai
|
The
bill please |
gep
taang |
please
speak slowly |
Prot-phut-cha-cha
|
Very
Good |
Di-mak
|
Not
Good |
Mai-Di
|
Good-bye
|
la
gon |
See
you again |
laew
phob gan mai |
Good
luck |
kor
hai chok dee |
Sorry/excuse
me |
kor
thoad |
|