Thai Numbers: Count 0 to a Million

Thai numbers from zero to ten are sǔun, nèung, sǒng, sǎam, sìi, hâa, hòk, jèt, bpàet, gâo, and sìp. Larger numbers follow one regular pattern: 11 is sìp-èt, 20 is yîi-sìp, 100 is nèung rói, and 1,000 is nèung phan. Once you know the first ten, you can count to a million.

Numbers are the most immediately useful vocabulary you can learn in Thailand. You need them for prices, addresses, phone numbers, and bargaining at the market. The good news: Thai counting is far more regular than English. No "eleven" or "twelve" surprises, just a clean pattern with two small exceptions I will show you below.

Thai Numbers 0 to 10

These eleven words are the foundation. Every bigger number in Thai is built from them, so take your time getting the tones right. The tone marks in the pronunciation column matter: hâa with a falling tone is 5, while hǎa with a rising tone means "to look for".

The symbols in parentheses are Thai numerals. You will see them on government documents, temple signs, and sometimes on dual-pricing boards. Day to day, Thailand uses Arabic numerals like everyone else, so learn to recognize the Thai ones without stressing over writing them.

11 to 100: The Pattern

From here, you combine. Tens come first, units second: 35 is "three-ten-five". There are exactly two exceptions to memorize. First, the number one becomes èt (เอ็ด) when it sits in the units position, so 11 is sìp-èt, not sìp-nèung. Second, 20 uses yîi instead of sǒng, so 20 is yîi-sìp.

Hundreds, Thousands, and Beyond

Thai has a dedicated word for each step of ten, including 10,000 and 100,000, which English lacks. This trips up learners reading big prices, so it is worth drilling.

Big numbers stack from largest to smallest, exactly like reading digits left to right:

Saying Prices and Phone Numbers

Prices are where you will use numbers most. Ask thâo-rài (how much?), listen for the number, and add bàat at the end. At markets, vendors often type the price on a calculator and show you, but saying the number yourself in Thai usually earns a smile and sometimes a better deal.

Phone numbers are read digit by digit, the same as in English. The number 089 starts sǔun bpàet gâo. When giving your own number, speak slowly and group the digits the way Thais do: 3-3-4, as in 08x-xxx-xxxx.

Practice

Say these in Thai, then check the answers below.

1. 17
2. 21
3. 480 baht
4. 15,000

Numbers and counting get a full module in my Speaking Thai A1 course, with quizzes that drill the tones until they stick.

Now that you can count, put the numbers to work: my guide to basic Thai phrases covers shopping and bargaining lines, and if you are learning Thai as a beginner, start with the tones before anything else.