How to Say Sorry in Thai – Complete Guide to Apologies and Respect

When saying sorry in Thai, the words you should use will depend on the person you are speaking with and your relationship, age and status relative to them. Until you’ve learned to navigate that, just stick to this expression:

ขอโทษ

ครับ/

ค่ะ (khaw thot + khrap/kha)

Word breakdown:

ขอ (khaw) – is used in Thai as please in the sense of asking for something from someone
โทษ (thoht) – means to punish

Even though Thai people don’t think of it this way, it’s a fun mnemonic to think of saying sorry as “Please punish me.”

Formal Apologies – Speaking to Higher Status People

When to Use Formal Apologies

Higher status means bosses, elders, people in respected positions. It will also include people like your partner’s or friend’s parents.

When apologizing in Thai to people of higher status, you should say the standard phrase introduced above, but in many cases, it’s also a good idea to include a wai. If you really messed up, this is a good way to defuse a tense situation.

The Wai Gesture:
ไหว้ [wai] – the wai is when you put your hands together in prayer-like position and it may or may not include a slight bow. The position of the hands in relation to the face/head as well as the deepness of the bow convey differing levels of respect.

What to say:

ขอโทษ + ครับ/ ค่ะ – I’m sorry (+ polite gender particle)

Informal Apologies – Friends and Partners

Basic Informal Sorry

ขอโทษ

If you’re fairly close to someone (and this can happen fast), you don’t need to use the polite gender particles ครับ/ ค่ะ. The need for politeness drops off considerably at this level of intimacy. If you aren’t sure, use it for the first few sentences and then you can tone it down or phase it out over a longer conversation.

Casual Apologies for Small Mistakes

ขอโทษนะ – sorry
โทษที – my bad
ขอโทษจ้ะ – sorry *the จ้ะ is mainly used by women

Stronger Apologies for Serious Mistakes

If you did something really bad or offensive and/or feel really awful about it, you want to express your apology a bit stronger.

ขอโทษจริงๆ – I’m really sorry
ขอโทษมากๆเลย – I’m very sorry

Formal Thai Apologies – Public Announcements

This expression is very formal and not normally used in conversation, but you’ll hear it in public announcements, when you call someone on the phone and it doesn’t connect, on the BTS or other public transportation, and you’ll find it written in signs.

ขออภัย – We’re sorry (for public announcements and signs)
- ขออภัยค่ะ เลขหมายที่ท่านเรียกไม่สามารถติดต่อได้ในขณะนี้ – We’re sorry, the number you are calling can’t be reached right now.
- ขออภัยค่ะ ขบวนรถเกิดความล่าช้า เนื่องจากอยู่ในระหว่างจัดการจราจร – We’re sorry, the train is delayed due to traffic between stations.

Using “Excuse Me” in Thai

Luckily, we can use the same expression, ขอโทษ, for both “sorry” and “excuse me” in Thai.

Examples:

ขอโทษครับ คุณชื่ออะไร – Excuse me, what’s your name? (male speaker)
ขอโทษค่ะ ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหน – Excuse me, where is the bathroom? (female speaker)

Digital Communication – Social Media and Texting

There tends to be a big drop in formality/politeness in Thai when chatting online. However, when talking on message boards seen by a lot of people, many people will still be fairly polite and often use the polite gender particles. When chatting with your friends on Facebook or Line, it’s not usually necessary.

โทษที (thot thee) – sorry *sometimes intentionally misspelled as โทดที
โทษๆ – sorry
โทษนะ – sorry (the นะ gives it a softer, gentler feeling)
ซอรี่ – sorry (from English)

Explaining What You’re Sorry For

Often times, just saying sorry isn’t enough. You may want to specify what you are apologizing for. Here are some examples of different situations.

Pattern: ขอโทษ + ที่ + what you did wrong

sorry + for + whatever I did wrong / or whatever happened

*You can switch out ขอโทษที่ … for โทษนะ ที่ … to get a more intimate/informal version of this pattern to use with friends.

Saying “I Didn’t Mean To” in Thai

ไม่ได้ตั้งใจ – I didn’t mean to. / I didn’t intend to.

Word breakdown:

ตั้งใจ – to decide *when used with a verb, it shows intention
ไม่ได้ + VERB – I didn’t VERB
- ไม่ได้ไป – I didn’t go.
- ไม่ได้ทำ – I didn’t do (it).

Expressing Sympathy – Sorry for Things You Didn’t Cause

When you feel bad about something that happened to someone else, such as a death in the family, you’ll use a different phrase.

เสียใจ – Sorry (that something happened)
- เสียใจด้วยนะ – I’m sorry (to hear that)
- เสียใจนะ – I’m sorry (about what happened.)

Examples:

เสียใจด้วยนะที่เลิกกับแฟน – Sorry that you broke up with your gf/bf
เสียใจด้วยนะที่สอบไม่ผ่าน – Sorry you didn’t pass the test.
เสียใจด้วยนะที่หมาตาย – Sorry that your dog died.

Cultural Context: Why Apologizing Matters in Thailand

Respect and hierarchy are fundamental in Thai culture. Understanding when and how to apologize properly shows cultural awareness and respect for Thai social norms. The wai gesture combined with appropriate apology phrases demonstrates that you understand Thai values.

Building relationships: Proper apologies help maintain harmony (“sanuk”) and face-saving (“kreng jai”) – two crucial concepts in Thai social interaction.

Related Essential Phrases

Politeness is crucial in Thai culture. You should also learn how to say congratulations in thai.

For more essential polite phrases, check out how to say how are you in thai.

Building your vocabulary of courteous expressions includes learning consistency is key.

How to Say Sorry in Thai

How to Say Sorry in Thai – Complete Guide to Apologies and Respect