How to Say Sorry in Thai

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)

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.”

Saying Sorry in Thai – Polite

When speaking to people with higher status

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.

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)

Saying Sorry in Informal Thai

to friends and partners

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.

When you need to apologize for small stuff:

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

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

How to say Sorry in Formal Thai

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.

Saying 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)

Saying Sorry in Thai on Social Media / Chat / 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.