Learn the Thai Days of the Week

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Learning the Thai days of the week is a very important part of being able to speak Thai.
Whether you want to get fluent in Thai, or just want to figure out when to meet up with your Thai friend or maybe a date, you’re going to need these words. It’s also very useful to know the Thai days to talk about events in the past or future.

I remember that learning the days of the week in Thai felt a bit tricky back when I was getting started. In order to master their spelling, I wrote the day and date in my notepad everyday and kept my expenses in Thai for a while. Once you’ve written it a few times over a few days or weeks, it should stick. Remember that connecting language with real life communication and experience is the secret to retention.

Why the Thai Days are Difficult to Spell

The days of the week in Thai are from Sansrkit and they are based on the names of the planets and the Sun. Like most Sansrkit-based words that have made it into Thai, they tend to be longer than the average Thai word. It may seem a bit intimidating if you haven’t learned the script yet, but just remember that words this common will come at you so often that they require a lot less effort to master.

How to Say DAY in Thai

วัน (wan) day

If your familiar with the origin of the days of the week in English then chances are you already at least part of the way to learning the Thai names. Like English, Thai day names come from the names of the planets.

Thai Days of the Week

A great way to help remember the days of the week (or any word!) is to learn it in a simple sentence. If you know a few words already, you can create simple sentences yourself based on your own schedule. For example, “On Mondays, I go to work.”, “On Fridays, I like to go watch movies.”  Here’s some sentences to help you get started.

• วันจันทร์มีเรียน (wan jan mee rian) – On Mondays, I have class.
  • เรียน (rian) to learn; to study
• วันอังคารเล่นโยคะ (wan ang-kaan len yoh-kha) – On Tuesays, I do yoga.
  • เล่นโยคะ (len yoh-kha) to play yoga
• วันพุธว่าง (wan phut waang) – I’m free on Wednesday.
• วันพฤหัสจะไปหาเพื่อน (wan pha-rue-hat ja ppai-haa phuan) – On Thursday, I’m going to go see my friend.
  • ไปหา (ppai-haa) – to go see (someone); to go look for (something/someone)
  • เพื่อน (phuan) – friend
• วันศุกร์อยากไปเที่ยว (wan suk yaak ppai thieaw) – On Friday I want to go out.
  • อยาก (yaak) – to want to (do something) *used with verbs
  • ไปเที่ยว (ppai thieaw) to go out; to travel; to go do something (for fun)
• วันเสาร์เป็นวันหยุด (wan sao ppen wan yut) Satuday is (my) day off
  • วันหยุด (wan yut) – day off; holiday
• วันอาทิตย์ไปยิม (wan aah-thit ppai yim) – On Sundays, I go to the gym.

*Spelling note. Some of the Thai days are spelled with extra silent letters. In the original Sansrkit, those sounds are not silent. It’s common for loan words coming into Thai to try to retain the original spelling (or something close to it) even when it doesn’t fit into the Thai sound system.

Once you can say them, start trying to write them. Spelling is tricky, so you’ll need to do it repeatedly over a period of time and or use some mnemonics to help you remember the spelling. What I did was try to pronounce all the silent letters in my head. So for จันทร์ I’d say stuff like Jantra (or jan-ta-ra) in my head to help me remember.

Flashcards to Learn the Thai Days of the Week

• วันจันทร์

  Monday
  Monday
  วันจันทร์

  
• วันอังคาร

  Tuesday
  Tuesday
  วันอังคาร

  
• วันพุธ

  Wednesday
  Wednesday
  วันพุธ

  
• วันพฤหัส

  Thursday
  Thursday
  วันพฤหัส

  
• วันศุกร์

  Friday
  Friday
  วันศุกร์

  
• วันเสาร์

  Saturday
  Saturday
  วันเสาร์

  
• วันอาทิตย์

  Sunday
  Sunday
  วันอาทิตย์

  

• All Done!

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