Learn time in Thai
Select a time and discover how to express it in Thai using the two main systems.
Hours
:
Minutes
14:30
(2:30 p.m.)
Colloquial
bàay-sɔ̌ɔŋ-mooŋ krʉ̂ŋ
บ่ายสองโมงครึ่ง
24-hour clock
sìp-sìi naa-lí-kaa sǎam-sìp naa-thii
สิบสี่นาฬิกาสามสิบนาที
Thai time systems
Here are the two main systems that Thais use to indicate time:
- The 24-hour clock system is mainly used in official documents, transport schedules, public displays, digital applications, schools, businesses…
- The colloquial system is used in everyday conversations.
The 24-hour clock system (Western-style time)
It is written in 24-hour format numerically (e.g., 08:30, 14:45). Without ambiguity, it corresponds exactly to what is found on digital clocks or in software.
Its limitation: it is very rarely used in everyday conversations.
How to say the time
- add naa-lí-kaa (นาฬิกา) after the number of hours
- add naa-thii (นาที) after the number of minutes
Examples
- 14:30 (2:30 p.m.) → sìp-sìi (14) naa-lí-kaa sǎam-sìp (30) naa-thii
- 21:15 (9:15 p.m.) → yîi-sìp-èt (21) naa-lí-kaa sìp-hâa (15) naa-thii
The colloquial system
This is by far the most used system in everyday conversations. It divides the day into several periods, each with its own term.
| Day | ||
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 – 11:59 (a.m.) | mooŋ-cháaw | โมงเช้า |
| 12:00 – 12:59 (p.m.) | thîang | เที่ยง |
| 13:00 – 15:59 (p.m.) | bàay-mooŋ | บ่ายโมง |
| 16:00 – 18:59 (p.m.) | mooŋ-yen | โมงเย็น |
| Night | ||
| 19:00 – 23:59 (p.m.) | thûm | ทุ่ม |
| 00:00 – 00:59 (a.m.) | thîaŋ-khʉʉn | เที่ยงคืน |
| 01:00 – 05:59 (a.m.) | tii | ตี |
A few notes:
- mooŋ is only used during the day (6:00 to 18:00)
- For the night, we use thûm or tii.
- thîaŋ and thîaŋ-khʉʉn refer to midday and midnight, respectively.
To indicate the time using the colloquial system:
- combine the hour (a number from 1 to 12) with the term corresponding to the period of the day
- add, if necessary, the number of minutes.
Below we detail how each hour is generally expressed.
Full hours
| Morning | ||
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 (6 a.m.) | hòk (6) mooŋ cháaw | หกโมงเช้า |
| 07:00 (7 a.m.) | cèt (7) mooŋ | เจ็ดโมง |
| 08:00 (8 a.m.) | pɛ̀ɛt (8) mooŋ | แปดโมง |
| 09:00 (9 a.m.) | kâaw (9) mooŋ | เก้าโมง |
| 10:00 (10 a.m.) | sìp (10) mooŋ | สิบโมง |
| 11:00 (11 a.m.) | sìp-èt (11) mooŋ | สิบเอ็ดโมง |
| Midday | ||
| 12:00 (Noon) | thîaŋ | เที่ยง |
| Early afternoon | ||
| 13:00 (1 p.m.) | bàay mooŋ | บ่ายโมง |
| 14:00 (2 p.m.) | bàay sɔ̌ɔŋ (2) mooŋ | บ่ายสองโมง |
| 15:00 (3 p.m.) | bàay sǎam (3) mooŋ | บ่ายสามโมง |
| Late afternoon | ||
| 16:00 (4 p.m.) | sìi (4) mooŋ yen | สี่โมงเย็น |
| 17:00 (5 p.m.) | hâa (5) mooŋ yen | ห้าโมงเย็น |
| 18:00 (6 p.m.) | hòk (6) mooŋ yen | หกโมงเย็น |
| First part of the night | ||
| 19:00 (7 p.m.) | nʉ̀ŋ (1) thûm | หนึ่งทุ่ม |
| 20:00 (8 p.m.) | sɔ̌ɔŋ (2) thûm | สองทุ่ม |
| 21:00 (9 p.m.) | sǎam (3) thûm | สามทุ่ม |
| 22:00 (10 p.m.) | sìi (4) thûm | สี่ทุ่ม |
| 23:00 (11 p.m.) | hâa (5) thûm | ห้าทุ่ม |
| Midnight | ||
| 00:00 (Midnight) | thîaŋ-khʉʉn | เที่ยงคืน |
| Second part of the night | ||
| 01:00 (1 a.m.) | tii nʉ̀ŋ (1) | ตีหนึ่ง |
| 02:00 (2 a.m.) | tii sɔ̌ɔŋ (2) | ตีสอง |
| 03:00 (3 a.m.) | tii sǎam (3) | ตีสาม |
| 04:00 (4 a.m.) | tii sìi (4) | ตีสี่ |
| 05:00 (5 a.m.) | tii hâa (5) | ตีห้า |
A few notes:
- "7 o'clock", "8 o'clock", "9 o'clock", "10 o'clock" and "11 o'clock" are necessarily morning hours. For this reason, we usually just mention mooŋ instead of mooŋ-cháaw.
- "4 o'clock in the evening" (sìi-mooŋ-yen) can also be said as "4 o'clock in the afternoon" (bàay-sìi-mooŋ)
- "7 o'clock in the evening" is expressed as "the first hour of the night", and so on until 11 o'clock in the evening.
Minutes
- For "half past": add khrʉ̂ŋ (ครึ่ง)
- Otherwise, add the number of minutes - followed by naa-thii (นาที) if you like, but it's optional and usually omitted
Examples
- 16:30 (4:30 p.m.) → sìi-mooŋ-yen krʉ̂ŋ
- 02:20 (2:20 a.m.) → tii-sɔ̌ɔŋ-yîi-sìp
- 12:45 (12:45 p.m.) → thîaŋ sìi-sìp-hâa
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