In English, if you want to order two coffees, you simply say “two coffees”.

But if you translate that directly into Thai, people might look at you with a confused face.

That’s because Thai uses something called “classifiers”.

Classifiers (or measure words) are one of the most important parts of Thai grammar.

You can’t count anything, order food, or buy things at the market without them.

It might seem difficult at first because there are so many of them, but here’s a simple logic behind it, and there’s even a “cheat word” you can use if you forget the specific classifier.

In this guide, I’ll explain exactly how they work.

What is a classifier?

Actually, you already use classifiers in English - you just might not realize it.

Think about the word “water”.

You don’t say “one water”. You usually say “a glass of water” or “a bottle of water”.

Think about bread. You say “a loaf of bread” or “a slice of bread”.

In these examples, “glass”, “bottle”, “loaf”, and “slice” are classifiers. They tell us the shape or the container of the noun.

The difference is that in Thai, we use classifiers for almost everything.

We don’t just say “two dogs”.

We say “dog two body”.

We don’t say “three cars”.

We say “car three vehicle”.

To speak natural Thai, you need to memorize which classifier goes with which object.

The basic structure

This is the most common mistake beginners make.

In English, the number comes before the noun (e.g., three cats).

In Thai, the number comes after the noun, and the classifier comes last.

The formula is:

Noun + Number + Classifier

Let’s look at an example using the word for “cat” (maew). The classifier for animals is tua.

If you want to order two iced coffees, the classifier for a cup/glass is gâew.

See? You just have to switch your thinking order: Item -> Amount -> Unit.

The must-know Thai classifiers

There are hundreds of classifiers in the Thai language.

However, you don’t need to learn all of them right now. In daily conversation, Thai people use a small group of common classifiers over and over again.

Here is a list of the most important ones you should memorize first.

A note on animals and furniture: Notice that tua (ตัว) is used for animals, but it is also used for furniture with legs (like tables and chairs) and clothing (shirts and pants). It roughly translates to “body”.

A note on fruit: If you are talking about a whole fruit (like a whole watermelon), use lûuk. If it is sliced up into pieces, use chín.

The “cheat” classifier

What happens if you are speaking and you forget the specific classifier for an object?

Do you stop speaking?

No! You use the magic word: An (อัน).

An literally means “piece” or “item”. It is the most general classifier in Thai.

While it is better to use the correct classifier (like lêm for books), if you say “Book one an” (nǎng-sǔue nùeng an), Thai people will still understand you perfectly.

It might not sound 100% grammatically perfect, but it works.

So, when in doubt, use an!

How to ask “how many?”

Now that you know how to count, you need to know how to ask questions.

To ask “how many”, we use the word gèe (กี่).

You simply replace the number in the sentence structure with the word gèe.

The question formula is:

Noun + gèe + Classifier?

For example, if you want to ask “How many people?”, you use the classifier for people (kon).

If you are at the market and want to ask “How many bags?”, you use the classifier bai.

Here is a full conversation example you might have at a restaurant:

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Classifiers are a feature of Thai that makes it quite different from European languages.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. Classifiers are required when counting.
2. The order is Noun + Number + Classifier.
3. Memorize the “must-know” list (Person = kon, Animal = tua, Vehicle = kan).
4. If you forget the specific word, use an.

Practice using these when you go to Thai restaurants or when you’re just looking around your house.

Count your shirts (tua), your books (lêm), and your cups (bai) to practise.