Knowing how to count in Thai is an essential skill for everyday life in Thailand.

You’ll use numbers constantly when buying street food, negotiating at markets, or giving out your phone number.

Thai numbers follow a very logical pattern that’s easy to memorize.

Once you learn the base numbers from zero to ten, you can quickly build any number up to one million.

This guide explains exactly how to read, say, and use Thai numbers in daily conversations.

Thai numbers from 0 to 10

The first step is to memorize the numbers from zero to ten.

These basic numbers serve as the foundation for the entire Thai counting system.

Here are the numbers, their Thai script, and the transliteration.

Counting from 11 to 99

Counting past ten in Thai is incredibly straightforward.

You simply combine the numbers you just learned to form larger numbers.

To say numbers in the tens, you state the multiplier, followed by the word for ten (sip), and then the single digit.

For example, thirty-five is literally “three ten five” (saam-sip-haa).

However, there are two important exceptions to this rule that you must remember.

The first exception is the number one when it appears at the end of any number greater than ten.

Instead of saying neung, you must use the word et (เอ็ด).

The second exception applies to the number twenty.

Instead of saying “two ten” (song-sip), Thai uses a special word for two in this context, which is yee (ยี่).

Every other number follows the regular pattern perfectly.

Counting 100 and beyond

Thai has specific words for each major number grouping, unlike English which relies heavily on thousands.

This means you need to learn dedicated words for ten-thousand and one-hundred-thousand.

Here are the higher number classifications in Thai.

To use these, you simply put a number in front of the classification word.

When combining large numbers, you just read them sequentially from largest to smallest.

Thai numeral symbols

In modern Thailand, you’ll see standard Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3) used almost everywhere.

However, Thailand also has its own traditional numeral symbols.

You’ll typically encounter these symbols on official government documents, banknotes, and occasionally on restaurant menus.

Learning to recognize these symbols is highly recommended if you plan to live in Thailand.

The Thai classifier system

In English, you can simply say “two cats” or “three coffees”.

In Thai grammar, you can’t place a number directly next to a noun like this.

Instead, you must use a classifier word, which acts as a counting unit for specific types of objects.

The strict word order for counting objects is always: Noun + Number + Classifier.

For example, the classifier for people is khon (คน).

The classifier for animals and objects with legs (like tables) is tua (ตัว).

The classifier for glasses or cups is gaew (แก้ว).

There are dozens of different classifiers in Thai for things like vehicles, sheets of paper, and electronic devices.

As a beginner, you don’t need to memorize all of them immediately.

If you don’t know the specific classifier for an object, you can usually use the generic classifier an (อัน) to make yourself understood.

Regional variations in numbers

Standard Thai numbers are understood absolutely everywhere in the country.

If you travel to different regions, you might occasionally hear local variations used among native speakers.

In the Isaan region (Northeastern Thailand), the local dialect is heavily influenced by the Lao language.

The vast majority of Isaan numbers sound nearly identical to standard Thai.

The only major difference you’ll hear is for the number twenty.

Instead of saying yee-sip, people speaking Isaan or Northern Thai dialects will often say sao (ซาว).

If you only focus on the standard Thai numbers covered in this guide, you’ll have no trouble navigating daily life in any Thai province.