Introduce Yourself in Thai: Name, Country and Job

If you’re traveling to Thailand or just starting to learn Thai, one of the first things you’ll want to know is how to introduce yourself. Whether you’re meeting locals, making friends, or attending language classes, knowing how to say your name, nationality, and occupation in Thai will help you feel more confident and connected. Let’s get started with the basics!

Saying Your Name in Thai

• Men say:  Hello! สวัสดีครับ (sa-wàd-dee kráb) ผมชื่อ… (pŏm chûe…)
• Women say: Hello! สวัสดีค่ะ (sa-wàd-dee kâ) ฉันชื่อ… (chán chûe…)

The word ผม (pŏm) is a personal pronoun meaning “I” for male speakers, while ฉัน (chán) is the pronoun for “I” used by female speakers. The word ชื่อ (chûe) means “name”.

The structure of this Thai sentence might seem unusual compared to English, as it follows a pattern like “I + name = My name is…” However, if you think about it positively, it’s short, simple, and easy to remember!

Guess what?
Some Thai textbooks still teach super old-school ways to introduce yourself! But that’s not how people really talk here.

In real life, most Thais — especially women — don’t use formal words like ดิฉัน (di-chăn) or ฉัน (chán) when saying their name. It just sounds way too formal and stiff. Here’s how Thai people actually introduce themselves:

For women:  “Hi! My name is Rassamee. My nickname is Mee. “

สวัสดีค่ะ ชื่อรัศมี ชื่อเล่น หมี นะคะ (Sa-wàd-dee kâ, chûe Rassamee, chûe lên Mĕe ná ká)

For men: “Hi! My name is Thanakorn. My nickname is Bas.”

สวัสดีครับ ผมชื่อธนากร ชื่อเล่น บาส ครับ” (Sa-wàd-dee kráb, pŏm chûe Thanakorn, chûe lên Bas kráb)

If you want to sound more natural in Thai, it’s better to speak like real people — not like you’re reading from an old-school textbook!

Asking Someone’s Name in Thai

And what is your name? แล้วคุณชื่ออะไรครับ/คะ (láew kun chûe a-rai kráb/ká?)

Thai Nicknames: A Fun and Essential Part of Everyday Life

In Thailand, everyone has a nickname ชื่อเล่น (chûe lên). That’s because full legal names are often long and hard to remember. Nicknames are short, easy to use, and sometimes have no connection to the real name at all!

For example:

• A girl named Malatee มาลาตี might have the nickname Bplaa ปลา (“Fish”)
• A boy named Pongsakorn พงศกร might go by Joe โจ.

Where do Thai nicknames come from?

• Sometimes parents give matching names to siblings.
• Sometimes they name a baby after food the mother craved during pregnancy.
• Sometimes a monk suggests a lucky nickname.
• Today, it’s common for younger Thais to have two-syllable English nicknames like Eva or Sunny.

Fun Fact:
In Thailand, even in formal settings like business communication, it’s normal to address someone with “Kun/Khun” (คุณ) — a polite form of “you” — followed by their nickname instead of their full name.

So don’t be surprised if your Thai colleagues, clients, or new friends introduce themselves with cute or quirky nicknames!

Telling Your Country of Origin in Thai

In Thai, when you want to tell someone where you’re from, you use the verb มา (maa), which means “to come” together with the preposition จาก (djàag), meaning “from”. So มาจาก (maa djàag) literally means “come from…”

Good news:

You don’t need to say the word for “country” ประเทศ – (bprà-têed) in everyday conversation.

You can simply name the country, city, or place right after มาจาก (maa djàag), and it will sound completely natural.

Examples in Real Conversations:

• Hello! My name is Willy. I’m from America.

สวัสดีครับ ผมชื่อวิลลี่ มาจากอเมริกาครับ (Sa-wàd-dee kráb, pŏm chûe Willy, maa djàag America kráb.)

• Hello! My name is Lily. I’m from England.

สวัสดีค่ะ ชื่อลิลลี่นะคะ มาจากอังกฤษค่ะ (Sa- wàd-dee kâ, chûe Lily ná ká, maa djàag Ang-grìd kâ.)

Another Way to Introduce Yourself in Thai

Besides saying มาจาก (maa djàag– come from), you can also introduce yourself by saying “เป็นคน…”  เป็น (bpen) funktions similar to the verb “to be” and คน (kon) means human or person. When you put them together, เป็นคน… bpen kon… literally means “to be a person from…” — and it sounds completely natural in Thai.

Example Sentences:

• Hello! My name is Daniel. I am German. สวัสดีครับ ผมชื่อดาเนียล เป็นคนเยอรมันครับ

(Sa-wàd-dee kráb, pŏm chûe Daniel, bpen kon Yoe-ra-man kráb.)

• Hello! My name is Yumiko. I am Japanese. สวัสดีค่ะ ชื่อยูมิโกะนะคะเป็นคนญี่ปุ่นค่ะ

(Sa- wàd -dee kâ, chûue Yumiko ná ká, bpen kon Yîi-bpùn kâ.)

Summary:

• come from [country] มาจาก… (maa djàag…)
• to be [nationality] เป็นคน… (bpen kon…)

Both are common ways to introduce yourself naturally in Thai.

Country Table: English – Thai – Thai Pronunciation

Talking About Your Job in Thai

In Thai, there are two easy ways to talk about your profession:

• I work as a… ผม/ฉันทำงานเป็น… (pŏm/chán tam-ngaan bpen…)
• I am a… ผม/ฉันเป็น… (pŏm/chán bpen…)

Example Sentences:

• I am an English teacher ผมเป็นครูสอนภาษาอังกฤษ (pŏm bpen kruu sŏrn paa-săa Ang-grìd)
• I am an office worker. ฉันเป็นพนักงานบริษัท (chán bpen pa-nág-ngaan boor-ri-sàd)

Do you know?

Sometimes in Thai, people don’t use pronouns like “ผม” (pŏm) or “ฉัน”(chán) when talking about themselves. Instead, they simply use their own name!

For example, you might hear someone introduce themselves like this:

• “I am a doctor. ” โจเป็นหมอครับ (Joe bpen mŏor kráb.)
• “I am a nurse.” แอนนี่เป็นพยาบาลค่ะ (Annie bpen pa-ya-baan kâ.)

In these sentences, Joe and Annie are talking about themselves, using their own names instead of “I.”  Using your name instead of “I” sounds friendly, natural, and a bit playful. But this speaking style is more common among women but can be used by anyone in casual conversation. So don’t be surprised if your Thai friends skip “I” and call themselves by name — it’s just another charming part of Thai everyday speech!

Common Professions in Thai

Introducing Yourself in Thai: Example Conversation

Thomas: Hi! My name is Thomas. What’s your name? สวัสดีครับ ผมชื่อโธมัส คุณชื่ออะไรครับ

(Sa-wàd-dee kráb, pŏm chûe Thomas, kun chûe a-rai kráb?)

Sunisa: Hello! My name is Sunisa. สวัสดีค่ะ ฉันชื่อสุนิสาค่ะ

(Sa-wàd-dee kâ, chán chûe Sunisa kâ.)

Thomas: I’m from Germany. And where are you from? ผมมาจากเยอรมันครับ แล้วคุณมาจากที่ไหนครับ

(Pŏm maa djàag Yoe-ra-man kráb. láew kun maa djàag tîi năi kráb?)

Sunisa: I’m from Chiang Mai. What do you do for a living? มาจากเชียงใหม่ค่ะ คุณโธมัสทำงานอะไรคะ

(maa djàag Chiang Mai kâ, kun Thomas tam ngaan a-rai ká?)

Thomas: I’m an engineer. ผมเป็นวิศวกรครับ And how about you? แล้วคุณล่ะ

(pŏm bpen wí-sa-wá-gorn kráb. láew kun là)

Sunisa: I’m a nurse.  Nice to meet you!  สาเป็นพยาบาลค่ะ ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักนะคะ

(Săa bpen pa-yaa-baan kâ. Yin-dii tîi dâay rúu djàg ná ká)

Thomas: Nice to meet you, too, kun Sunisa! เช่นกันครับคุณสุนิสา

(chên gan kráb kun Sunisa!)

I hope this lesson helps you feel more confident and natural when introducing yourself in Thai. Don’t worry if you feel a little shy at first — with practice, you’ll be able to introduce yourself smoothly and make new friends easily!

In the next lesson, we’ll learn the names of different types of transportation in Thailand. You’ll be able to recognize and correctly name vehicles when you travel around — making your journeys in Thailand even easier and more enjoyable!