South-Eastern Asia
Video Chat with People from Thailand
Thailand is seven hours ahead of UTC with no daylight saving, so 9 PM in Bangkok lines up with mid-afternoon in Central Europe and 9 or 10 AM in New York. You might meet someone from Bangkok, from Chiang Mai and the mountains of the north, from Khon Kaen or Udon Thani in the northeastern Isan region, or from the southern coast around Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai.
Thai is the national language, written in its own script, and many people in Isan also speak a language close to Lao, while the north and south have their own dialects. English is common in tourism and among people who work with international teams, and a few Thai words are a friendly surprise. Food is a natural opener: som tam, khao soi, pad kra pao, mango sticky rice and late-night market stalls. Muay Thai, football, T-pop, Thai dramas and island trips come up easily too. Our Thai phrase guide explains polite endings and tones.
Thailand at a glance
| Flag | 🇹🇭 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Kingdom of Thailand |
| Capital | Bangkok |
| Region | Asia · South-Eastern Asia |
| Official language | Thai |
| Currency | Thai baht (฿, THB) |
| Calling code | +66 |
| Time zone | Indochina Time (Asia/Bangkok) |
How to say hello
A few words of Thai make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thai | สวัสดีครับ / สวัสดีค่ะ | sawatdee khrap / sawatdee kha (sah-wat-DEE krahp / kah) | Hello (polite; the ending depends on who is speaking) |
| Thai | สบายดีไหม | sabai dee mai (sah-BYE dee MY) | How are you? |
| Thai | ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก | yindee thi dai ruchak (yin-DEE tee dai ROO-jahk) | Nice to meet you |
| Thai | ไม่เป็นไร | mai pen rai (my pen RYE) | No worries / It's all good |
Tips for chatting with people from Thailand
- Many Thai people go by a short nickname, like Ploy, Bank or Mint, instead of their long formal name. Asking for someone's nickname is completely normal.
- A wai, palms pressed together with a slight bow, is the traditional greeting; a small one on camera with your 'sawatdee' is a warm gesture.
- 'Mai pen rai' (never mind) is the go-to phrase when a joke falls flat or the connection hiccups.
- Ask where they're from. Northern khao soi, Isan som tam and southern curries are a tasty way into regional differences.
- Songkran, the Thai New Year in mid-April, is famous for street water fights; asking how they celebrated is a fun opener.
Only meet people from Thailand
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Thailand, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Thailand and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Thailand, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Thailand are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Thailand borders 4 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: