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Personal Pronouns

Written by Richard Barrow

I think personal pronouns was one of the difficulties I had when I first came to teach in Thailand. There seemed to be a long list of words I could choose from for both "I" and "you". Although I quickly settled for "phom" and "khun" as a male speaker I noticed that not many people were actually using them in every day conversation.

For example, the other day I noticed a younger female teacher addressing an older teacher by using her own name for "I". In return, the older teacher referred to herself by saying "pee". I have also seen much younger female teachers calling themselves "noo" in a conversation. They could say "nong" (which is the opposite of "pee") but it isn't used much. The male teachers would do the same.

Another example is Panrit. I sometimes listen to him chatting on the telephone as it is quite amusing how he changes his words for different people. If he is talking to his friends he will say "goo" for "I" and "meung" for "you". (It is not a good idea for you to use these words yourself.) When he talks to his mother he uses his nickname "Gor" for "I" and the Thai word for mother "mae" for "you". If he is speaking to someone for the first time he would use "phom" for "I". If he is talking to someone older he might call them "pee". If he is talking to someone older than his father he might call them "loong" which means "uncle". This, however, doesn't mean that they are really his uncle. For a female older than his mother he would refer to them as "ba".

A very formal form of "I" for both female and male is "kapajao". I first came across it when I gave homework to my students to write an introduction about themselves in English and Thai. (You can see these on the internet by clicking here.) You won't come across it much but I sometimes here it in assembly when a student is standing up front.

One of the first Thai grammar books I obtained when I arrived was "The Fundamentals of the Thai Language" by Stuart Campbell and Chuan Shaweevongs. This is an excellent book though unfortunately now out of print. Below I have printed an extract from their chapter on Personal Pronouns which I found to be useful. I have made a few changes here and there and added some extra examples which my students gave me.

There are a great number of pronouns in the Thai language, and though you need not bother about them all, you should have a working knowledge of the more common ones and be able to recognise them and use them correctly. You will notice that some words can be classified as 1st person pronouns, but there is no very clear distinction between 2nd and 3rd person pronouns.
	CHUN r (ฉัน) “I” This is a word used by both males and females when speaking to intimates, servants or children. You should not use it when speaking to people who are superior to you in rank or social status but it is alright amongst friends if you know them well. From the above it follows that if you use CHUN you will not normally use the “polite” words KA or KRUP at the end of your sentence.
	POM r (ผม) “I” This has the same meaning as CHUN but is a more “polite” word and is generally used when talking with equals or superiors. This word can only be used by males.
	DICHUN l-r (ดิฉัน) “I” This is the female counterpart of POM and is used in the same circumstances. It is often abbreviated to CHUN. This word can only be used by females.
	KAHPAJOW d-h-d (ข้าพเจ้า) “I” This is a very formal word which may be used by either males or females but is seldom met with except in writing. You will mostly come across it in official documents.
	Goo c (กู) “I” This is a rather insulting word which you should never use. It is mentioned here because a Thai can and often does use it to a really intimate friend as a very informal and friendly word.
	KOON c (คุณ) “You” This corresponds to POM and DICHUN and can be used by either males or females. It is generally used amongst intimates and is a good “polite” word to use to superiors. It is the pronoun most commonly heard in any conversation can be used in either the 2nd. or 3rd. person. As it indicates considerable personal respect, you should not use it to inferiors such as servants or taxi drivers.
	TAHN d (ท่าน) “You” This word can be used as a 2nd. or 3rd. person pronoun by either males or females. Actually it is a “polite” word and would be used in conversation by a Thai only when speaking to someone of high rank. In the written language however it is the ordinary word to use for “you”. It shows respect for rank rather than personal respect.
	TER c (เธอ) “You” This is a very familiar form of address used mainly by women talking to each other, a man talking to his wife or girl friend or when talking to small children. It is also used a 3rd. person pronoun under the same conditions.
	Noo r (หนู) “Mouse” This is often used as a pet name when talking to or about small children or girl friends and corresponds roughly to “little one” as used in English in similar circumstances. Can also be used to waitresses and young servants.
	MEUNG c (มึง) “You” This is another very low word which you should never use although you will sometimes hear Thai people use it to very intimate friends.
	KOW c (เขา) “He”, “She”, “They”. This is the 3rd. person pronoun singular or plural and may be used by either sex referring to anyone. Just as in English however it is more polite to refer to people as NAI or KOON “Mr.” or KOON “Mrs.” or “Miss” rather than just KOW “He”, “She” etc.
	GAA c (แก) “You”, “He”, “She”, “They”. This is a 2nd. or 3rd. person pronoun. Used as a 2nd. person pronoun it sounds rather rough and you had better avoid it but you can use it as a 3rd. person pronoun when referring to servants or people of inferior status. A Thai will sometimes use it as a 3rd. person pronoun referring to his friends.
	MUN c (มัน) “It” This is sometimes used for animals and things and for the impersonal “it” in such sentences as “if you like this, it will be a good thing”. You should not try to use it until you get more familiar with the language.
	ROW c (เรา) “We”, “They”. This can be used in all cases for “we” or “they” and if necessary as a 2nd. person pronoun.
	POO-AK ROW d-c (พวกเรา) “We” This is a variation of the above which you may come across in reading and means “Our group” or “Our sort of people”.
	JOWKOON d-c (เจ้าคุณ) This is really an appellation for a person with the rank or PRAYAH and may be used in the 2nd. or 3rd. person. Although there is no equivalence in rank, its use is similar to the use of the word “Sir” in English when talking to or about someone who has been knighted except that you can use JOWKOON as a pronoun without adding the name after it.
	KOONYING c-r (คุณหญิง) This is a respectful form of address used when speaking to or about the wife of PRAYAH, a princess below the rank of MOM JOW or a commoner who has had certain high decorations conferred on her.