Thai word
ไหม
mǎi
疑问助词（是/否）
How to pronounce ไหม
Rising tone
Starts low, rises to high
ไหม is written mǎi and carries the rising tone. Listen first, then copy the pitch — in Thai the pitch belongs to the word the way a vowel does.
Same syllable, five tones
Thai uses pitch to tell words apart. Below is the same syllable on each of the five tones — nothing changes but the pitch. Say your word (highlighted) on one of the other four and a Thai listener hears a different word, or none at all.
-
mai
Mid tone
-
mài
Low tone
-
mâi
Falling tone
- ไหม
mǎi
Rising tone
-
mái
High tone
What does ไหม mean?
Translation
疑问助词（是/否）
ไหม (mǎi) means "疑问助词（是/否）" in Thai.
Example sentences
สองแถวไปตลาดไหมครับ
sǒng-tǎaew bpai dtà-làat mǎi kráp
这辆 sǒng-tǎaew 去 dtà-làat 吗？
แพงไปนะคะ ลดได้ไหมคะ
paaeng bpai ná ká lót dâi mǎi ká
太贵了。能便宜点吗？（口语）
ไม่เผ็ดได้ไหมคะ ท้องไม่ค่อยดี
mâi pèt dâai mǎi ká tóong mâi kôi dii
可以做不辣的吗？我肚子不太舒服。
Test yourself
One word from the same tone group. Its meaning is not on this page — see whether it stuck.
What does this word mean?
หู
hǔu
Related words
More words with the rising tone — the same pitch shape, different words.
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