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Thai numerals (ตัวเลขไทย) are traditionally used in Thailand, although the Arabic numerals (also known as Western numerals) are more common. Apart from the different symbols used for the numerals, the Thai numeration system is exactly the same as the Hindu-Arabic numeral system used in the rest of the world. In the Thai language, numerals often follow the modified noun and precede a measure word, although variations to this pattern occur. While the digits are from India, the digit names are from Chinese.
Contents |
Main numbers
Zero to nine
The Thai digit names are from Chinese except 0 and 1. The corresponding Cantonese characters and pronunciations are also shown below. The Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTGS) is used for alphabetization.
| Number | Thai | RTGS | Cantonese | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ๐ | ศูนย์ | sun | - |
| 1 | ๑ | หนึ่ง | nueng | - |
| 2 | ๒ | สอง | song | 雙 (seung1) |
| 3 | ๓ | สาม | sam | 三 (saam1) |
| 4 | ๔ | สี่ | si | 四 (sei3) |
| 5 | ๕ | ห้า | ha | 五 (ng5) |
| 6 | ๖ | หก | hok | 六 (luk6) |
| 7 | ๗ | เจ็ด | chet | 七 (chat1) |
| 8 | ๘ | แปด | paet | 八 (baat3) |
| 9 | ๙ | เก้า | kao | 九 (gau2) |
Note: For number 2, there is a traditional way of calling this number apart from สอง (song) which is ยี่ (yi, Cantonese: 二, yi6). Yi is still used in several places in Thai language. For example, it is used to construct the calling of 20 and its combination instead of song. It is still used in calling traditional second month of the Thai lunar calendar. According to the Online Royal Institute Dictionary, it is also used in the Thai northern dialect to refer to the Year of the tiger.
Ten to a million
These are assembled from the words for the powers of ten. The number one following a power of ten becomes et (Cantonese: 一, yat1). The numbers from twenty to twenty nine begin with yi sip (Cantonese: 二十, yi6sap6).
| Number | Thai | RTGS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ๑๐ | สิบ | sip |
| 11 | ๑๑ | สิบเอ็ด | sip et |
| 12 | ๑๒ | สิบสอง | sip song |
| 20 | ๒๐ | ยี่สิบ | yi sip |
| 21 | ๒๑ | ยี่สิบเอ็ด | yi sip et |
| 22 | ๒๒ | ยี่สิบสอง | yi sip song |
| 100 | ๑๐๐ | ร้อย | roi |
| 1 000 | ๑๐๐๐ | พัน | phan |
| 10 000 | ๑๐๐๐๐ | หมื่น | muen |
| 100 000 | ๑๐๐๐๐๐ | แสน | saen |
| 1 000 000 | ๑๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ล้าน | lan |
In colloquial Thai, the beginning of 21 through 29 may be shortened from ยี่สิบ (yi sip) to ยิบ (yip). Therefore, one may hear ยิบเอ็ด (yip et), ยิบสอง (yip song), etc. The hundreds are formed by combining roi with the tens and ones values. For example, two hundred and thirty-two is song roi sam sip song. The words roi, phan, muen, and saen occur should with a preceding numeral (nueng is optional), so two hundred and ten, for example, is song roi sip, and one hundred is either roi or nueng roi. Nueng never precedes sip, so song roi nueng sip is incorrect. Native speakers will sometimes use roi nueng (or phan nueng, etc.) with different tones on nueng to distinguish one hundred from one hundred and one. However, such distinction is often not made, and ambiguity may follow. To resolve this problem, if the number 101 (or 1001, 10001, etc.) is intended, one should say roi et (or phan et, muen et, etc.).
Numbers above a million
Numbers above a million are constructed by prefixing lan with a multiplier. For example, ten million is sip lan, and a trillion (1012) is lan lan.
Decimal and fractional numbers
Colloquially, decimal numbers are formed by saying จุด (chut, dot) where the decimal separator is located. For example, 1.01 is หนึ่งจุดศูนย์หนึ่ง. Fractional numbers are formed by placing ใน (nai, in, of) between the numerator and denominator. For example, ⅓ is หนึ่งในสาม (neung nai sam) The word ครึ่ง (khrueng) is used for "half". It precedes the measure word if used alone, but it follows the measure word when used with another number. For example, kradat krueng phaen (กระดาษครึ่งแผ่น) means "half sheet of paper", but kradat nueng phaen krueng (กระดาษหนึ่งแผ่นครึ่ง) means "one and a half sheets of paper".
Negative numbers
Negative numbers are formed by placing ลบ (lop, minus) in front of the number. For example, -11 is ลบสิบเอ็ด (lop sip et).
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers are formed by placing ที่ (thi, place) in front of the number. They are not considered a special class of numbers, since the numeral still follows a modified noun, which is thi in this case.
| Thai | RTGS | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ที่หนึ่ง | thi nueng | first |
| ที่สอง | thi song | second |
| ที่สาม | thi sam | third |
| ที่สี่ | thi si | fourth |
| ที่# | thi # | #st, #nd, #rd, #th |
Alternate numbers
An alternate set of numerals is used to name tonal marks (ไม้, mai), educational degrees (ปริญญา, prinya), and military rankings, and is derived from the names of Sanskrit numerals.
| Number | Tonal Mark | Educational Degree | Military Ranking in the Royal Thai Army | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thai | RTGS | Value | Mark | Thai | RTGS | Meaning | Thai | RTGS | Meaning | Thai | RTGS | Meaning | |||
| เอก | ek | one | –่ | ไม้เอก | mai ek | first tone mark | ปริญญาเอก | prinya ek | doctor's degree | พลเอก/พันเอก/ร้อยเอก/สิบเอก/จ่าสิบเอก | phol ek/phan ek/roi ek/sib ek/ja sib tho | General/Colonel/Captain/Sergeant/Master Sergeant 1st Class | |||
| โท | tho | two | –้ | ไม้โท | mai tho | second tone mark | ปริญญาโท | prinya tho | master's degree | พลโท/พันโท/ร้อยโท/สิบโท/จ่าสิบโท | phol tho/phan tho/roi tho/sib tho/ja sib tho | Lieutenant General/Lieutenant Colonel/Lieutenant/Corporal/Master Sergeant 2nd Class | |||
| ตรี | tri | three | –๊ | ไม้ตรี | mai tri | third tone mark | ปริญญาตรี | prinya tri | bachelor's degree | พลตรี/พันตรี/ร้อยตรี/สิบตรี/จ่าสิบตรี | phol tri/phan tri/roi tri/sib tri/ja sib tri | Major general/Major/Sub Lieutenant/Lance Corporal/Master Sergeant 3rd Class | |||
| จัตวา | chattawa | four | –๋ | ไม้จัตวา | mai chattawa | fourth tone mark | พลจัตวา | phol chattawa | Brigadier General (not anymore in use in Thai military ranking, but still used for naming foreign military officers) | ||||||
