กรุณา

Please — Formal

Level 1

กรุณา (kà-rú-naa) means 'please' in a formal request. Place it before the action. Signs and announcements use this wording, but it can also appear in spoken requests.

How It Works

1. Usage and Register
กรุณา gives a request a formal tone. Settings where you may see it include:

  • Public signs (e.g., 'Please do not smoke')
  • Official announcements (e.g., 'Please wait a moment')
  • Formal business emails or letters

In an ordinary conversation with friends or family, กรุณา may sound more formal than intended. It is not automatically wrong in speech: the relationship, tone, and situation matter. For an everyday favour, consider ช่วย (chûuay).

2. Sentence Structure
The pattern is simple: กรุณา + [Verb Phrase]. You can add a polite particle at the end when it suits the speaker and sentence. A polite form still needs an appropriate tone and context.

3. Distinction from โปรด (bpròht)
Both can introduce requests meaning 'please.' โปรด appears in formal instructions, and กรุณา can introduce either an instruction or a personal request. Do not treat public benefit versus personal favour as a rule that determines which word is possible.

Examples (4)

  1. กรุณารอสักครู่ครับ

    Please wait a moment.

    Word by Word: Please wait a-moment [polite]

    This formal request asks the listener to wait briefly. It suits settings such as a service announcement or a telephone hold message.

  2. กรุณาถอดรองเท้า

    Please take off your shoes.

    Word by Word: Please take-off shoes

    This wording can appear on a sign asking visitors to remove their shoes before entering.

  3. กรุณาอย่าส่งเสียงดัง

    Please do not make loud noises.

    Word by Word: Please do-not send sound loud

    This request can appear in a place where quiet is needed, such as a library or hospital. Here, 'อย่า' (do not) follows 'กรุณา'.

  4. กรุณาปิดไฟก่อนออกจากห้อง

    Please turn off the lights before leaving the room.

    Word by Word: Please close light before exit from room

    This instruction asks someone to turn off the lights before leaving. It can be used on a notice in a shared room.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 'กรุณา' at the end of the sentence.

    รอสักครู่กรุณา
    กรุณารอสักครู่

    English 'please' can come at the end. In the Thai request construction shown here, 'กรุณา' comes before the action rather than after it.

  • Choosing 'กรุณา' when an ordinary, less formal request is intended.

    กรุณาส่งเกลือให้หน่อย
    ช่วยส่งเกลือให้หน่อย

    For an ordinary request to a friend, 'กรุณา' may give the sentence a more formal tone than intended. 'ช่วย' (chûuay) is an alternative for asking a favour. The first sentence is grammatically possible; this exercise compares wording for the intended everyday situation.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

กรุณาLevel 1Please — Formal

Learn This First

To use กรุณา, you need to understand basic Thai sentence structure (SVO) as this word acts as a formal prefix to a verb phrase. It is also helpful to understand the informal equivalent (ช่วย...หน่อย) to distinguish between casual and formal registers.

Words in This Pattern

กรุณากรุณา