The Six-Hour Clock

Level 2

Thai time phrases can use 'Ti' for early-morning hours, 'Mong' for daytime hours, and 'Thum' for evening hours. Learn each hour with its marker.

How It Works

The Six-Hour Clock (นาฬิกาหกชั่วโมง) is one way of describing Thai clock-time expressions. The forms below show how the hour combines with a time-of-day marker.

Hours and Time-of-Day Markers:

  • ตี (Ti): 1:00 AM – 5:00 AM. The marker comes first (e.g., ตีสอง = 2:00 AM).
  • โมง (Mong): Used for daytime hours, divided into specific periods:
    • Morning (Chao): 6:00 AM – 11:00 AM. 6:00 AM is หกโมงเช้า (can be shortened to หกโมง in casual speech when context is clear). You may also encounter a 1-5 count for 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM with the marker โมงเช้า. 7:00 AM is โมงเช้า or หนึ่งโมงเช้า, 8:00 AM is สองโมงเช้า, and so on. The 7-11 count also occurs directly (e.g., แปดโมงเช้า = 8:00 AM).
    • Afternoon (Bai): 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM in the introductory pattern here; afternoon forms can extend to 5:00 PM. Use this frame: บ่าย + [number] + โมง (e.g., บ่ายสองโมง = 2:00 PM). Note: Learn the form for 1:00 PM as บ่ายโมง.
    • Evening (Yen): 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM. The number comes before the marker (e.g., หกโมงเย็น = 6:00 PM, though it can be shortened to หกโมง when context is clear). For 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM, the 'Yen' forms (สี่โมงเย็น, ห้าโมงเย็น) and the 'Bai' forms (บ่ายสี่โมง, บ่ายห้าโมง) both occur. Choose the complete time phrase to suit the context.
  • ทุ่ม (Thum): 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM. The number comes BEFORE the marker (e.g., สองทุ่ม = 8:00 PM). Note: 7:00 PM is หนึ่งทุ่ม, and you can also encounter ทุ่มหนึ่ง in conversation, with the informal written variant ทุ่มนึง (thum nueng).
  • Noon & Midnight: These have unique names: เที่ยง (Thiang) or เที่ยงวัน (Thiang Wan) for 12:00 PM and เที่ยงคืน (Thiang Khuen) for 12:00 AM. Note that you do not use the word โมง with these; for example, 12:30 PM is simply เที่ยงครึ่ง. (You may also encounter หกทุ่ม (hok thum). Use the midnight form taught above when learning this pattern.)

Minutes and Half-Hours:
Add minutes using นาที (nathi) or half-hours using ครึ่ง (khrueng) at the end of the time phrase (e.g., บ่ายสองโมงครึ่ง = 2:30 PM, ตีสามสิบห้านาที = 3:15 AM). Note that in casual speech, the word นาที can be omitted when the minute reading is clear (e.g., ตีสามสิบห้า). To say "minutes to" the next hour, use the structure อีก + [minutes] + นาทีจะ + [next hour] (e.g., อีกสิบนาทีจะบ่ายสองโมง = 10 minutes to 2:00 PM).

Important Rules & Usage:
1. The 'Thum' Shift: 7:00 PM is 'nueng thum' (one thum), 8:00 PM is 'song thum' (two thum), and so on. Learn this count together with the evening marker.
2. 6:00 PM Boundary: 6:00 PM is หกโมงเย็น. The 'Thum' cycle only begins at 7:00 PM.
3. Casual Speech: Shortened phrases depend on the context. For example, 8:00 AM can be shortened to แปดโมง, 2:00 PM can be shortened to บ่ายสอง, and 6:00 AM/PM can both be just หกโมง if the context is obvious.
4. On the Hour or Past the Hour: Add ตรง (trong) at the end to mean 'on the hour' or 'sharp' (e.g., เที่ยงตรง = exactly noon). To say 'past' the hour without specifying an exact number of minutes, add กว่า (kwaa) (e.g., แปดโมงกว่า = past 8:00 AM).
5. The 24-Hour System: You can also tell the time using the 24-hour clock with the word นาฬิกา (nalika) (e.g., 14:00 is สิบสี่นาฬิกา).
6. Time vs. Duration: Use โมง (mong) to tell the time on the clock (e.g., บ่ายสองโมง = 2:00 PM), but use ชั่วโมง (chua-mong) to talk about duration (e.g., สองชั่วโมง = 2 hours).
7. Asking the Time: To ask 'What time is it?', use the phrase กี่โมงแล้ว (ki mong laeo).

Examples (5)

  1. เราเจอกันตอนบ่ายสองโมงนะ

    Let's meet at 2:00 PM.

    Word by Word: We meet each-other at-time afternoon two hour [particle]

    The afternoon marker 'bai' comes before 'song' (two) and the hour marker 'mong'.

  2. หนังเริ่มฉายตอนสองทุ่มครึ่ง

    The movie starts at 8:30 PM.

    Word by Word: Movie start show at-time two thum half

    The evening phrase 'song thum' refers to 8:00 PM in this example. krueng adds half an hour, giving 8:30 PM.

  3. เขาตื่นนอนตอนตีห้าทุกวัน

    He wakes up at 5:00 AM every day.

    Word by Word: He wake sleep at-time ti five every day

    Here, 'ti ha' refers to 5:00 AM. The early-morning marker 'ti' comes before 'ha' (five).

  4. เจอกันตอนบ่ายโมงนะ

    See you at 1:00 PM.

    Word by Word: Meet each-other at-time afternoon hour [particle]

    This example uses 'bai mong' for 1:00 PM, with no separate word for 'one'.

  5. ตอนนี้กี่โมงแล้ว

    What time is it now?

    Word by Word: Now how-many hour already

    ki combines with 'mong' in this question asking the current clock time.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding 'one' instead of using the taught 1:00 PM form.

    บ่ายหนึ่งโมง
    บ่ายโมง

    For this exercise, use the form 'bai mong'. It expresses 1:00 PM without a separate word for 'one'.

  • Using an eight-count with 'thum' for 8:00 PM.

    แปดทุ่ม
    สองทุ่ม

    In the pattern taught here, the evening count starts with one at 7:00 PM. Use 'song thum', with a count of two, for 8:00 PM.

  • Reversing the taught 8:00 PM phrase.

    ทุ่มสอง
    สองทุ่ม

    Compare the 7:00 PM variant ทุ่มหนึ่ง (thum nueng) with the pattern for 8:00 PM. For the intended 8:00 PM reading, do not reverse it to ทุ่มสอง (thum song); use 'song thum', with the number before the marker.

How It Connects

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

The Six-Hour ClockLevel 2

Learn This First

To tell the time in Thai, you first need a solid grasp of the Thai numbering system, as the six-hour clock relies on specific numbers combined with time-of-day markers. Understanding how Thai uses classifiers for units of measurement is also essential, as time words often function as their own classifiers.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ตีโมงทุ่ม