ท่าน

You or They — Honorific

Level 5

ท่าน can mean respectful you, or refer respectfully to someone as he, she, or they. It can also precede a title. Its use does not require every referent to hold a higher official rank.

How It Works

Address Or Refer To Someone
ท่าน can stand for the person being addressed, you, or for someone being referred to respectfully. The greeting and opening-speech request address the listener; neither sentence states a required official rank.

Before A Title
ท่านประธาน places ท่าน before ประธาน, chairperson, to show respect. Read the whole title rather than translating ท่าน as you in that phrase.

Address A Group
The food question contains พวกท่าน for the group being addressed. ท่าน can also address members of an audience respectfully. Choose the form for the actual relationship and occasion.

Keep The Written Form Distinct
ท่าน has a long aa vowel and a falling tone in standard Thai. ทัน has a short a vowel and a mid tone, with a different meaning. The card compares those written forms; it does not assess a recording.

Respect And Context
คุณ, personal names, and ท่าน occur in their own forms of address. The invitation task practises the displayed คุณ wording; it does not establish a universal rule for addressing every friend, official, or monk. Royal and monastic conventions need their own context.

Examples (4)

  1. ท่านสบายดีไหมครับ

    How are you, sir/madam?

    Word by Word: You comfortable well [question] [polite]

    ท่าน addresses the listener as you in this respectful greeting. The sentence does not identify the listener’s job or rank.

  2. ท่านประธานกำลังเดินทางมาถึงครับ

    The chairperson is arriving.

    Word by Word: Honored Chairman [progressive] travel come arrive [polite]

    Here, 'thân' is used as a prefix to the title 'Chairman' to show professional respect.

  3. ขอเชิญท่านกล่าวเปิดงานครับ

    I would like to invite you to give the opening speech.

    Word by Word: Request invite you speak open event [polite]

    ท่าน addresses the invited person as you in this opening-speech request.

  4. พวกท่านต้องการรับประทานอะไรดีคะ

    What would you all like to eat?

    Word by Word: [Plural] you want eat what good [polite question]

    The displayed phrase พวกท่าน addresses a group. The complete sentence asks what they would like to eat.

Common Mistakes

  • Practise The Invitation With คุณ.

    ท่านจะไปกินข้าวกับเราไหม
    คุณจะไปกินข้าวกับเราไหม

    This task requests คุณจะไปกินข้าวกับเราไหม, the invitation with คุณ. Replacing คุณ with ท่าน changes the form of address; its suitability depends on the relationship and occasion. The card practises the requested wording without declaring the ท่าน sentence ungrammatical.

  • Distinguish The Written Forms ท่าน And ทัน.

    ทัน (than)
    ท่าน (thân)

    ท่าน has a long aa vowel and a falling tone. ทัน has a short a vowel and a mid tone, and means to be in time or keep up. For the intended honorific, keep both the long vowel and falling tone.

How It Connects

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

ท่านLevel 5You or They — Honorific

Learn This First

ท่าน is a high-register honorific pronoun used to address or refer to people of high status, such as officials, monks, or elders. To use it correctly, learners must first understand how Thai pronouns carry social register and be familiar with standard polite pronouns like คุณ and third-person pronouns like เขา.

Words in This Pattern

ท่าน