Numbers are the most useful ten words you’ll learn in Thai. Unlike tones on random vocabulary, the number system is genuinely logical once you have 1 through 10 down, everything from 11 to a million follows a small set of repeatable rules. This guide covers the full 0-10 set with script and pronunciation, the pattern for tens and big numbers, the one irregular case worth memorising (why 11 isn’t what you’d guess), Thailand’s own numeral script, and where you’ll actually use all of this: markets, taxis and street food.
It’s a spoke off outthailand.com’s basic Thai phrases hub, alongside our guides on how to say hello in Thai and how to say thank you in Thai. Romanisations below are pronunciation cues rather than a strict transliteration system, spellings vary between phrasebooks and apps.
What are the numbers 0 to 10 in Thai?
These ten words are the whole foundation, learn them well and the rest of the system falls into place on top of them.
| Numeral | Thai script | Romanised | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ศูนย์ | sun | sŏon |
| 1 | หนึ่ง | neung | nùeng |
| 2 | สอง | song | sɔ̌ɔng |
| 3 | สาม | sam | săam |
| 4 | สี่ | si | sìi |
| 5 | ห้า | ha | hâa |
| 6 | หก | hok | hòk |
| 7 | เจ็ด | jet | jèt |
| 8 | แปด | paet | pàet |
| 9 | เก้า | kao | kâo |
| 10 | สิบ | sip | sìp |
Romanisations are pronunciation cues; spellings vary between phrasebooks and apps.
How do you count from 11 to 99 in Thai?
Once you have 1-10, the tens follow a clear, repeatable pattern, with two things to learn on top: the word for 20, and the “et” exception for the digit 1. From 11 to 19, you say sip (10) plus the digit: sip-song (12), sip-sam (13), sip-si (14), sip-ha (15), sip-hok (16), sip-jet (17), sip-paet (18), sip-kao (19), all completely regular. 20 breaks the pattern with its own word, yi-sip, rather than “song-sip”. After that, every ten through 90 follows the expected shape, digit + sip: sam-sip (30), si-sip (40), ha-sip (50), hok-sip (60), jet-sip (70), paet-sip (80), kao-sip (90). Within each ten, you add the ones digit the same way as the teens.
| Number | Romanised | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | sip-et | Not sip-neung, see below |
| 12 | sip-song | Regular pattern |
| 20 | yi-sip | Irregular, its own word |
| 21 | yi-sip-et | Not yi-sip-neung |
| 30 | sam-sip | 3 + sip |
| 40 | si-sip | 4 + sip |
| 50 | ha-sip | 5 + sip |
| 99 | kao-sip-kao | 90 + 9 |
Why does 11 use “et” instead of “neung”?
This is the one irregularity worth memorising, and it’s simple once you see it. Neung (1) is the standalone word for “one”, but whenever 1 lands as the final digit of a compound number, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51 and on, it swaps to et. So it’s sip-et (11), yi-sip-et (21), sam-sip-et (31), never sip-neung. No other digit changes this way: 12 is still sip-song, 22 is yi-sip-song, using the normal word for 2. Learn this one swap and the rest of the two-digit system needs no further exceptions.
What are the words for hundred, thousand and beyond?
Thai counts big numbers with dedicated words for each order of magnitude, not by tacking on more sip units. The core set: roi (100), phan (1,000), muen (10,000), saen (100,000) and lan (1,000,000). You build compound big numbers the same logical way: song roi is 200, ha phan is 5,000, sip muen is 100,000 (equivalently, one saen). These come up in everyday life more than you’d expect, monthly rent, phone bills and mid-range purchases routinely sit in the roi and phan range.
| Number | Romanised | Thai script |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | (neung) roi | (หนึ่ง)ร้อย |
| 500 | ha roi | ห้าร้อย |
| 1,000 | phan | พัน |
| 2,000 | song phan | สองพัน |
| 10,000 | muen | หมื่น |
| 100,000 | saen | แสน |
| 1,000,000 | lan | ล้าน |
“One hundred” is often just roi on its own in casual speech; neung roi is the fuller, more precise form.
Does Thailand use its own numeral symbols?
Yes, Thailand has its own set of number glyphs, ๐ (0) through ๙ (9), sharing the same script tradition as Thai lettering. In daily life, though, Arabic numerals (0-9) are what you’ll actually see and use, on restaurant menus, price tags, ATMs, road signs and phone numbers. The Thai glyphs survive mostly in specific, semi-ceremonial contexts: temple donation boards, some lottery tickets, older shopfronts, and currency detailing. You don’t need to be able to read them to travel comfortably, but recognising that they exist explains the occasional unfamiliar-looking digit on an older sign.
Why do Thai people write “555” online?
Because 5 is pronounced ha in Thai, so 555 reads out loud as ha-ha-ha, the Thai equivalent of “haha” or “lol” in English. It shows up constantly in social media comments, group chats, and even playful shop signage. It’s a fun bit of trivia, but also genuinely practical to know: if you see a string of 5s reacting to a joke or a photo, it’s laughter, not a price, a countdown or a phone number fragment.
How do numbers help at markets and street food stalls?
This is where the payoff is real. Vendors at markets and street stalls often say prices out loud in Thai even in tourist-heavy areas where they speak enough English for the rest of the exchange, so recognising ha-sip (50), roi (100) or ha roi (500) lets you catch the number the first time instead of needing it repeated or written down. Combine your numbers with thao rai? (how much?) from our basic Thai phrases guide, and you can follow along at food stalls in the Bangkok street food scene or while haggling over goods at Chatuchak Weekend Market. Knowing your numbers doesn’t just speed up the transaction, it signals you’re paying attention, which tends to help when bargaining over a price.
Where to next
Numbers are one piece of the traveller’s toolkit. Go back to the full basic Thai phrases hub for greetings, politeness particles and food vocabulary, or go deeper on how to say hello in Thai and how to say thank you in Thai. Then put your new numbers to work haggling through the stalls at Chatuchak Weekend Market or ordering plate after plate on the Bangkok street food trail. And to see what’s on across the country right now, browse the latest Thailand events.
Sources
- Standard Thai-language references for cardinal numbers 0-10, the sip/yi-sip tens pattern, and the neung/et irregularity.
- General linguistic references on the Thai numeral script (๐-๙) and its use alongside Arabic numerals.
- Thai internet-culture references on “555” as laughter slang, based on the pronunciation of the digit 5 as ha.