How to Say “Cheers” in Thai

When to use it

The festive toast — raise your glass and say ไชโย (chay-yoo) before drinking. In a crowd, this functions as a three-time call-and-response chant: the leader shouts "ไช (chay)!" and the crowd instantly roars back "โย (yoo)!" For a simpler clink-glasses signal, Thais also say ชน (chon), which literally just means "to clink." Both are used; ไชโย (chay-yoo) is more spirited.

Why you've seen it spelled differently

You may have seen ไชโย written as: chai yo, chaiyo, jai yo.

There is no single standard for writing Thai in the Roman alphabet — phrasebooks, road signs, and tourist guides each follow a different system, and many just invent their own spellings. The romanization on this page uses a consistent IPA-based system that marks all five tones and distinguishes short from long vowels. The same word always gets the same spelling. Paste any Thai to see it romanized →

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