How to Say “Elder brother/sister” in Thai
พี่
phîi
Elder brother/sister
ครับ (khráp) and คะ (khá) are polite particles — they depend on the speaker's gender. When calling out to someone, women say คะ (khá) (high tone), not the statement form ค่ะ (khâ).
When to use it
พี่ (phîi) means "older sibling," but it's used constantly as a polite title to address or refer to anyone slightly older than you — a colleague, shop owner, or stranger, not just literal siblings. Put it before a name if you know the person, or use it alone as a term of address. It's very common to call a stranger who looks older than you พี่ (phîi), and it's considered polite and humble. But be careful if the person doesn't clearly look older than you — calling them พี่ (phîi) could come across as offensive, since it implies you think they look older than they actually are.
Why you've seen it spelled differently
You may have seen พี่ written as: pee, pi, phi.
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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