How to Say “I'm full” in Thai
อิ่มแล้ว
ìm lǽæw
I'm full
ค่ะ (khâ) and ครับ (khráp) are polite particles — they depend on the speaker's gender, not the listener's.
Word by word
When to use it
อิ่ม (ìm) means "satisfied" or "full after eating," and แล้ว (lǽæw) means "already." This politely declines more food — essential in Thailand, where hosts keep offering. You can soften it with a smile and a polite particle: อิ่มแล้วครับ (ìm lǽæw khráp) or อิ่มแล้วค่ะ (ìm lǽæw khâ) — I'm already full.
Why you've seen it spelled differently
You may have seen อิ่มแล้ว written as: im laew, im laeo, um laew.
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 →
Related phrases
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