How to Say “Welcome” in Thai
ยินดีต้อนรับ
yin dii tɔ̂ɔn-ráp
Welcome
ค่ะ and ครับ are polite particles — they depend on the speaker's gender, not the listener's.
Word by word
When to use it
ยินดีต้อนรับ (yin-dii-tôon-ráp) is the formal greeting for welcoming guests — you'll see it on hotel signs, hear it at resort entrances, and read it on welcome mats. ยินดี is "glad," ต้อนรับ is "to receive guests." In casual settings a friendly สวัสดี with a smile serves the same purpose.
Why you've seen it spelled differently
You may have seen ยินดีต้อนรับ written as: yin dee ton rap, yindee tonrap, yin di ton rab.
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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