How to Say “What is this” in Thai
อันนี้คืออะไร
an-níi khɨɨ a-ray
What is this
ค่ะ and ครับ are polite particles — they depend on the speaker's gender, not the listener's.
Word by word
When to use it
อันนี้ (an-níi) is "this thing," คือ (khəə) is "is," อะไร (a-rai) is "what." Point and ask — it works in markets, restaurants, and street food stalls. Thais are usually happy to explain and will often gesture or show you a translation app in return.
Why you've seen it spelled differently
You may have seen อันนี้คืออะไร written as: un nee kue arai, an ni khue arai.
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
Get the free Thai starter pack
Join the list for the beginner starter path, practice resources, and early access to the full lesson library.