How to Say “What is this?” in Thai
อันนี้คืออะไร
an-níi khɨɨ a-ray
What is this?
ครับ (khráp) and คะ (khá) are polite particles — they depend on the speaker's gender. In a question the female particle is คะ (khá) (high tone), not the statement form ค่ะ (khâ).
Word by word
When to use it
อันนี้ (an-níi) is "this thing," คือ (khɨɨ) is "to be," and อะไร (a-ray) is "what." Pointing and asking works well at stalls and markets — locals are usually happy to help with gestures or a translation app. To ask "what is this?" like a local, drop คือ (khɨɨ) and just say อันนี้อะไรครับ (an-níi a-ray khráp) or อันนี้อะไรคะ (an-níi a-ray khá) — it sounds more natural and casual in everyday conversation.
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 →
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