How to Say “What's your name?” in Thai
ชื่ออะไร
chɨ̂ɨ a-ray
What's your name?
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
The direct question for asking someone's name — ชื่อ (chɨ̂ɨ) means "name" or "to be called"; อะไร (a-ray) means "what." A slightly softer version is คุณชื่ออะไร (khun chɨ̂ɨ a-ray), which adds the polite pronoun คุณ (khun), meaning "you" — more respectful and polite than the casual form. Thais often have a ชื่อเล่น (chɨ̂ɨ-lên) — a nickname everyone uses — so don't be surprised if you get a playful one-syllable name.
Why you've seen it spelled differently
You may have seen ชื่ออะไร written as: chue arai, chuu arai, chue a-rai.
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.