How to say I love you in Thai

The tone on every syllable

Thai has five tones, and each syllable carries one. Here's the shape your voice makes on each part of ผมรักคุณ. The dotted line is your normal speaking pitch.

Other ways to say it

ฉันรักคุณ	chǎn rák khun I love you (woman speaking)	▶
รัก	rák love, to love	▶

Getting it right

• phǒm and chǎn are both rising: start low and climb.
• rák is high and short: keep it up and stop it cleanly.
• khun is mid and level.

When to use it

• ผม (phǒm) is “I” for men; ฉัน (chǎn) is “I” for women.
• Between couples, Thai people often drop “I” and “you” and use nicknames instead, so you'll also hear just รัก (rák) with a name.

Check your tones

Reading the tone is one thing; saying it is another. In Ravela's Pronunciation Lab you say ผมรักคุณ and see your pitch drawn over a native line, with notes on what to change. It's free to start, no card needed.

Practise ผมรักคุณ free Try the no-signup tone test

Questions people ask

How does a woman say I love you in Thai?

ฉันรักคุณ (chǎn rák khun). The only change is the word for I.

What tone is รัก?

High. It's a short syllable, so keep the pitch up and stop it cleanly.

More Thai phrases

hello · thank you · sorry / excuse me · how are you? · delicious · how much? · beautiful · yes / no · where's the toilet? · excuse me · good night · what's your name? · I don't understand · where are you from? · khráp and khâ · the bill, please

The audio is Ravela's reference voice. Romanisation follows Ravela's house style, with the tone marked on every syllable.