How to say
kǒr-tôht
sorry / excuse me
Sorry in Thai is ขอโทษ, said kǒr-tôht, with ครับ or ค่ะ on the end depending on whether you are male or female.
The same phrase is also how you say "excuse me" — to get past someone, or to get a stranger's attention before you ask them something. That is what you will use it for most.
| Syllable | Sounds like | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| ขอ | kǒr | rising tone rising tone |
| โทษ | tôht | falling tone falling tone |
Up then down, and both movements are bigger than they feel. The rising tone dips before it climbs, so the first syllable starts lower than an English speaker expects and ends higher.
In practice you will use ขอโทษ to get past someone on a crowded BTS, to interrupt a shopkeeper who has not noticed you, or to start a question to a stranger. That is its commonest job by a distance. English keeps "sorry" and "excuse me" apart; Thai does not bother, and one word covers both.
For a real apology it works too, but a serious one usually needs more than the phrase — tone of voice, a slight bow of the head, and often ขอโทษมาก or a follow-up explanation. Bare ขอโทษ for something genuinely bad reads as perfunctory.
This is worth saying plainly because British visitors get it wrong in a specific direction. British English apologises reflexively: for being bumped into, for asking a question, for occupying space. Thai does not. Repeatedly saying ขอโทษ for trivial things does not read as polite — it reads as odd, and slightly as though something is wrong.
There is also the matter of face. A loud, elaborate public apology can make the situation more uncomfortable rather than less, because it draws attention to the fault. Quiet, brief and unfussed is the register that works.
If you apologise, expect ไม่เป็นไร back. Literally "it is nothing". It functions as "don't worry about it", "no harm done" and "let us not make a thing of this", and it is the standard close to a small apology in both directions. If someone bumps you, saying it first is a good move.
The first syllable is a rising tone and the second is falling, which is a larger pitch movement than English speakers expect from two syllables. Said flat, kor-toht is understandable but noticeably foreign.
The rising tone in particular is the one most learners under-do. A Thai rising tone dips before it climbs — it starts lower than you think and finishes higher. Listening to the recording above two or three times is worth more than any description of it.
Worth flagging because it comes up immediately at a food stall. ขอ by itself, same rising tone, means "may I have" and is how you ask for things: ขอเมนูหน่อยค่ะ, "could I have the menu". Same syllable, entirely different job. Thai reuses short syllables heavily, which is one more reason the tones carry so much of the load.
The same way you say sorry: ขอโทษ, kǒr-tôht, plus krap or ka. Thai does not separate the two the way English does, so one phrase covers getting past someone, interrupting politely, and apologising.
ไม่เป็นไร, mâi pen rai. It means "it is nothing" and functions as "don't worry about it". It is the standard reply to both an apology and a thank you.
It is neutral. With krap or ka on the end it is polite enough for any everyday situation, from a shop to an office. A serious apology usually needs more than the phrase — a quieter voice and a fuller explanation do more work than a stronger word would.
Rising then falling. ขอ is a rising tone and โทษ is a falling tone, so the phrase climbs and then drops. Said flat it is still understood, but it is one of the clearest markers of a beginner.