Kap Koon Krup

When you say "thank you" in thai language, you say "kap koon krup" if you're a male and "kap koon ka" when you're a female. I normally pronounce it "kap koon kap" because their "R" is normally silent. However, for almost 3 months here in Thailand, I'm still accustomed to saying "thank you". I'm a polite person. I got used to saying thank you to people at all times. So it's a hard habit to break and change it with a different language. Besides, thai people in Pattaya are used to "thank you" because of the large crowd of foreigners.

When thai people say thank you in their language, they mix it with a gesture called "wai". They place the palms and fingers of both their hands together as in a prayer position in the center of their body. Just like how Ronald McDonald do it in the picture. It is also accompanied with a slight bow. How you do it is you bow your head to your hands, not putting your hands on your forehead. Thai people will correct you if you don't do it properly.

Everyone does the wai here. In groceries, in stores, malls, 7-eleven, everywhere. They never fail to thank you when you buy something from them. I know wai is common in southeast asia especially in buddhist countries like Thailand, Cambodia and Laos too. It is not a religious practice but can be part of rituals in religious observance.

I remember during my social studies in high school, my teacher told us that Southeast Asia was subjected to a process of "Indianisation" and so probably, the wai has its origins in the indian practice of "namaste". It's a common gesture in Nepal and India and apart from being a social gesture, it is also a symbol of respect and even foreigners that are fluent in spanish or english can automatically see that it is a gesture of respect. So there, kab koon krup is one of the first thai language you should learn when visiting Thailand. The wai is not necessary but a good one to try. Just make sure to do it properly so not to offend their practice.