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This is one of those signs that you should know about or you might trip over. In Thai it says “prot ra-wang peun dtaang ra-dap” which translates as “please be careful of the floor that has different levels”. Or more simply, “mind the step”. โปรด ร…

It is always a good idea to pay close attention to signs that start with “ra-wang”. It means “be careful”. The second word is “rot” which usually refers to cars but also to all vehicles in general. In this case it is motorcycles. The last word is …

This is an interesting one that you won’t see every day. In Thai it says “suan angkrit” which translates as English Garden. The word “suan” means garden. สวน อังกฤษ (suan angkrit)

This sign says simply “ban-dai” which means “stairs”. Incidentally, “lift” in Thai is the same as the English. บันได (ban-dai)

This is one of the most useful traffic signs for city driving. If you cannot read it and you stop at the red light then cars behind you will be honking their horn. It says in Thai “lieow sai paan dta-lot” which basically means turning left you can…

A sign like this seen in the back of a songtaew might save you some money. These public buses, which are converted pick-ups with two rows, usually run on fixed routes. This sign says in Thai “8 baht dta-lot sai” which means that the fare is 8 Baht…

This is one of those useful phrases that you need to learn if you don’t want to get hurt. In Thai it says “ra-wang see-sa”. The first word means “to be careful” and you might see it a lot on road signs. The second word means “head” which is more f…

I saw this sign near a row of benches. It says “haam non” which means it is forbidden to lie down and sleep here. A more useful sign here would be “wet paint”. Though I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen one. ห้าม นอน (haam non)

I spotted this sign at the post office this afternoon. You will often see something like this when you need to get a queue number. บัตร คิว (but que)

I quite often see this one at car parks. In Thai it says “dtem” which means full. เต็ม (dtem)

I saw this sign in the back of a songtaew. If you want the driver to stop you need to press the buzzer or bell. In Thai it says “garuna got gring”. The first word is “please” which you will see often. กรุณา กด กริ่ง (ga-ru-naa got gring)

If you cannot read Thai then there is so much you are missing out on. This one says in Thai “hohm sa-tay” which of course comes from the English word Homestay. โฮมสเตย์ (hohm sa-tay)

You might see this sign by a light switch. The first word is handy as it means “do not”. In Thai it says “yaa leum bit fai” which translates as “don’t forget to turn off light”. Actually “bit” also means “close” which is why a Thai will say “close…

This is a useful sign seen on a door. It is neither push nor pull. This one says “leuan” which means “slide”. เลื่อน (leuan)

This is a useful sign as it tells you that the place that you are looking for is 50 meters away. In Thai you would read this as “haa-sib met”. เมตร (met)

In Thai this sign reads as “sam tung neung roi baht”. The word “tung” with short “oo” sound, means “bag”. It is also the classifier for bags. The common word for a bag is “gra-bpao”. ถุง (tung)

I saw this sign at a temple yesterday. There were a row of toilets but on one door there was this sign. It says “hong nam phra ajarn”. Members of the public cannot use it as it is for the monks. “Phra Ajarn” is a teaching monk. ห้องน้ำ พระอาจารย์ …

This sign says “tee-nee jam-nai buree” which literally means “here sells cigarettes”. These days they have to keep cigarettes under the counter so they need signs like this one. Outside of major cities you won’t see bilingual versions. The word fo…

This sign is a warning about the danger of high voltage cables. The first word is “an-dta-rai” which means danger and you should try and remember. อันตราย ไฟฟ้าแรงสูง (an-dta-rai faifaa raeng soong)

This sign says “dtut pom” which literally means “cut hair”. Some are for men & kids only and cost something like 50 & 30 Baht respectively. ตัด ผม (dtat pom)