yes
The word "ใช่" (chai) is the fundamental way to express agreement or affirmation in Thai. Think of it as a way to confirm that a statement matches reality or to signal that you are following along with what someone is saying. In Thai, "ใช่" is used when confirming facts (e.g., "Is this your book? Yes, it is"). However, be careful not to use it to answer "Yes/No" questions involving verbs, where you should repeat the verb instead (e.g., "Do you like it?" is answered with "Like" or "Don't like," not "Yes").
In conversation
Confirming identity
คุณคือคุณสมชายใช่ไหมครับ?
Are you Mr. Somchai?
ใช่ครับ
Yes, that's me.
Adding 'ครับ' (khrap) makes the affirmation polite for male speakers.
Agreeing with a statement
อากาศวันนี้ร้อนเนอะ
The weather is hot today, isn't it?
ใช่ ร้อนมากเลย
Yes, it's very hot.
Using 'ใช่' alone is very common in casual conversation to show you agree with an observation.
Examples
ใช่ นี่คือบ้านของฉัน
Yes, this is my house.
คุณเข้าใจที่ผมอธิบายใช่ไหม?
Do you understand what I explained?
ถ้าใช่ เราก็ควรเริ่มงานกันเลย
If that is the case, we should start working right away.
