Thai ขอโทษ covers both “I’m sorry” and “excuse me.” It can acknowledge something the speaker did, get a stranger’s attention, interrupt politely, or open a request. The words after ขอโทษ—and the situation—show which social action is intended.
The ordinary polite forms are ขอโทษครับ for a male speaker and ขอโทษค่ะ for a female apology. A female speaker who uses the phrase to recruit attention before a question often says ขอโทษนะคะ..., then ends the actual question with คะ. Thai usually omits “I” and “you” because the speaker and listener are obvious.
The core frames
| Purpose | Productive frame | Register |
|---|---|---|
| brief apology | ขอโทษ + ครับ/ค่ะ | ordinary polite |
| say what you did | ขอโทษที่ + clause + ครับ/ค่ะ | ordinary polite |
| acknowledge inconvenience | ต้องขอโทษด้วย + ครับ/ค่ะ | careful polite |
| get attention | ขอโทษนะ + ครับ/คะ + question/request | ordinary polite |
| formal apology | ขออภัย + reason/inconvenience | formal announcements and writing |
| quick apology to a close person | โทษที | informal |
| accept an apology | ไม่เป็นไร + ครับ/ค่ะ | ordinary polite |
ขอโทษครับ ผมหยิบกระเป๋าผิดใบ
kho thot khrap phom yip krapao phit bai
I'm sorry; I picked up the wrong bag. (ordinary polite apology, male speaker; ใบ is the bag classifier)
ขอโทษค่ะ ฉันทำน้ำหกบนโต๊ะ
kho thot kha chan tham nam hok bon to
I'm sorry; I spilled water on the table. (ordinary polite apology, female speaker)
ขอโทษที่ตอบช้านะครับ
kho thot thi top cha na khrap
Sorry for replying late. (warm polite apology, male speaker; subject and message omitted as recoverable)
ที่ + clause identifies the act being apologized for. There is no English-style gerund or past-tense form after ที่: ตอบ stays unchanged, while context supplies who replied and when.
Minimal contrast: apology or attention
The same opener can look backward to a problem or forward to a new interaction.
ขอโทษค่ะ เมื่อกี้ฉันเดินชนคุณ
kho thot kha muea ki chan doen chon khun
I'm sorry; I bumped into you just now. (ordinary polite apology, female speaker)
ขอโทษนะคะ สถานีรถไฟไปทางไหนคะ
kho thot na kha sathani rot fai pai thang nai kha
Excuse me, which way is the railway station? (ordinary polite attention opener and question, female speaker)
In the first example, the following clause names an offense. In the second, นะคะ recruits the stranger gently and the route question follows. English has two different translations, but Thai uses discourse direction to distinguish them.
A male speaker can similarly say ขอโทษนะครับ ขอถามอะไรหน่อยครับ. The first polite particle can complete the attention unit; the later particle completes the request. Repeating a particle at real turn boundaries is natural, while attaching one after every word is not.
Stronger and more formal apologies
ต้องขอโทษด้วย literally frames the apology as something the speaker “must” offer and includes additive ด้วย. It is common when correcting a service problem or acknowledging a substantial inconvenience (careful polite).
ต้องขอโทษด้วยครับ วันนี้สินค้าที่สั่งยังมาไม่ครบ
tong kho thot duai khrap wan ni sinkha thi sang yang ma mai khrop
We do apologize; not all of the ordered goods have arrived today. (careful polite service apology, male employee)
ต้องขอโทษที่ให้รอนานค่ะ ระบบเพิ่งกลับมาใช้งานได้
tong kho thot thi hai ro nan kha rabop phoeng klap ma chai ngan dai
We apologize for keeping you waiting; the system has only just come back online. (careful polite service apology, female employee)
ขออภัย is more institutional (formal). It is normal in public announcements, signs, official messages, and customer-service writing, but can sound distant in a small personal mishap.
ขออภัยในความไม่สะดวก ลิฟต์ตัวนี้ปิดซ่อมชั่วคราว
kho aphai nai khwam mai saduak lif tua ni pit som chuakhrao
We apologize for the inconvenience; this lift is temporarily closed for repairs. (formal notice)
สายการบินขออภัยที่เที่ยวบินล่าช้าค่ะ
sai kan bin kho aphai thi thiao bin lacha kha
The airline apologizes for the flight delay. (formal-polite announcement, female voice)
The classifier ตัว identifies this particular lift. Apology frames do not replace ordinary noun grammar: counted or demonstrated objects still need the classifier appropriate to that construction.
Informal โทษที and sympathetic เสียใจ
โทษที is a quick “sorry” among friends or peers (informal). It is not the safe default with a customer, senior, or stranger. Polite particles can be added playfully or softly, but formal service encounters favor ขอโทษ.
โทษที เมื่อกี้ไม่ได้ยินเสียงโทรศัพท์
thot thi muea ki mai dai yin siang thorasap
Sorry—I didn't hear the phone just now. (informal apology to a close person; subject omitted)
เสียใจ means feeling sorry, sad, or regretful. It is appropriate for sympathy—เสียใจด้วยนะครับ “I’m sorry to hear that”—but it is not the ordinary formula for bumping into someone or arriving late. This is a lexical distinction English hides by using sorry for both.
เสียใจด้วยนะคะที่คุณยายไม่สบาย
sia chai duai na kha thi khun yai mai sabai
I'm sorry to hear that your grandmother is unwell. (sympathetic polite response, female speaker)
Getting attention before a request
An attention opener can be followed by a title, question, or request frame. ขอโทษนะครับ/นะคะ is useful with strangers; a known role title plus the appropriate attention particle can be warmer and more direct.
ขอโทษนะครับ รบกวนช่วยถ่ายรูปให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ
kho thot na khrap ropkuan chuai thai rup hai noi dai mai khrap
Excuse me—could I trouble you to take a photo for me? (deferential polite request, male speaker)
ขอโทษนะคะ ขอใบเสร็จอีกหนึ่งใบค่ะ
kho thot na kha kho bai set ik nueng bai kha
Excuse me, could I have one more receipt? (ordinary polite attention and request, female customer; staff addressee omitted)
In the second example, attention คะ closes ขอโทษนะคะ, while statement-like request ขอ...ค่ะ ends in ค่ะ. RTGS renders both as kha, so the Thai spelling preserves the difference. The female question and attention page explains this contrast.
Thai need not say “Excuse me, can you tell me...” in full every time. Once attention has been gained, ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนครับ is sufficient. Adding คุณ repeatedly can sound heavier than English you because Thai reference is chosen by relationship and context.
Responding to an apology
ไม่เป็นไร is the ordinary “it’s all right/no problem.” A more specific response can accept the apology while addressing what happens next.
ไม่เป็นไรค่ะ เดี๋ยวเช็ดโต๊ะเอง
mai pen rai kha diao chet to eng
It's all right; I'll wipe the table myself. (ordinary polite reassurance, female speaker)
ไม่เป็นไรครับ แต่ครั้งหน้าช่วยแจ้งก่อนนะครับ
mai pen rai khrap tae khrang na chuai chaeng kon na khrap
No problem, but next time please let me know beforehand. (polite acceptance plus boundary, male speaker)
ไม่เป็นไร does not literally deny that anything happened. It conventionally releases the other person from further apology. In a serious situation, an automatic “no problem” may be inappropriate; a listener can instead acknowledge the apology and discuss repair.
Ordinary-polite dialogue
A visitor arrives late for an appointment.
ขอโทษที่มาช้าค่ะ รถติดกว่าที่คิด
kho thot thi ma cha kha rot tit kwa thi khit
I'm sorry I'm late; traffic was worse than I expected. (ordinary polite apology, female visitor)
ไม่เป็นไรครับ คุณหมอยังตรวจคนไข้คนก่อนอยู่
mai pen rai khrap khun mo yang truat khon khai khon kon yu
That's all right. The doctor is still seeing the previous patient. (ordinary polite reassurance, male receptionist)
ขอโทษนะคะ ต้องรออีกนานไหมคะ
kho thot na kha tong ro ik nan mai kha
Excuse me, will I have to wait much longer? (ordinary polite attention and question, female visitor)
ประมาณสิบนาทีครับ เชิญนั่งรอตรงนี้ได้เลย
praman sip nathi khrap choen nang ro trong ni dai loei
About ten minutes. Please have a seat and wait here. (ordinary polite reply, male receptionist)
The visitor’s first ขอโทษ acknowledges lateness; the second recruits attention for a new question. Pronouns disappear where the service roles make them obvious.
Common Mistakes
1. Using sympathy เสียใจ for a small personal offense
❌ เสียใจค่ะ ฉันเหยียบเท้าคุณ
Wrong ordinary formula for accidentally stepping on someone—เสียใจ is chiefly emotional regret or sympathy here.
✅ ขอโทษค่ะ ฉันเผลอเหยียบเท้าคุณ
kho thot kha chan phloe yiap thao khun
I'm sorry; I accidentally stepped on your foot. (ordinary polite apology, female speaker)
2. Copying English “for + noun” with เพื่อ
❌ ขอโทษเพื่อการมาสายครับ
Incorrect apology frame—Thai uses ที่ plus the event, not purpose marker เพื่อ.
✅ ขอโทษที่มาสายครับ
kho thot thi ma sai khrap
I'm sorry I'm late. (ordinary polite apology, male speaker)
3. Using formal ขออภัย with a close friend for a tiny delay
❌ ขออภัยในความล่าช้าของเราสามนาที
Unnaturally institutional for telling a close friend you are three minutes late.
✅ โทษที มาช้าไปสามนาที
thot thi ma cha pai sam nathi
Sorry, I'm three minutes late. (informal message to a close friend)
4. Using female statement ค่ะ for an attention call
❌ คุณหมอค่ะ ขอถามหน่อยค่ะ
Incorrect standard attention particle after the title—a female speaker uses คะ to call the doctor.
✅ พยาบาลคะ ขอถามเรื่องใบนัดหน่อยค่ะ
phayaban kha kho tham rueang bai nat noi kha
Nurse, may I ask about the appointment slip? (polite female attention call and request)
5. Repeating English pronouns mechanically
❌ ฉันขอโทษคุณค่ะ ฉันมาช้าเพราะฉันขึ้นรถผิดคันค่ะ
Overexplicit in an ordinary face-to-face apology—the speaker and listener are already clear.
✅ ขอโทษที่มาช้าค่ะ ขึ้นรถผิดคัน
kho thot thi ma cha kha khuen rot phit khan
I'm sorry I'm late; I got on the wrong bus. (ordinary polite apology, female speaker; recoverable pronouns omitted)
Key Takeaways
- Use ขอโทษ for ordinary apologies and attention, ขออภัย for formal institutional apologies, and โทษที with close people.
- Add ที่ + event to name the offense; Thai does not turn that event into an English-style gerund.
- Distinguish apology from sympathy: เสียใจด้วย responds to another person's misfortune.
- Let roles and context supply obvious pronouns, and choose ครับ, ค่ะ, คะ, or นะคะ according to speaker and speech action.
Now practice Thai
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Thai →Related Topics
- ครับ in Male Polite SpeechA1 — Use ครับ to present a male speaker's statements, questions, requests, and acknowledgments as politely oriented to the listener.
- ค่ะ in Female Polite StatementsA1 — Use statement ค่ะ for a female speaker's polite assertions, answers, confirmations, acceptances, and refusals while keeping reference separate.
- คะ in Female Questions and Calls for AttentionA1 — Use คะ for a female speaker's polite questions, attentive calls, repair responses, and listener-oriented stacks such as นะคะ.
- Request Frames with ขอ, ช่วย, and รบกวนB1 — Choose ขอ for what the requester seeks, ช่วย for the listener's cooperation, and รบกวน to acknowledge an imposition.
- Teacher, Doctor, Officer, and Occupational AddressB2 — Use occupational titles as speaker, addressee, or third-person reference when an institutional relationship is more relevant than a generic pronoun.
- Negative Answers and Socially Calibrated RefusalsC1 — Choose a Thai negative answer or refusal strategy that matches the prior move, relationship, degree of commitment, and available alternative.