Asking "How Much" with เท่าไร
In Thai, to ask about prices, weight, or uncountable quantities, use the question word เท่าไร (how much). This is completely distinct from กี่, which means "how many" and is strictly used with classifiers to count individual items.
Asking Prices Per Unit
When buying bulk goods like steel, cement, or rice, you will often negotiate the price per unit (such as per kilogram or per ton). To form this question, place the word ละ (per) directly after the unit of measurement, followed by เท่าไร.
Noun + Unit of Measurement + ละ + เท่าไร
Total Costs and General Measurements
You can also use เท่าไร to ask for a total price or a general property measurement, like weight (น้ำหนัก). The question word simply goes at the end of the phrase.
Contrasting with กี่ (How Many)
When you shift from asking about the uncountable material to asking for a specific, countable number of packages (like sacks), you must switch to กี่ (how many). Unlike เท่าไร, กี่ always appears before the classifier or unit.
Noun + กี่ + Classifier / Unit
