Thai language forum

If you happen to be travelling in Thailand during November then you should be lucky enough to take part in one of the country’s principal annual celebrations, Loy Krathong. This year it is on Sunday 21 November.

A Krathong, or กระทง grà-tong, is an ornate arrangement of flowers, incense, candles and banana leaves. Each November full moon people flock to the river banks (or indeed any convenient body of water) to float [or loy ลอย] these krathongs. It is essentially a merit making exercise where people come to ขอโทษแม่น้ำ [kŏr tôht mâe náam], which means to apologise to the river for using her throughout the year.

Like any good celebration there is a song to go with it, which you’ll definitely hear if you get out and about on the day.

The point of this post is to teach you the words to this song so you can join in and sing along when you hear it.

Even if you just get the chorus, you will really impress your Thai friends if you can sing along.

Below is a video of the song. Have a listen then look at the words.



Here are the lyrics in Thai and with transcriptions

วัน เพ็ญ เดือน สิบสอง wan pen deuan sìp sŏng

น้ำ ก็ นอง เต็ม ตลิ่ง náam gôr nong dtem dtà-lìng

เรา ทั้ง หลาย ชาย หญิง สนุก กัน จริง วัน ลอย กระทง rao táng lăai chaai yĭng sà-nùk gan jing wan loy grà-tong

ลอย ลอย กระทง, ลอย ลอย กระทง loy loy loy grà-tong, loy loy loy grà-tong

ลอย ลอย กระทง กัน แล้ว ขอ เชิญ น้อง แก้ว ออก มา รำวง loy grà-tong gan láew kŏr chern nóng gâew òk maa ram wong

รำวง วัน ลอย กระทง, รำวง วัน ลอย กระทง ram wong wan loy grà-tong, ram wong wan loy grà-tong

บุญ จะ ส่ง ให้ เรา สุข ใจ, บุญ จะ ส่ง ให้ เรา สุข ใจ bun jà sòng hâi rao sùk jai, bun jà sòng hâi rao sùk jai

The words translate more or less as follows:

On the fulll-moon of the twelfth month

The water is overflowing at the riverbanks

All we men and women are really having fun on Loy Krathong day

Loy Loy Krathong, Loy Loy Krathong

Floating the Krathong together, sweetheart please come out to dance

Dancing on Loy Krathong Day, Dancing on Loy Krathong Day

Making merit will make us happy, Making merit will make us happy

Language notes:

น้อง แก้ว nóng gâew literally means Miss Crystal but is used as a kind of cutesy nickname for a sweetheart or similar.

เพ็ญ pen is an old word of Kmer origins which means full moon.

Two fun literal translations are ขอโทษ kŏr tôht, which literally means I request to be punished. Get this wrong and say ขอทอด kŏr tôt and you are requesting to be deep-fried.

แม่น้ำ mâe náam literally means mother water, which is kind of nice.

ขอให้สนุกวันลอยกระทง kŏr hâi sà-nùk wan loy grà-tong – Have fun on Loy Krathong Day

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