ค่ะ
[polite sentence-final particle used by female speakers]
Native recording
Analyzing pitch…
Pitch graph is unavailable
- 1 [polite sentence-final particle used by female speakers]、please / politely [at the end of a request]
- 2 yes [female polite speech]、okay [female polite speech]、I understand [female polite speech]
A polite particle mainly used by female speakers. It can soften a statement at the end of a sentence, or stand alone as a polite “yes” or acknowledgment.
The original pronunciation is khâ, but by convention, it is generally pronounced khà.
[polite sentence-final particle used by female speakers]、please / politely [at the end of a request]
A sentence-final politeness marker used mainly by female speakers in statements, requests, greetings, and similar utterances.
-
ขอบคุณค่ะ khɔ̀ɔpkhun khà Thank you. ขอบคุณค่ะ details
-
ฉันเป็นคนญี่ปุ่นค่ะ chǎn pen khon yîipùn khà I’m Japanese. ฉันเป็นคนญี่ปุ่นค่ะ details
Show more (2)
-
รอเดี๋ยวค่ะ rɔɔ dǐaw khà Please wait a moment. รอเดี๋ยวค่ะ details
-
กาแฟได้แล้วค่ะ kaafɛɛ dâay lɛ́ɛw khà Your coffee is ready. กาแฟได้แล้วค่ะ details
yes [female polite speech]、okay [female polite speech]、I understand [female polite speech]
A polite standalone response used mainly by female speakers to show agreement, acknowledgment, or that they are listening.
-
ค่ะ เข้าใจแล้วค่ะ khà khâwcay lɛ́ɛw khà Yes, I understand. ค่ะ เข้าใจแล้วค่ะ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ค่ะ does not name an object or action; it marks politeness toward the listener. It is mainly used by female speakers, as in ขอบคุณค่ะ “thank you” or ใช่ค่ะ “yes, that’s right.” By itself, ค่ะ works as a polite “yes” or acknowledgment. In many questions, female speakers use คะ instead, as in อยู่ที่ไหนคะ “Where is it?”
Usage
It is very common in polite everyday interaction: shops, service encounters, phone calls, workplaces, teacher-student conversations, messages, and first meetings. Close friends may omit it, but it is still natural in daily speech when the speaker wants to sound polite or gentle.
Caution
Male speakers normally use ครับ for standard polite speech. Also, adding ค่ะ to every single sentence can sound stiff or mechanical if overdone.
Differences from similar words
1 [polite sentence-final particle used by female speakers] synonyms
-
ครับ is the polite sentence-final particle mainly used by male speakers. ค่ะ is the corresponding form mainly used by female speakers.
-
คะ is commonly used by female speakers in questions or when calling to someone. ค่ะ is used mainly in statements, acknowledgments, and confirmations.
-
จ้ะ is warmer and more casual, often used with close friends or juniors. ค่ะ is more generally polite and suitable in broader social situations.