ใช่ไหม

Explanation

ใช่ไหม combines ใช่ (“to be correct/so”) with ไหม (a question particle). In everyday conversation, the two commonly function together as a sentence-final confirmation marker. The basic pattern is “statement + ใช่ไหม.” It can confirm people, possessions, plans, actions, conditions, and opinions. It may check a fact or invite agreement, as in “It’s delicious, right?” Surprise or doubt comes mainly from the context and tone rather than forming a separate meaning. For polite speech, men can add ครับ and women can add คะ: ใช่ไหมครับ or ใช่ไหมคะ. A statement can be confirmed with ใช่ and corrected with ไม่ใช่. For questions about actions, repeating the relevant verb in a positive or negative form is also natural.

Usage

Common in everyday conversation when confirming someone’s identity, ownership, schedules, dates, plans, or information the speaker has heard. It is also used to seek agreement about opinions, such as whether food is good or a movie is enjoyable.

Caution

For a neutral question when the speaker has no prior expectation, ไหม or หรือเปล่า is usually more appropriate. Because ใช่ไหม signals an expected answer, a forceful tone can make it sound leading or demanding. After a negative statement, it confirms the entire negative idea. เขาไม่มาใช่ไหม means “He isn't coming, right?”

1 right? synonyms

• หรือเปล่า

  rʉ̌ʉ plàaw or not?

  หรือเปล่า asks whether something is or is not the case and can sound relatively neutral. ใช่ไหม more clearly signals that the speaker expects the statement to be correct.

• ไหม

  mǎy [yes-no question particle]

  ไหม forms a general yes-or-no question without necessarily suggesting an expected answer. ใช่ไหม checks something the speaker already expects to be true, much like “right?”