Jingjok
Counting in หมื่น and แสน (and the lottery on the 1st and 16th)
mùuen
Thai does not count big numbers in thousands the way English does. It has words for 10,000 (หมื่น) and 100,000 (แสน), so 50,000 is ห้าหมื่น and 300,000 is สามแสน. This is the hardest switch for learners: rent of 15,000 is หนึ่งหมื่นห้าพัน, or just หมื่นห้า. Listen for the unit, not for 'thousand'. Prices of condos and cars come in ล้าน. You will hear big numbers on the 1st and 16th of every month, when the government lottery is drawn on TV and vendors along the street sell tickets for 80 baht. People choose numbers from licence plates, dreams and birthdays.
Try this today
Say your monthly rent out loud using หมื่น and พัน.
The words that carry it
Learn this in “Big numbers, dates, money 2” →
Your first 90 days of Thai
Culture cards in Jingjok are tied to the words that carry them, each ending in one thing to try today.
- WEEKS 1–2 · SURVIVEGreet anyone, pay, and order food and 7-Eleven exactly how you like it.
- WEEKS 3–6 · SETTLE INGet around by taxi, Grab and skytrain, find anything, and handle your landlord.
- WEEKS 7–12 · RUN YOUR LIFEPharmacy, bank, SIM and apps, how you feel, and a weekend away, all in Thai.
The first week is free.