Jingjok
Wai Khru: the day students thank teachers
wâi kruu
Teachers hold a respected place in Thailand. Every year, usually in June near the start of the school year, schools hold พิธีไหว้ครู, the Wai Khru ceremony: students kneel, wai and offer their teachers trays decorated with flowers. The flowers carry meaning: dok khem (needle flower) for a sharp mind, makhuea (eggplant) flowers because they bend and bear fruit, and ya phraek grass, which grows fast and tough. National Teachers' Day falls on 16 January. The same spirit reaches language learners: call your teacher ครู or อาจารย์, wai them at the start and end of class, and they will go out of their way for you.
Try this today
Thank a teacher, tutor or anyone who taught you a Thai word with a wai and ขอบคุณครับ/ค่ะ.
Learn this in “Learning Thai, in Thai” →
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Culture cards in Jingjok are tied to the words that carry them, each ending in one thing to try today.
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