Jingjok
You marry the family
pâaw-dtaa mâae-yaai
In Thailand a serious relationship quickly becomes a family matter. Meeting the parents is a milestone, and many couples won't คบกัน openly until the family has met the partner. Parents, aunts and older siblings often have opinions, and a foreign partner is watched closely: are you polite, do you ไหว้, will you ดูแล their child? After marriage, helping parents financially is widely expected of children, especially daughters in many rural families, and a partner who resents it can cause real friction. Learning to address your partner's parents as คุณพ่อ and คุณแม่, and eating what they serve, will win you a great deal.
Try this today
If you have a Thai partner, learn the names of their parents and use คุณพ่อ / คุณแม่.
The words that carry it
- พ่อตาfather-in-law (wife's father)
- แม่ยายmother-in-law (wife's mother)
- ลูกเขยson-in-law
- ลูกสะใภ้daughter-in-law
Learn this in “Relationships” →
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.