Getting around

Thai phrases for taxis and tuk-tuks

Q: How do I say "use the meter" in Thai?

Poet mi-toe duai khrap/kha (เปิดมิเตอร์ด้วยครับ/ค่ะ) — say it the moment you get in the taxi, before agreeing on anything.

Q: Do Bangkok taxis always use the meter?

Legally yes, but especially at tourist spots and airports some drivers quote a flat rate instead. Asking for the meter upfront, or using Grab, avoids the negotiation entirely.

Q: What's the easiest way to get a taxi to the right address?

Show your phone with the address or map pin while saying "pai thee-yoo nee duai khrap/kha" (please take me to this address) — Thai addresses are hard to say aloud, so showing beats spelling.

The phrase that matters most: เปิดมิเตอร์ด้วยครับ/ค่ะ — poet mi-toe duai khrap/kha, "please use the meter." Said the moment you get in, before any price talk starts, it sidesteps almost every tourist-fare negotiation before it begins.

Getting there without confusion

Four phrases from Thailo's phrasebook, covering the meter, the address, and confirming the driver knows where you're going:

Please use the meter.

เปิดมิเตอร์ด้วยครับ

poet mi-toe duai khrap

The single most useful taxi phrase. Say this the moment you get in. 'poet' (open) is how Thais say 'turn on' the meter. Women say 'ค่ะ' (kha). If the driver refuses, just get out and take another taxi.

Can you use the meter?

ใช้มิเตอร์ได้ไหมครับ

chai mi-toe dai mai khrap

A softer way to ask before getting in, especially at tourist spots where drivers quote fixed fares. Women end with 'ค่ะ'. If they say no, walk to the next one.

Please take me to this address.

ไปที่อยู่นี้ด้วยครับ

pai thee-yoo nee duai khrap

Show the address on your phone while you say it. Thai addresses are hard to pronounce, so showing the screen (ideally in Thai script) is far more reliable than speaking. Women say 'ค่ะ'.

Do you know this place?

รู้จักที่นี่ไหมครับ

roo-jak thee-nee mai khrap

Good to ask before starting so you don't end up lost. Women say 'ค่ะ'. Drivers are honest about this - if they don't know, they'll say so.

Grab vs. street taxi vs. tuk-tuk

Grab (the regional ride-hailing app): fixed price shown upfront, no meter negotiation needed at all — the easiest option for anyone uneasy about the language.
Street taxi: legally metered; ask for the meter immediately, especially at airports and tourist zones.
Tuk-tuk: no meter — the price is always negotiated up front, so bargaining phrases apply directly here.

Practice this before you land

How you'd learn this in Thailo

Destination 2, Getting Around, is built around exactly this: taxis, tuk-tuks, the BTS, and asking directions, set on Bangkok's streets. Native audio for every phrase, plus AI-graded practice so asking for the meter isn't the first time you've said it out loud.

How do I say "use the meter" in Thai?

Poet mi-toe duai khrap/kha — เปิดมิเตอร์ด้วยครับ/ค่ะ — "please turn on the meter." The single most useful taxi phrase in Thailand. Say it the moment you get in, before any price is discussed.

Do Bangkok taxis always use the meter?

They're required to, but at airports, tourist zones, and late at night, some drivers try to negotiate a flat fare instead — usually higher than the metered rate would be. Asking for the meter immediately, or booking through Grab (where the price is fixed and shown upfront), sidesteps this.

What's the easiest way to get a taxi to the right address?

Show, don't just say. Pai thee-yoo nee duai khrap/kha — ไปที่อยู่นี้ด้วยครับ/ค่ะ — "please take me to this address," said while showing your phone screen with the address or a map pin. Thai addresses are genuinely difficult to pronounce correctly as a beginner, so showing the screen does the heavy lifting.

Get where you're going, fairly

Thailo is coming to iOS — taxis, tuk-tuks, and everything else Getting Around covers. Join the waitlist for launch access.

Launching on iOS. One email when it's out — maybe two, if something's genuinely worth telling you.