Thai people express their feelings through the use of "heart words". All of the examples on this page are used in Thai songs and every day conversations. There are literally hundreds of different combinations and if you wish to learn more then we recommend you buy the excellent "Heart Talk" book by Christopher Moore. With over 500 examples you should soon be an expert on the use of heart phrases. The following are extracts from this fascinating book with real examples taken from Thai songs.

"Change of heart" is a common heart phrase. A person changes his or her mind about ordering rice and order french fries, or changes his or her mind two or three times in one morning about what colours to wear - in other words, there are a wide range of possible changes involved. In Thai, one does not change their mind; they change their heart.

อยากเปลี่ยนใจเธอ (yaak blian jai ter) = I want to change your mind.
เธอเองเป็นคนเปลี่ยนใจ (ter eng ben kon blian jai) = You're the one who had the change of heart.

This heart phrase indicates that one person is interested in another person, thing, or activity. The level of interest may be small. A vendor may use the term as an indirect way of selling you goods. Sometimes the heart phrase is used to determine whether a person has a preference. Other times, the heart phrase may be posed in question form: Are you interested in going to the movies? Are you interested in an article written about the stock market?

เรียกร้องให้เธอสนใจ (riak rong hai ter son jai) =
ช่วยมาสนใจ (kae chuay ma son jai) = Please show an interest in me.

The essence is preparation. There are many circumstances in life when one is called upon to confront an unpleasant task or duty. For instance, visiting a terminally ill person who is hooked up to a life support system. Before such a visitation, the person must tam jai before entering the patient's room. The student who has failed his or her exam must tam jai before handing over the report card to his or her father.

มันยากเกินจะทำใจ (mun yaak gern ja tam jai) = It's too hard for my heart to take.
ฉันคงต้องทำใจ (chun kong dtong tam jai) = I have to come to terms with it.
ยังทำใจไม่ได้ (yung tam jai mai dai) = I still can't accept it.

When someone wishes to express that they are sorry in Thai, then sia jai is the right verbal phrase to cover most cases. This heart phrase is frequently used, including the untimely death of a peson one knows. Sorrow may be felt about the suffering of others. The loss of a job or the declining economy.

เสียใจจนตาย (sia jai jon dtai) = Sad until the day I die.
ฉันต้องเสียใจ (chun dtong sia jai) =
อาจจะเคยเสียใจ (art ja ker-ee sia jai) = Maybe I've been unhappy in the past.

A person using "believe heart" is requesting another to have faith that his or her intentions, explanations, or decisions are made in good faith and are honest and reliable. The boyfriend has come back at three in the morning, and asks his girlfriend to believe that he was attending a seminar on company law. He is asking her to "believe heart" or chuea jai.

ไม่คิดระแวดระวังเพราะเชื่อใจ
เชื่อใจไว้ใจกันสักครั้ง (chuea jai wai jai gun suk krung) = Believe and trust each other this time.

A frequently heard phrase is kao jai which translates as understanding what someone else has said or meant by what they have said. In may be in the form of a question to determine if one has understood what has been said. And if a person has understood, the correct reply to such a questions is to repeat the phrase kao jai. This literally means what the other person has said has "entered your mind".

ไม่มีวันเข้าใจ (mai me wun kao jai) = There hasn't been a day when I understood.
แค่อยากให้เธอเข้าใจ (kae yaak hai ter kao jai) = Just only wanted to let you understand.
เพิ่งเข้าใจ (perng kao jai) = I've just understood.

The phrase conveys a certainty of feeling you have about another person. In the context of personal relationship, this heart phrase ranks as a high compliment. When another person feels mun jai about you, that means feelings of distrust, suspicion, or doubt have disappeared. A feeling of great intimacy is required before this state of the heart is achieved.

อยากขอให้เธอมั่นใจสัญญา (yaak kor hai ter mun jai sun ya) = I want you to have faith in the promises.
ฉันไม่เคยมั่นใจ (chun mai ker-ee mun jai) = I'm never certain.

The essence of jit jai as a general heart phrase is a mental state where one is thinking or feeling. It is what is going on inside one's head or heart from moment to moment. The employee suffering from mistreatment will feel that they have been robbed of their jit jai.

เธอทำลายจิตใจจนตายไปแล้ว (ter tam lai jit jai jon dtai bai laow) = you hurt me so much, my heart nearly died.
บั่นทอนลึกในจิตใจ (bun torn leuk nai jit jai) = Which weaken the depth of one's soul.

Moving from the heart as the centre of feelings, this heart phrase allows one to enter the realm of biology. Hua jai is the organ known as the heart located inside a person's chest cavity and is assigned the task of pumping blood twenty-four hours a day to the rest of the body.

ฉันเลือกเธอให้มาดูแลหัวใจ (chun lueak ter hai ma doo lae hua jai) = I chose you to look after my heart.
ตามคำขอของหัวใจ (dtaam kam korkong hua jai) = Do whatever my heart wants.
เธอคนเดียวอยู่ในหัวใจ (ter kon dee-o yoo nai hua jai) = It's only you in my heart.
บอกกับเธอว่ารักสุดหัวใจ (bork gup ter wa ruk soot hua jai) = Love you most in my heart
เก็บอยู่ในหัวใจฉัน (gep yoo nai hua jai chun) = Kept it in my heart.

The heart phrase means another person or thing is distracting one from a task they wish to perform. Such distraction reduces if not eliminates the ability to concentrate. One may wish to concentrate on reading the newspaper but the neighbour is mowing the lawn and the noise interferes with the concentration. As a result, they may feel confused or mixed up about the message.

กวนใจหรือเปล่า (guan jai reu blao) = Are you annoyed?
กวนใจก็บอก (guan jai gor bork) = Tell me if you're troubled.

This heart phrase translates into a feeling of being pleased with one's self.

อย่าหมิ่นน้ำใจกันเลย (ya min num jai kun luey) =

This is a serious feeling of uncertainty. The wife may suspect that her husband has a minor wife. The feeling of not knowing whether her suspicions are true gives her a feeling of kong jai. When haunted by feelings of doubt or when one believes another person is suffering from such doubts, this heart phrase is a useful expression. It is a call for reassurance, of restoring trust,

ให้ฉันหายข้องใจ (hai chun hai kong jai) = Make my doubts go away.

Dtem jai applies to a person who posseses the basic willingness to help others without any thought of receiving a reward or recognition of his or her acts. Such acts of kindness and friendship come from the good nature of a selfless person who is motivated by making the world a little bit better by landing a hand to others.

เต็มใจหรือเปล่า (dtem jai reu blao) = Are you willing to?
รู้ว่าฉันเต็มใจ (roo wa chun dtem jai) = Know that I am willing.

รักหมดใจ (ruk mot jai) = I love you wholeheartly.
ให้เธอหมดใจ (hai ter mot jai) = Gave you all of my heart.
เธอหมดใจฉันพอเข้าใจ (ter mot jai chun por kao jai) = I understand that you're finished with me.

The above extracts come from the excellent "Heart Talk" book by Christopher Moore. You can buy this online at thaiforlovers.com