Thai 6 Hour Clock Explained | Pattaya Unlimited

Telling the time in Thailand, or to be more precise, understanding the intricacies of the Thai 6 hour clock is probably one of the hardest Thai lessons to grasp. The Thai time system has without doubt been the source of much confusion and bewilderment for foreign visitors. If not fully understood the Thai 6 hour clock could literally see you turning up 6 hours late or 6 hours early for a date or meeting. To save yourself those testing times here is a simple explanation of the Thai clock, which in no time at all will help you to fully understand how to read and tell the time in Thailand.

The four quarters of the Thai time system are as follows.

Midnight is ‘Tiang Keun‘.
0100 (1 AM) – 0500 (5 AM) is called ‘Dtee’ or ‘Tii’.
0600 (6 AM) – 11 AM ‘Mong Chao‘.
Mid-day is called ‘Tiang‘.
1300 (1p.m.) – 1800 (6 PM) is called ‘Bai Mong’, 1600 and 1700 (4 PM and 5 PM) is also referred to as ‘Mong Yen‘.
1900 (7 PM) – 2300 (11PM) called ‘Toom‘ or ‘Thoom’.

Examples of the Thai clock “Thai Time”

Thai time Midnight – 5 AM

Thai time 6 AM – 12 Mid-day)

Thai time 1 PM – 6 PM

Thai time 7 PM – 11 PM

At 7 PM the clock reverts back to number 1, hence 7 PM is represented by No.1, this continues through to 11 which is No.5.

Example times after the hour (minutes past) on the Thai 6 hour clock.

How to ask the time in Thailand, and more time trivia.

To ask “What is the time” in Thailand, you can say “gee mong laew”, which translates to “how many hours already”.
An hour is “cha – mong”
A minute is “na – tee”
Half is “kreung”, example = 8.30a.m. = “bad mong kreung”
A clock or wrist watch in Thai is “naa-lí-gaa”
Alarm clock is “naa-lí-gaa bplòok”
The twenty four clock is used to tell the time in Thailand by the government and commonly at trains stations, bus stations etc.

For more Thai language help try the related posts below:

Write your name in Thai
Learn how to swear in Thai

How to tell the time in Thailand