The Thai national and royal anthems
Thailand has two anthems. The national anthem stops the country at 8 in the morning and 6 in the evening; the royal anthem honours the king and plays before every film in a cinema. Here is where each came from, when you will hear them, what to do when they play, and their full words in Thai with a romanisation and an English gloss.
The two anthems at a glance
- Honours
- The nation and its people
- Music
- Phra Chenduriyang (Peter Feit), 1932
- Words
- Luang Saranupraphan, 1939
- You hear it
- Daily at 8:00 and 18:00, at schools, sport and official events
- Honours
- The king
- Music
- Pyotr Shchurovsky, 1888
- Words
- Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, revised by King Vajiravudh in 1913
- You hear it
- Before films, at royal ceremonies, when a station opens or closes its day
Phleng Chat Thai
The tune is older than the words. Phra Chenduriyang (Peter Feit), a Bangkok-born composer who worked in the royal court’s music department, wrote the melody in 1932, the year Siam became a constitutional monarchy. Its first words, written that year and revised in 1934, still sang of Siam.
When the country took the name Thailand in 1939, the government held a competition for new words that would use the new name and fit into eight lines. The winning text, by Luang Saranupraphan, an army officer and novelist who entered on behalf of the Army, was announced on 10 December 1939, and it is the one sung today. It is a song about the people rather than a ruler: the land belongs to every Thai, unity keeps it whole, and a peace-loving nation will still defend its independence.
When it is played
- At 8:00 and 18:00 every day. Radio and television stations broadcast it, and loudspeakers carry it in parks, railway and metro stations, schools, universities and government offices, where the national flag is raised at 8 and lowered at 6.
- At school. Pupils sing it at morning assembly as the flag goes up.
- At sport. Before international matches, and at medal ceremonies when a Thai athlete takes gold.
- At state ceremonies and official events.
The words of Phleng Chat Thai
Set in Sarabun: each line in Thai, then in the RTGS romanisation, then what it says.
- ประเทศไทยรวมเลือดเนื้อชาติเชื้อไทยPrathet Thai ruam lueat nuea chat chuea ThaiThailand holds together the flesh and blood of the Thai people;
- เป็นประชารัฐไผทของไทยทุกส่วนpen pracharat phathai khong Thai thuk suanit is a state of its people, and every part of the land is theirs.
- อยู่ดำรงคงไว้ได้ทั้งมวลyu damrong khong wai dai thang muanThe whole of it has lasted and stayed whole
- ด้วยไทยล้วนหมายรักสามัคคีduai Thai luan mai rak samakkhibecause all Thais hold to unity.
- ไทยนี้รักสงบแต่ถึงรบไม่ขลาดThai ni rak sa-ngop tae thueng rop mai khlatThais love peace, yet when it comes to a fight they do not shrink;
- เอกราชจะไม่ให้ใครข่มขี่ekkarat cha mai hai khrai khom khithey will let no one ride roughshod over their independence.
- สละเลือดทุกหยาดเป็นชาติพลีsala lueat thuk yat pen chat phliThey will give every drop of blood as an offering to the nation,
- เถลิงประเทศชาติไทยทวีมีชัย ชโยthaloeng prathet chat Thai thawi mi chai, chayoto lift the Thai nation high, its victories ever growing. Chayo!
Sansoen Phra Barami
The royal anthem is the older of the two. Its tune is credited to the Russian composer Pyotr Shchurovsky and dates from 1888, and until 1932 it served as Siam’s national anthem. The words are by Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, a son of King Mongkut and one of the great Thai artists of his age. King Vajiravudh revised them in 1913, closing the song on the cheer chayo.
Since 1932 it has been the anthem of the monarchy. It honours the king and is played in his presence and in that of senior members of the royal family, and its words address him directly: his subjects bow to him, live in peace under his care and wish that whatever he hopes for comes true.
When it is played
- In cinemas, before every film, over a short film in honour of the king. The audience stands.
- At plays and concerts, before the first act or the first piece at many performances.
- On air, when a television or radio station opens or closes its day’s programmes.
- At royal and state ceremonies, and at any event a member of the royal family attends, sport included.
The words of Sansoen Phra Barami
Set in Sarabun: each line in Thai, then in the RTGS romanisation, then what it says.
- ข้าวรพุทธเจ้าKha wora phutthachaoWe, Your Majesty’s servants,
- เอามโนและศิระกรานao mano lae sira kranbow down in heart and head
- นบพระภูมิบาล บุญดิเรกnop phra phumiban bun direkin homage to the guardian of the land, great in merit,
- เอกบรมจักรินek borom chakkrinthe one supreme king of the Chakri line,
- พระสยามินทร์ พระยศยิ่งยงphra sayamin phra yot ying yongsovereign of Siam, whose honour endures.
- เย็นศิระเพราะพระบริบาลyen sira phro phra boribanWe live at peace under your care;
- ผลพระคุณ ธ รักษาphon phra khun tha raksaby the grace with which you protect us
- ปวงประชาเป็นสุขศานต์puang pracha pen suk sanall the people are content and calm.
- ขอบันดาล ธ ประสงค์ใดkho bandan tha prasong daiMay whatever you wish for
- จงสฤษดิ์ดัง หวังวรหฤทัยchong sarit dang wang wora haruethaicome to be as your noble heart hopes,
- ดุจถวายชัย ชโยdut thawai chai, chayoas we offer you our wish for victory. Chayo!
The words are set in Sarabun, a looped Thai text face by Suppakit Chalermlarp, free to download here.
Both texts are in the public domain in Thailand, where copyright lasts for the author’s life and fifty years after: Luang Saranupraphan died in 1954, Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong in 1947 and King Vajiravudh in 1925.
The romanisation follows the Royal Thai General System (RTGS), the official one, which marks neither tone nor vowel length, so it is a guide to the words rather than to their sound. The English lines are our own plain reading of each line, not a singing translation.
How the anthems are performed
- Together, at a steady pace. The national anthem is a march, sung in unison at school assemblies and official events. At the 8 and 6 o’clock broadcasts most people listen rather than sing.
- A cheer on the last note. Both anthems end on chayo, a cry of victory, sung out on the final note.
- Two lengths for the royal anthem. It has a full version, which carries the words, and a shorter instrumental version used at ceremonies. When it is sung, it is sung in full.
What to do when an anthem plays
Thais treat both anthems with real respect, and visitors are expected to do the same. The expectation is also written into law, and people who refused to stand for the royal anthem in a cinema have faced criminal complaints.
- Stop where you are. If you are walking when the 8 or 6 o’clock anthem starts, stand still until it ends. It lasts about a minute.
- Stand up if you are sitting, face the flag or the music if you can, and take off your hat.
- Be quiet. Stop talking, put your phone away and keep children beside you.
- You do not have to sing. Standing still and quietly is all that is asked of a visitor.
- In a cinema, stand when the royal anthem begins before the film and sit down when it ends.
- If you cannot stand, because of illness or disability, nobody expects you to. Staying still and quiet shows the same respect.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between the national anthem and the royal anthem?
The national anthem, Phleng Chat Thai, is about the country and its people. You hear it every day at 8:00 and 18:00, at school assemblies, before international sport and at official events. The royal anthem, Sansoen Phra Barami, honours the king. It is played before films in cinemas, at royal ceremonies and wherever a senior member of the royal family is present. Both ask the same of you: stand still and quiet until the music ends.
What happens at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. in Thailand?
At 8:00 and 18:00 every day the national anthem is broadcast on radio and television and played over loudspeakers in many public places, while the national flag is raised in the morning and lowered in the evening. People stop where they are and stand still for the minute or so it lasts, then carry on.
Is the national anthem played in shopping malls?
In some. A few shopping centres and supermarkets play the 18:00 broadcast over their speakers and many do not, so it depends on the building. You will hear it most reliably in parks, railway and metro stations, schools, universities and government offices. If it starts while you are in a shop, do as the people around you do and stand still.
Can foreigners stay seated during the anthem?
No. Visitors are expected to stand like everyone else: for the national anthem in public places and for the royal anthem in a cinema. Nobody expects you to sing or to know the words, and standing still and quietly is enough. Staying seated is taken as disrespect, and for the royal anthem it can bring legal trouble. People who cannot stand because of illness or disability are not expected to.
What do the words of the Thai national anthem mean?
In short: Thailand unites the Thai people, the land belongs to all of them, and unity has kept it whole. Thais love peace but do not shrink from a fight, will let no one take away their independence, and will give their blood so the nation can rise. The full text with a line-by-line gloss is on this page.
Do I need to stand for the anthem in a cinema?
Yes. Before the main film, Thai cinemas show a short film in honour of the king with the royal anthem as its music, and the whole audience stands for it. Stand when it begins, stay still until it ends, and sit down with everyone else when the screen moves on to the film.
See these words in other Thai fonts
Sarabun is one of 61 Thai families you can download here. Put the first line of the national anthem into the font tester and compare it in every one of them.