How to say Yesterday in Thai
Yesterday in Thai is เมื่อวาน (mêua-waan)
เมื่อวาน
mêua-waan
Yesterday
Tap the word to hear it. That's real premium audio from the HearThai Academy library — the same audio the app teaches with.
Why เมื่อวาน sounds the way it does
Thai tone isn't random — it's produced by four things working together in each syllable: the initial consonant's class, the vowel's length, whether the syllable ends live or dead, and any tone mark. Read the row, get the tone.
| Syllable | Class | Vowel | Ending | Mark | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| เมื่อ | LOW | LONG | LIVE | ◌่mai ek | FALLING |
| วาน | LOW | LONG | LIVE | — | MID |
เมื่อวาน in a sentence
เมื่อวานฉันอ่านหนังสือ
Yesterday I read a book.
Common questions
How do you say yesterday in Thai?
Yesterday in Thai is เมื่อวาน, pronounced mêua-waan. Play the audio above to hear it spoken by a premium Thai voice — the tones are the part that spelling can't teach you.
What tones does เมื่อวาน use?
เมื่อวาน has 2 syllables: เมื่อ (mêua) is falling tone, วาน (waan) is mid tone.
Is the romanization mêua-waan enough to pronounce it?
No — and this is the trap most learners fall into. Romanization shows you the letters, not the pitch shape your voice has to make. Thai speakers hear the tone first. Use the spelling to recognize the word, and use the audio to learn it.
The short version
- เมื่อวาน (mêua-waan) means yesterday.
- It has 2 syllables, carrying the falling, mid tones.
- Its tone comes from the consonant class, vowel length, live/dead ending and tone mark — not from memorizing it word by word.
- Reading the romanization is not the same as hearing it. Play the clip until you can say it back without looking.
- One word is a start. Thai fluency is an ear that recognizes thousands — which is what HearThai Academy trains.
That's one word.
HearThai Academy trains your ear on 25,000.
Premium audio for every word, the tone mechanics behind it, and games that make your ear do the work. Start free — no card.
Create a free accountFree trial. No card required.