Courtesy particle

Politeness particles are unchangeable, i.e. non-inflectable words ( particles ) that are used to address people and signal a polite attitude or mode of expression.

Particles of courtesy can be found in different languages. Russian , Korean , Japanese , Thai, and Indonesian , among others , use such particles or word endings.

Thai language

In Thai, the politeness particles are added to the end of a sentence. They should only be used occasionally if there are several sentences or a speech. The politeness particles are gender-specific, but unlike the personal pronouns, they are not age-specific. Boys and men use ครับ (khrap, IPA [kʰráp]), girls and women use ค่ะ (kha, IPA [kʰâ]).

Politeness particles are used from the upper level language (ภาษา เขียน, IPA [pʰaː-sǎː kʰǐan]). A modified variant is usually used towards monks, while monks do not use any politeness particles towards laypeople - including the king. But they address each other with special particles.