Thai Mother's Day, 12 August: meaning, jasmine and 2027

Thai Mother’s Day is 12 August, and if your mum is Thai, you probably already know this, because someone will have reminded you. It’s the day of jasmine garlands, school halls full of mums and, for families split across the world, the phone call that matters. Here’s what the day is, why it’s on that date, and what to say when mum picks up.

When is Mother’s Day in Thailand?

Thai Mother’s Day, officially National Mother’s Day, is on 12 August every year. It’s a public holiday, and banks close. The same day is the birthday anniversary of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, which is why the official holiday lists name the two together.

In 2027, 12 August is a Thursday. The Bank of Thailand’s official holiday list for 2027 (notification 37/2569) gives “Thursday 12th August: H.M. Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother’s Birthday Anniversary and National Mother’s Day”. Because it falls midweek, there is no substitute day. Taking Friday 13 August off would give you a four-day weekend. For every other date next year, see our Thai public holidays 2027 table.

Why is Thai Mother’s Day on 12 August?

Because it is the birthday of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, born on 12 August 1932. She was the wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great (King Rama IX), whose birthday on 5 December is Thai Father’s Day, and the mother of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The date took a while to settle. Thai PBS reports that the first Mother’s Day event was held in 1943 at Suan Amphon in Bangkok, and that Thailand later used other dates, including 15 April from 1950. In 1976 the Social Welfare Council of Thailand fixed it on 12 August, the Queen’s birthday, and it has stayed there since.

Queen Sirikit died on 24 October 2025, at the age of 93, as AP reported and the Royal Household Bureau announced. 12 August remains National Mother’s Day, and the 2027 holiday list keeps her birthday anniversary and Mother’s Day together on the same date.

Why jasmine?

White jasmine, มะลิ (ma-li), is the flower of the day. Thai PBS gives the reasons it was chosen:

• Its white flowers stand for pure love, like a mother’s love for her child.
• Its scent lasts a long time.
• It blooms all year round, like a mother’s care that never stops.

The Thaiger notes that jasmine was made the official flower in 1976, the same year the date was fixed. Around 12 August you’ll see jasmine garlands everywhere, on street stalls and in flower shops.

(If you know someone nicknamed Mali, that’s the same flower. Our guide to Thai nicknames has more.)

How do Thai families celebrate Mother’s Day?

Mostly with family. According to the Thailand Foundation and The Thaiger, the common ways are:

• Jasmine for mum, usually as a garland, sometimes a small bouquet or a brooch. Some children string the flowers themselves.
• Showing respect: a wai, ไหว้ (wai), or kneeling and bowing at mum’s feet. The full bow is กราบ (graap). Our guide to the Thai wai explains how high the hands go for parents.
• School ceremonies, where mothers are invited to the hall and the children present garlands, sometimes with performances, letters or cards.
• Time together: a family meal, a temple visit, or a trip home.

The Thailand Foundation adds that the respect isn’t only for birth mothers: it extends to anyone you regard as a mother figure. Every family does it a little differently, and your family’s way is the right way.

How do I say Happy Mother’s Day in Thai?

This is the line. Add ครับ or ค่ะ at the end, depending on which you use, and you’re done.

สุขสันต์วันแม่นะ

suk-san wan mae na

สุขสันต์วันแม่นะครับ

suk-san wan mae na khrap

สุขสันต์วันแม่นะคะ

suk-san wan mae na kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

Mum is แม่ (mae), the word you’ll say most:

แม่

mae

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

What else can I say to mum from abroad?

Call. If the time zones are awkward, a voice message she can play again is a good second best. A few lines that land:

• “Love you.” Short, soft, and enough.

รักนะ

rak na

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

• The cooking compliment. Reply Thai teaches “Nobody cooks like you” for grandma, and the app’s note gives the mum version: ไม่มีใครทำอร่อยเท่าแม่ (mai mii khrai tham a-roi thao mae). In a lot of Thai kitchens, that’s close to a love letter.

ไม่มีใครทำอร่อยเท่ายาย

mai mii khrai tham a-roi thao yaai

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

• A picture of jasmine. If you can’t send the real thing, a photo of jasmine from wherever you live says you remembered.
• Ask about her day. Who came by, what everyone ate, whether the jasmine smelled good. Questions keep the call going without you having to carry it.

Our guide to I love you in Thai has more ways to say it, including why many Thai families show love more than they say it. And if the call itself makes you nervous, the video call with Yai phrases walk through a whole call, from hello to goodbye. They work for mum too.

Practise before the big family days

In Reply Thai’s My partner’s family lessons, you practise calling your in-laws on Mother’s Day, so the line is ready when your partner’s mum picks up.

Reply Thai for iPhoneComing soon

Four months later it’s dad’s turn: see Thai Father’s Day.

Thai words on this page are a draft until a native speaker has reviewed them.